Responsible sourcing, certified products and strong partnerships – these are the pillars of ALDI SOUTH Group's cocoa strategy to raise sustainability standards for people and the environment.
Cocoa and its impact
Cocoa has the power to make people happy. It is the main ingredient for chocolate – an all-time favourite and indispensable soul food for people of all ages. Its demand remains high: The CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries) predicts an annual global chocolate consumption of up to 7.2 million tonnes.
Behind the scenes, considering the origins of cocoa beans, circumstances are often less light-hearted. More than 60% of the world's cocoa comes from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. It is grown by smallholder farmers who often face difficult working and living conditions. Human rights violations, including child labour and modern slavery, as well as environmental risks, such as deforestation, are key challenges when sourcing cocoa.
How can we make cocoa more sustainable?
The ALDI SOUTH Group is committed to fostering fair working conditions and environmentally friendly production in the cultivation of cocoa.
To address these challenges, we continue to increase the amount of certified, sustainably sourced cocoa. We form strong partnerships with stakeholders and work with our business partners to increase the traceability of our cocoa.
Certified quality and responsible sourcing
Certification is one way to determine whether sustainability standards are being met in cocoa cultivation. That’s why the ALDI SOUTH Group engages with trusted certification organisations to strengthen requirements and improve sustainability standards at farm level.
We are a proud partner of the Fairtrade Cocoa Programme which enables farmers to get fairer trading conditions, promote social change and protect the environment.
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation. It brings together farmers, businesses, and consumers to protect human rights, conserve forests, and contribute to better farming practices.
We are expanding our sustainable chocolate product range. ALDI joined Tony’s Open Chain in 2020, becoming the first discount retailer to do so. Together, we can amplify our positive impact and change the norm in the cocoa industry by working on ending poverty, illegal child labour, and deforestation.
ALDI is proud to be a sustainability frontrunner by enabling cocoa farmers to earn a living income.
We are expanding our sustainable chocolate product range. ALDI joined Tony’s Open Chain in 2020, becoming the first discount retailer to do so. Together, we can amplify our positive impact and change the norm in the cocoa industry by working on ending poverty, illegal child labour, and deforestation.
ALDI is proud to be a sustainability frontrunner by enabling cocoa farmers to earn a living income.
Teaming up for good: Partnerships and projects
To have a wide-ranging sustainable impact, the ALDI SOUTH Group forms strong partnerships and participates in various multi-stakeholder initiatives. We support several projects on the ground to improve the living conditions of cocoa farmers, protect natural resources, and promote biodiversity in cocoa production.
Since 2015
German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO)
The German Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that promotes sustainable cocoa production through joint activities and a close exchange of experience. It aims to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families, to conserve and protect natural resources and biodiversity in cocoa-producing countries, and to increase the cultivation and commercialisation of sustainably produced cocoa.
Since 2018
Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO)
The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) is a multi-stakeholder initiative created to share knowledge and find joint solutions. Its members represent the full spectrum of the Swiss chocolate and cocoa sector, including manufacturers and traders, the retail sector, public sector institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and research institutions.
Since 2019
Retailer Cocoa Collaboration (RCC)
The Retailer Cocoa Collaboration (RCC) is a pre-competitive group of six retailers supporting existing industry efforts to drive environmental and social improvements in the cocoa sector.
Since 2020
Tony’s Open Chain
Tony's Open Chain is a business-to-business cocoa sourcing initiative launched by Tony’s Chocolonely to drive systemic change in the cocoa sector. Its mission is to end exploitation in the cocoa industry by enabling cocoa farmers to earn a living income, protecting forests and addressing child labour in the world’s largest cocoa-producing countries, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Any company sourcing cocoa is invited to join as a Mission Ally and support more sustainable cocoa sourcing by committing to Tony's 5 Sourcing Principles. This approach allows companies to collaborate on cocoa while competing on chocolate.
Find out more about our cocoa policies, initiatives, and projects. The Cocoa Factsheet provides information about the ALDI SOUTH Group for benchmarking enquiries.
Source: *Farmers impacted in ALDI's projects with ECAMOM and Tony's Open Chain, **Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, 2022
