Tony’s Chocolonely cut carbon emissions last year while celebrating a record £23.9 million (€28 million) rise in revenue to £128m (€150m), according to its latest 2022 to 2023 sustainability report.
Compared to other cocoa sold in the same region, Tony’s Chocolonely saw 87% lower emissions in Ghana and 95% lower emissions in Côte d’Ivoire.
This is largely due to the fact that Tony’s Chocolonely’s supply chain is deforestation-free, confirmed by detailed satellite mapping and deforestation reviews in the report.
The impact-driven Dutch chocolatier has signed up to the maximum scope 1 and 2 science-based emission reduction target, meaning it must reduce emissions by 42% by 2030.
The chocolate company also increased its farmers income in Côte d’Ivoire by 51% as a result of both it and its Mission Allies – other brands sourcing cocoa via Tony’s Open Chain – paying the Living Income Reference Price (LIRP), which is higher than the national farmgate price and the Fairtrade price.
Tony’s commitment to paying LIRP alone has raised the number of farmers benefitting from living income cocoa prices by 20% compared to last year, with the figure currently sitting at 17,740.
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Tony’s Chocolonely chief executive Douglas Lamont said: “As an impact-led company that wants to drive change across the whole industry, we must prove that ending exploitation of West African farming families can come in parallel with good returns for shareholders, impactful careers for employees and care for our planet.”
“Our results this year demonstrate yet again that partnering with others in the cocoa supply chain and balancing the needs of all our stakeholders is both the right thing and the smart thing to do, to build a successful impact company over the long term.”
Tony’s Chocolonely Open Chain showed a significantly lower prevalence of child labour at 10.5% versus the industry average of 46.7%, while Tony’s long-term partners have an even lower rate of 4.4%.
The report highlights the largest annual increase in Tony’s Mission Allies to date, with six new partners joining their collaborative industry initiative Tony’s Open Chain.
