Scope of action: Supply Chain
Responsible procurement of raw materials and goods.
Strategic goals
Social and ecological minimum standards
We procure our raw materials and semi-finished products based on defined social and ecological standards.
Relationship with suppliers of raw materials
We work in partnership with our suppliers to improve the living conditions of raw material producers.
Packaging
We use packaging with the lowest possible negative impact on the environment.
Political influence
We are actively involved in the political development processes within the chocolate industry.
Internal procurement
We apply our internal procurement purchasing standards when sourcing materials for our day-to-day office needs.
Certiciation of our cocoa
Since January 2014, we have only been processing certified cocoa (organic, Naturland, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance) to ensure that our products fulfil basic principles of sustainability in accordance with social and ecological standards. Nevertheless, we constantly analyse and optimise the sustainability criteria of our products and in particular the origin of our raw materials as a matter of course.
In order to always have an overview of the countries of origin and the sustainability aspects of our cocoa and to be able to improve these, we document the certifications of the raw material. The diagram shows the various certifications of our cocoa. The world map below provides an overview of the countries of origin of the cocoa used in our chocolates.
Our raw material projects
Project guidelines
Our aim is to create a better awareness of the regions of origin of our raw materials - especially with regard to the living and working conditions of the producers of our key raw material, cocoa. In direct contact with our raw material partners, we support projects that are dedicated to improving cultivation conditions.
We build our raw materials projects on the basis of project guidelines to ensure that the quality requirements of our project management are met and that the measures formulated reflect the actual local needs.
Sustainable Organic Cocoa Project
Country: Dominican Republic
Region: Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Alta Gracia
Duration: October 2020 – October 2024
Participants: 187 organic cocoa producers
Responsible: Stiftung Fuparoca, Rizek, Weinrich, EcoFinia
Goal: Improving living conditions of 187 cocoa farmers and their families
Expected outcomes
- Improvement in income and economic diversification
- Increase of productivity by 45%
- Preservation and expansion of biological diversity
- Establishment of skills such as Good Agricultural Practices, Good Ecological Practices, administrative management
- Improvement of access to good quality water
- Establishment of a transparent, long-term supply relationship
A group of project participants on a field day on a cocoa plantation
Héctor Bienvenido de la Cruz and our project manager Mayarí Chúa Soto next to a water tank
Frederico Vasquez with citrus trees, which serve to promote plant diversity on the cocoa farms
Cornelio Rivera next to his water tank
A tree nursery with young cocoa plants
Hurricane Fiona destroyed many of the cocoa plantations in 2022
Information on other projects and the successes already achieved by the "Sustainable Organic Cocoa" project can be found from page 18 onwards in our sustainability report.
Packaging
We are constantly on the lookout for environmentally friendly packaging materials. To this end, we engage in intensive dialogue with customers, suppliers, NGOs, scientists and the critical public.
Our approach for sustainable packaging
- Reducing primary, secondary and tertiary packaging per unit of chocolate
- Establishment of reuse systems
- Use of easily recyclable monomaterial and already recycled material such as paper and aluminium foil, and the elimination of composite material
- Proper disposal labelling for end consumers
- Prevention of negative environmental impact resulting from waste disposal, through the use of biodegradable material and the reduction of plastics
Other objectives in the supply chain area of action relate to the development of Weinrich minimum standards, our political advocacy and internal procurement.
In our sustainability report, you will find all the information on the developments already mentioned as well as on further objectives in the area of supply chain action.
Back to the sustainability strategy.