What is the Nestlé Cocoa Plan?
The key to great chocolate? Cocoa! The Nestlé Cocoa Plan is our long-standing commitment to creating a brighter future for cocoa. Launched in 2009, it focuses on three pillars of work:
- Better farming: aiming to improve farmer livelihoods;
- Better lives: aiming to improve social conditions for families;
- Better cocoa: focused on sustainability.
Within the Nestlé Cocoa Plan are commitments and actions towards forest-positive cocoa, which includes work to mitigate deforestation risks and help to conserve and restore forests and landscapes.
100% Certified Cocoa
BETTER FARMING
Our Approach
We’re training cocoa farmers in a range of good agricultural practices to help them improve the yields and quality of their produce
Our Progress So Far
- 1,286,240 forest and fruit trees distributed to cocoa farmers
- 19,635 hectares of improved tree pruning as part of the Income Accelerator Programme
BETTER LIVES
Our Approach
When women are empowered, their families and communities can thrive. We’re working to improve gender equality through education and financial incentives.
Our Progress So Far
- 108,810 households covered by our Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) to prevent and address child labour risks
- 178,553 children covered by our CLMRS to prevent and address child labour risks
- 793 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) groups
BETTER COCOA
Our Approach
We’re dedicated to creating a transparent and traceable cocoa supply chain, and to continuing a range of forest-positive actions.
Our Progress So Far
- 179,399 farmers in the Nestlé Cocoa Plan
- 100% certified cocoa since 2015 at Nestlé Confectionery in the UK & Ireland
- Notable progress towards our Forest Positive strategy, including our commitment to achieve deforestation-free cocoa by 2025.
The Income Accelerator Programme
What Is It?
Building on our longstanding Nestlé Cocoa Plan, this innovative family-centred initiative is designed to build more resilience in the cocoa supply chain: resilience for cocoa farmers, their communities and resilience towards climate change risks. The programme incentivises and supports farmers to take actions that benefit the environment and local community.
How It Works
Farming families receive both a cash incentive and practical support to accelerate change in four key areas:
- School enrolment
- Good agricultural practices
- Agroforestry activities
- Diversified incomes
Half of the incentive is paid on commitment to take action; the second half when the action is complete and has been verified.
Payments are made via mobile money, and they are distributed equally between farmers and their spouses to promote gender equality and share financial responsibilities.
Our Impact
The programme began in 2021 with a pilot of 1,000 farmers before moving to a test-at-scale with 10,000 farmers in our supply chain. We now have 30,000 farmers enrolled in the programme with a commitment to continue the expansion in the years ahead. The programme is delivered through strong collaboration with a range of expert partners, and is independently evaluated by KIT Royal Tropical Institute, ensuring transparency and accountability in our efforts.
Learn more about the Income Accelerator Programme here.
Our Rainforest Alliance Partnership
Proudly Certified Since The End Of 2015
At Nestlé Confectionery, in the UK and Ireland we began our journey to certified cocoa in 2009. Since the end of 2015, all the cocoa we’ve sourced for the confectionery we sell here has been certified. Today, the Rainforest Alliance is our sole certification partner.
However, our partnership extends beyond certification to include forest protection initiatives and the innovative Income Accelerator Programme. The Rainforest Alliance has also been a critical partner in our journey to traceable cocoa.
Our Partners
Empowering Cocoa Farmers, Together
The Nestlé Cocoa Plan builds on over a decade of field experience, made possible with the support of our partners. Our progress and impact start with cocoa-farming families and their communities; we couldn’t do it without them.
Nestle Global
Find Out More About
To learn more about the income accelerator programme, and read our latest progress report, please click here. Mobile money cash transfers are distributed equally between the farmer and spouse to encourage gender equality.
Our Key Partners
Explore the Brands Involved in the Cocoa Plan
