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Your guilty pleasure is more guilty than you thought…

Sweet and delicious… who doesn’t love chocolate? This month, we’re going beyond the shiny wrappers and unique flavors to explore how the chocolate industry affects both people and planet.

Impactfull is our monthly series.

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Articles written by Alexa Bussmann

Is Chocolate Bad for the Environment? It Certainly Doesn’t Have to Be.
mighty earth chocolate campaign child labor in cooca

Is Chocolate Bad for the Environment? It Certainly Doesn’t Have to Be.

What’s the environmental impact of chocolate? Is chocolate bad for the environment? It all comes down to cocoa trees and how they are grown.
Doc of Choc: Trade Justice and Chocolate with Dr. Kristy Leissle
mighty earth chocolate campaign child labor in cooca

Doc of Choc: Trade Justice and Chocolate with Dr. Kristy Leissle

Today on the podcast I’m sharing my conversation with professor and cocoa scholar Dr. Kristy Leissle.
How Much is a Cocoa Farmer Paid? Why a Living Income is Crucial in the Chocolate Industry
mighty earth chocolate campaign child labor in cooca

How Much is a Cocoa Farmer Paid? Why a Living Income is Crucial in the Chocolate Industry

To earn a living income, many cocoa farmers would have to earn more than twice as much as they currently do each year.
Child Labor in Chocolate: Ayn Riggs of Slave Free Chocolate
mighty earth chocolate campaign child labor in cooca

Child Labor in Chocolate: Ayn Riggs of Slave Free Chocolate

This week on Impactfull, we’re focusing on child labor in the cocoa industry. I spoke with Ayn Riggs, the founder of Slave Free Chocolate. Ayn is advocate for greater accountability and transparency in the cocoa and chocolate industry. Through Slave Free Chocolate, she organizes consumers to petition companies and to eat chocolate that isn’t

Continue reading Child Labor in Chocolate: Ayn Riggs of Slave Free Chocolate

Chocolate & Deforestation: Sam Mawutor of Mighty Earth
mighty earth chocolate campaign child labor in cooca

Chocolate & Deforestation: Sam Mawutor of Mighty Earth

Mighty Earth runs campaigns to influence chocolate companies and government to act to end deforestation in cocoa-growing regions.
Bitter Chocolate: What’s Going on in the Cocoa Industry?
the chocolate case

Bitter Chocolate: What’s Going on in the Cocoa Industry?

In our first article of June’s Impactfull series, we take a look at the humanitarian and environmental issues endemic to the cocoa industry.

Create Impact

Take action with these impact opportunities curated by our team! Just click to get started.

ONE MINUTE

Sign this petition to hold companies accountable to make 100% slave-free chocolate.

Go to petition

FIVE MINUTES

Write to a major chocolate company asking them to make progress towards equity in their supply chain. Use the script below:

Chocolate-Company-LetterDownload

Access contact forms to the world’s largest chocolate companies:

Mars
Hershey
Nestle
Cargill
Mondelez

TEN MINUTES

Have a conversation with a friend or family member about the sustainability and human rights challenges in the cocoa industry. 

Here are some starter questions:

  • Did you know about the living income issues within the cocoa industry?
  • Are you willing to pay more for ethically made chocolate?
  • Who do you think is responsible for exploitation and inequity in supply chains?

SHORT-TERM

What was the last piece of chocolate that you ate?

Research to find out where the cocoa is sourced from, if farmers are paid a living wage, and if the company supports sustainable farming.

You’ll likely find that this information isn’t easy to find–check out the next action item to learn more!

LONG-TERM

Check out Green America’s chocolate scorecard and choose to buy chocolate from companies that commit to 100% certified cocoa, produced sustainably and ethically.

View the scorecard