Mondelez International Reports Progress on 'Cocoa Life' Program

Mondelēz International has published the first progress report on its Cocoa Life sustainability program, which aims to highlight the impact and efforts to date across its six cocoa-growing origins: Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, India and Brazil.

Since its inception in 2012 to the end of 2015, Cocoa Life reached 76,700 farmers in more than 795 communities.

The report provides measurement data from Cocoa Life's first impact evaluation in Ghana, where Cocoa Life began as the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. Initial results show Cocoa Life farmers' incomes tripled since 2009, which is 49 percent more than control communities measured, the company said.

The report also includes data from a needs assessment of the five regions where Cocoa Life is in place in Côte d'Ivoire and an Indonesia baseline assessment, which identifies key areas that will be targeted and measured for improvement.

Today, 21 percent of the company's cocoa is sustainably sourced and brands such as Côte d'Or and Marabou are now displaying the Cocoa Life logo. Overall, Cocoa Life's $400 million investment aims to empower 200,000 cocoa farmers and reach more than 1 million community members by 2022.

"I'm proud of our Cocoa Life program and the transformative impact we are having on our cocoa supply chain and the communities we source cocoa from, as shown in this report," said César Melo, president, Global Chocolate, Mondelēz International.

"Cocoa Life connects the beginning and end of the cocoa supply chain so farmers can see how their cocoa crop contributes to the chocolate we enjoy. As Cocoa Life grows and expands its reach, we will continue to be transparent about our measures for success and key learnings, and share the progress we are making against our goals," Melo said.

Cocoa Life is a part of Mondelēz International's Call For Well-being, a call to action focused on the four areas of sustainability, well-being, communities, and safety.