30.04.2018
Cocoa conference calls for a rethink within the industry
The 4th World Cocoa Conference drew to a close on Wednesday (25 April 2018) with the adoption of the final declaration, the Berlin Declaration. In it, the nearly 1,500 delegates from around 65 countries call for all stakeholders to step up their joint efforts to ensure farmers have a living income. Only in this way, they argue, can a foundation be laid to effectively tackle the sector’s many other problems.
Federal Minister for Agriculture Julia Klöckner had previously highlighted the various challenges facing the cocoa sector in her opening address and called for clear regulation – including with regard to what sustainable cocoa actually is. With her statement that ‘certified cocoa must be free from child labour’, Klöckner addressed the fascinating question of the possibilities and limitations of certification schemes. From the perspective of the Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik, this discussion is essential and must also be conducted across all sectors.
By contrast, the representatives of the various stakeholder groups contributed little in the way of fresh ideas. Rather than proposing new solutions, their contributions focused more on analysing the problems. Consequently, there was consensus on the issues that have been preoccupying the cocoa sector for years, including living wages, diversification, child labour, climate change, deforestation and, of course, the political framework, particularly in producer countries.
Despite the sense of disillusionment that pervaded the cocoa conference, hope for change remains. Dr Jean-Marc Anga, Director of the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), in any case, warned that the sustainability of the cocoa sector depends on a willingness to break new ground: “Business as usual in the cocoa sector is no longer an option. We have to break the mould.” This is because, alongside a clear commitment to cooperation (which, however – as our Ethical Risk Assessment highlighted last year – is not sufficient on its own), the ICCO plans to adopt new, cross-sector and cross-stakeholder measures in the near future to review its objectives and initiatives. This would represent a major step towards greater transparency – transparency which, in our view, is urgently needed to bring about real change in the cocoa sector.