Supply chain transparency not enough for ethical chocolate

August 25, 2023

(Photo: cacao pods, credit: Alexandre Brondino)

New research shows transparency in the ethical chocolate trade is falling short of making transformative change to sustainable global food systems. 

In collaboration with the Chocolate Alliance, a craft chocolate industry organization, the research was published this month in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research.

“With the acceleration and digitization of supply chain data, many see transparency as the answer to many global environmental challenges like tropical deforestation and modern-day slavery,” says project lead, UVic geographer Sophia Carodenuto.

“But we found that without regulation, companies with global supply chains are self-selecting what data they disclose and some are even using transparency as a marketing tool that masks the ugliest parts of their supply chains,” adds Carodenuto.

Even though the craft chocolate community has emerged as a champion for supply chain transparency within the chocolate industry, the lack of regulation is slowing down progress toward true sustainability.

Carodenuto and lead author, grad student Sid Boegman show that while craft chocolate makers are morally driven to pursue transparent cacao sourcing, additional motivators include achieving a higher-quality product, trust in supply chain relationships, and increased customer connection. Many craft chocolate makers believe that transparency is important, but only the first step in building ethical supply chains.

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