Global food and beverage company Nestlé announced today the launch of the Nestlé Sustainably Sourced chocolate range in its travel retail channel, offering consumers in airports around the world with chocolate products made with sustainably sourced cocoa.
The cocoa supply chain is faced with a series of sustainability related challenges, ranging from extreme farmer poverty and child labor to climate impact and deforestation.
Nestlé, home to leading chocolate brands including Kit Kat and Nesquick, is one the world’s largest corporate cocoa consumers, sourcing roughly 430,000 tons per year, with much of the supply sourced from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The company launched the Nestlé Cocoa Plan in 2009, to improve the sustainability of its cocoa supply chain, based on key pillars including “better farming,” aiming to provide training and resources to help farmers improve yields and livelihoods, “better lives,” to improve social conditions for families, including through promoting gender equality and access to education, and “better cocoa,” to improve product sustainability, including through developing a more transparent and traceable supply chain. Nestlé has set a goal to source 100% of its cocoa through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan by 2025.
Chocolate used for the new brand will be produced using cocoa sourced through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, and certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Rainforest Alliance certification includes sustainability requirements for companies and farmers, with a focus on improving, forests, climate, human rights, and farmer livelihoods.
Nestlé said that the new brand comes as consumers increasingly seek products made with responsibly sourced ingredients and supported by clear claims and measurable progress on critical sustainability issues, and cited research indicating that more than 70% of travellers stated that sustainability influences their purchasing decisions.
The company added that the new brand’s campaign visuals will encourage customers to learn more about the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and the collaboration with the Rainforest Alliance.
Aura Sanchez, Head of Marketing at Nestlé Travel Retail, said:
“Through creative branding, we can provide transparency on the origin of the cocoa used in our chocolate. It enables us to raise awareness about our longstanding commitments to supporting cocoa-farming families and the long-term sustainability of cocoa production.”