SumOfUs and Mighty Earth campaign Lindt & Sprüngli to commit to more sustainable sourcing of cocoa
A campaign from SumOfUs, an international consumer group, and environmental NGO Mighty Earth urged Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli to publicly commit to an ambitious anti-deforestation policy for sourcing cocoa beans. The groups’ campaign efforts were bolstered with a petition signed by over 70,000 people, arguing that Lindt sourced cocoa beans from traders buying illegal cocoa grown in protected areas, destroying rainforest habitats of endangered species like elephants and chimpanzees.
View the petition here: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/lindt-cocoa
According to Lindt & Sprüngli’s recently updated website, the company “is aware of the issues related to deforestation in cocoa production, and is committed to avoiding deforestation in the agricultural supply chains used for the production of our chocolate products,” listing four main goals:
- No cocoa bean sourcing from protected areas
- No expansion of land under cocoa cultivation into areas defined by the High Carbon Stock Approach
- Agroforestry systems for cocoa production
- Supporting community forest protection, conservation, and reforestation
Lindt & Sprüngli is currently working towards fully implementing Action Plans by 2025 to ensure that their entire cocoa supply chain is free from deforestation.
“We have have been in a close and constructive dialogue with Lindt for the last few months and we commend the company for committing to anti-deforestation efforts and a forest-friendly ‘agroforestry’ model,” said Christian Bock, campaigner at SumOfUs. “While there is much work to be done between now and 2025, Lindt’s public commitment is a major step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing a more humane and sustainable Lindt & Sprüngli.”
“Lindt’s bold move should put pressure on the last laggard companies in the chocolate industry that are holding out, dragging their feet, and refusing to do the right thing,” added Etelle Higonnet at Mighty Earth. “We’re still waiting to see major companies like Mars, Nestle, Unilever and Ferrero commit publicly to all agroforestry cocoa, so that they can make cocoa a truly green commodity. When will they follow Lindt?”
SumOfUs is a global consumer group that campaigns to hold big corporations accountable. Over 10 million people have taken over 50 million actions worldwide with SumOfUs since it launched.