Green America, the national nonprofit focused on using economic power for the creation of a just and environmentally sustainable society, has just released its annual Chocolate Scorecard. The scorecard ranks chocolate companies based on a variety of important social and sustainability issues. Chief among these has to do with companies’ stance against child labor—a major problem in the global cocoa industry—as well as commitments to sourcing sustainable and ethically farmed cocoa, working to end deforestation and other programs.
The rating—which does not claim to be a comprehensive list of all sustainably sourced chocolate companies—analyzes the practices of fifteen chocolate makers. And while the association recognizes that the majority of major chocolate companies have committed to more sustainable sourcing practices, in many cases including plans to incorporate 100% certified cocoa, it also underlines the fact that certification alone is insufficient to address the problem of child labor and its underlying causes.
This is partly because various certifications have different standards and ideas about what it means to be “sustainable.” This is why Green America expanded its rating system this year, giving an “A” to those companies with programs that go above and beyond to address these critical issues. Check out these and more results in the scorecard below.
