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https://theconversation.com/each-easter-we-spend-about-62-a-head-on-chocolates-but-the-cost-of-buying-unsustainable-products-can-be-far-greater-225784>
"Australians enjoy chocolate, consuming on average the equivalent of 32
kilograms a year, but there is growing interest in its origins and how it’s
made.
They want to know their product is sustainably made by companies that only deal
with ingredient suppliers who engage in fair labour practices and safeguard
against deforestation and other environmentally damaging processes.
But according to the 5th Edition of the Chocolate Scorecard, produced by Be
Slavery Free, two Australian universities and several sustainability interest
groups, some retailers are lagging when it comes to stocking sustainable
products.
The scorecard is released at Easter, the busiest time of the year for the sweet
treat. Sales in this period account for 75% of chocolate sold annually in
Australia, with the average consumer spending $62 on Easter chocolates.
The scorecard ranks the policies and practices of chocolate traders,
manufacturers, brands and retailers, assessing 63 companies on six criteria.
These are traceability and transparency, living income, child and forced labor,
climate change and deforestation, agroforestry and agrochemical use.
Next year’s report card will also include a rating based on gender equality
which is being added as a seventh criteria.
It assesses companies deemed industry leaders in sustainable policies and
practices and awards them a green rating (or “egg”), while yellow and orange
ratings are given to companies considered to be “progressing” and “needing
improvement”. Red is given to those “trailing in policy and practice” and grey
indicates a lack of transparency.
This year, the German brand, Ritter Sport, available in some large Australian
supermarkets, was given a Good Egg Award in the medium and large company
category for its progress and to show bigger companies can do much better.
Dutch brand, Tony’s Chocolonely, was given a special achievement award in the
same category for consistently rating green. New Zealand manufacturer
Whittaker’s was a highly rated yellow.
Mars Wrigley (maker of Mars bars, Snickers, Milky Way and Twix) rated strongly
among the world giants of chocolate, followed by Nestle (Kit Kat, Smarties),
Hershey’s (Kisses, chocolate syrup) and Ferrero (Nutella, Kinder, Ferrero
Rocher), all of which received yellow awards.
Lindt and Mondelēz, whose portfolio includes Cadbury, Toblerone and Green &
Black’s, received orange, indicating the need for improvement."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
