The Hershey Company is doubling down on its environmental efforts with the launch of a new slate of initiatives and commitments designed to create a kinder, greener cocoa supply chain.
These latest steps include the unveiling of a new comprehensive environmental policy as well as signing the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and joining the Science Based targets initiative.
The company is also launching the Kakum Cocoa Agroforestry Landscape Program which is focused on improving the well-being of cocoa farmers and their families and strengthening the region’s socio-economic and ecological resilience to climate change.
“Together, these strategic environmental policies and initiatives will further strengthen how Hershey operates, creating a positive social impact from farm to finished product,” said President and CEO Michele Buck.
Protecting the cocoa supply chain
The Kakum Cocoa Agroforestry Landscape Program has been launched in partnership with cocoa supplier Ecom, Ghana’s Nature Conservation Research Centre, the Ghana Forestry Commission and the Ghana Cocoa Board.
The initiative is aimed at protecting the forest surrounding the Kakum National Park in Southern Ghana and creating a more sustainable cocoa agroforestry system.
The programme is designed to benefit more than 100,000 people in the region and enhance the livelihoods of local cocoa farmers and strengthen the socio-economic and ecological resilience to climate change across this 118,000 sq. hectare landscape.
The program is part of the company’s commitment as a member of the Cocoa Forest Initiative (CFI) and supports Hershey’s half-billion-dollar ‘Cocoa For Good’ sustainability strategy.
The program seeks to drive zero deforestation and create long-term systemic change with increased agroforestry and shade grown cocoa along with landscape governance and community empowerment.
