Chocolate makers should take responsibility
Tony’s Chocolonely agrees with largest cocoa growers that chocolate makers should take responsibility
October 14th, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire announced that they are frustrated with the slow uptake from makers to pay a living income. Tony’s Chocolonely agrees!
We praise the governments for taking their responsibility to end poverty at the farmer’s level and raise export prices with a living income differential. Tony’s Chocolonely already bridges the gap between the farmgateprice and the minimum living income price as of 2013 via their Tony’s premium. In addition they just published jointly with FT the Living Income Reference Price that farmer’s need to reach a living income (2,20/kg in CDI and 2,10 in Ghana). So the price per kg that has to be paid is clear and all choco organizations should build their businesses on these minimum cocoabean price levels. BUT only a higher price is not solving all problems and might even trigger new problems (overproduction). We need a system change. That’s why Tony’s Chocolonely beliefs in linked pricing based on Living Income levels in an equally divided supply chain without anonimity that is organized according it’s 5 sourcing principles:
- pay a higher price (enabling a living income),
- traceability of supply chain (full physical, social, environmental and financial transparency),
- long term contracts with farmers (known business partners enabling them to invest),
- improving productivity and quality (increasing the productivity per hectare to a minimum of 800kgs a year)
- and investing in strong farmers (organized groups providing services to its farmer members and negotiating power).
The industry must raise the bar and take full responsibility over the complete supply chain, not just the price.
Putting all sustainability programs on a halt and focus only on price is not the right solution. Tony’s requests the governements to make a split in sustainability programs that do improve the outright supply chain and those which don’t. Tony’s Chocolonely’s open source platform tonysopenchain.com invites all chocolate makers to join forces using the 5 sourcing principles as the new rules of business, cause only together we’ll make 100% slave free the new norm in chocolate.
