Dive Brief:
- Mars is teaming up with food and beverage ingredient supplier Ofi to launch a project that aims to cut the carbon footprint of cocoa production across both companies’ shared cocoa supply chain in Ecuador.
- The five-year initiative aims to help farmers in the region adopt sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices that will boost cocoa production and farm productivity, cut greenhouse gas emissions and assist Mars and Ofi in meeting their 2050 climate targets, according to both companies.
- Mars has a goal of halving its total emissions across its supply chain by 2030, compared to 2015, and achieving net-zero status by 2050. Ofi has a goal of cutting its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions 50% and scope 3 emissions 30% by 2030, compared to 2020. Like Mars, Ofi also seeks to reach net-zero status across its supply chain by 2050.
Dive Insight:
Though the partnership was announced last week, the project commenced last year and will run through 2029, per a press release. The project builds on over 15 years of collaboration between both companies, focused on sustainable cocoa sourcing.
The first phase of the project will support over 960 farmers across five key cocoa-growing regions in Ecuador, including El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí and Santo Domingo. Farmers will implement regenerative agriculture practices across more than 9,000 hectares of farmland, with the aim of transitioning to “multistrata agroforestry,” a land-use system that combines agriculture with forestry. This system imitates natural forests by combining trees, shrubs and crops in multiple vertical layers (strata) on the same plot. According to Mars and Ofi, these systems “boost cocoa production, support microorganisms and pollinators, and create natural barriers against pests and disease.”
Farmers participating in this initiative will also be provided with tools and training to use low-carbon fertilizers, improve crop residue management and biochar applications. These measures are expected to increase carbon removals, cut emissions and improve soil health and farmers’ cocoa crop yields, according to the release. The companies said around 4,800 people in the nearby cocoa-growing communities are also expected to benefit from this initiative.
“Together with Mars, we’re scaling up regenerative practices like agroforestry and biochar in Ecuador aimed at cutting greenhouse‑gas emissions and helping to secure the future supply of cocoa,” Ofi Head of Cocoa Sustainability Andrew Brooks said in the April 15 release. By making these practices more accessible to farmers, we hope to reduce barriers for implementation and costly inputs, while opening new income opportunities that can make a real difference to building more resilient livelihoods.”
