Cargill leverages technology to improve cocoa transparency

Cargill has released its latest Cocoa & Chocolate 2018–2019 Sustainability Progress Report, which highlights the company’s efforts to drive lasting change with digital technologies.

“This sustainability progress report highlights how Cargill uses technology to connect every dot in the cocoa supply chain,” said Harold Poelma, president of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, in a press release. “Maximum transparency in the cocoa sector is critical for making real progress on sustainability. It not only helps cocoa farmers, their families, and communities prosper but also helps protect our planet. I am confident that working with our partners, we can continue to make great strides in achieving a thriving cocoa sector.”

Through the Cargill Cocoa Promise, the company is realizing the opportunities offered by technologies such as mobile money, GPS mapping, and digital data collection, which allow for greater transparency on how cocoa is grown and sourced from farmers.

Key milestones from 2018–2019 include the following:

• With the use of barcoded cocoa bags and digital Cooperative Management Systems (CMS), 50% of sustainable cocoa beans in the global direct supply chain are now traceable from farm to factory. In 2018–2019, 151,190 metric tons of cocoa beans were tracked. The CMS enables farmers organizations to manage loans, collect beans, and check fixed versus variable costs.
• Implementation of child labor monitoring and remediation systems (CLMRS) to address child labor has significantly increased. In addition to Côte d’Ivoire, Cargill also deploys CLMRS now in Ghana and Cameroon, reaching a total of 58,800 farmers in 2018–2019. This extends the reach from 7% to 29% of the total number of farms in the direct supply chain.

GPS polygon mapping of 72% of all farmers in the direct supply chain, representing over 400,000 hectares of farmland, was completed. Cargill is well on its way to identifying where the cocoa comes from, which areas may be at risk of deforestation, and how to mitigate this risk through specific interventions.