Cadbury-maker Mondelez to invest €600m in sustainable cocoa sourcing

This investment comes after voluntary efforts by food giants like Mondelez to source cocoa and other ingredients sustainably through certification schemes had limited impact in practice.

Cadbury chocolate-maker Mondelez doubled down on sustainable cocoa sourcing by pledging to spend an additional $600m (€602m) by 2030 on efforts to combat child labour, farmer poverty and deforestation in cocoa.

The move will bring its total spend on cocoa sustainability since 2012 to $1bn (€1bn) and comes as multinationals face increased reputational and legal pressures to clean up their global supply chains.

The European Commission has proposed several laws aimed at preventing and, in the case of forced labour, banning the import and use of products linked to environmental and human rights abuses.

This comes after voluntary efforts by food giants like Mondelez to source cocoa and other ingredients sustainably through certification schemes had limited impact in practice.

"Cocoa farmers and their communities are still facing big challenges," said Christine Montenegro McGrath, senior vice president and chief impact and sustainability officer at Mondelez.

Sustainability schemes use auditors like Fairtrade and others to certify ingredients as ethically sourced. However, more than a decade after they were introduced, rates of forest destruction, poverty and child labour in cocoa remain high.

The schemes have been much criticised for not committing to paying farmers a living income.