Waitrose has become the first UK grocer to partner with confectionary brand Tony Chocolonely’s ‘Tony’s Open Chain’ – and in doing so it commits to “rigorous” cocoa sourcing standards.
The Open Chain is an initiative started by Tony’s Chocolonely to end exploitation in the cocoa industry, and already boasts partners such as Ben & Jerry’s and Albert Heijn, as well as fast growing UK brands Huel and Pleese.
The partnership sees Waitrose commit to sourcing nine of its own-brand chocolate bars, including Cooks’ ingredients bars, through Tony’s Open Chain, which means it will follow five strict cocoa sourcing principles. To be part of the Open Chain, partners must show robust traceability, pay the living income reference price for cocoa, and build long-term relationships with partner cooperatives to support farmers in cocoa communities.
Tony Chocolonely calls those joining the Open Chain “mission allies”, saying those companies involved “compete on chocolate but collaborate on cocoa”.
Charlotte Di Cello, commercial director at Waitrose, commented: “We’re proud to be the first UK retailer to join Tony’s Chocolonely in their mission to end exploitation in cocoa, but we definitely hope we aren’t the last.
“Joining as a mission ally is crucial to helping set a new industry standard, in a world where sustainability is no longer optional but essential, we want to not just meet but exceed our customers’ expectations for responsibly and ethically sourced, high-quality food across the UK and international supply chains.”
Cocoa sourced according to ‘Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles’ is proven to:
- be verified deforestation free
- reduce child labour from 46.7% (industry average) to 4.4%
- contribute 62% to cocoa household income in Côte d’Ivoire.
Sanne Van Zon-Arts, head of sales at Tony’s Open Chain, remarked: “Being the first UK retailer to join us, Waitrose will pave the way for changing the norm in cocoa and offering consumers more opportunities to choose responsible chocolate for which farmers are paid the living income reference price. Together we will make significant impact and take serious steps to end exploitation in cocoa.”
Read more about greener retailing work in the Waitrose supply chain on Green Retail World
[Image credit: Waitrose]
