Rainforest Alliance

The collapse of the Brazilian cocoa industry in the late 1980s served as a wake-up call for leading candy-maker Mars, Inc., propelling the company toward a more aggressive approach to corporate responsibility. "We realized just how susceptible the crop was to disease and pests, and that we needed to make our supply sustainable," reflects Matthias Berninger, Mars' global head of public policy. Over the last three decades, Mars' commitment to conservation and the social and economic well-being of farmers has grown exponentially. In April, Mars pledged to work toward obtaining 100 percent of its cocoa supply from certified sustainable sources by the end of the next decade. Here, Berninger talks to the Rainforest Alliance about the important decision.

Why is environmental sustainability so important in cocoa-growing?

The cocoa tree is a diva, a prima donna of the ecosystem. A bunch of prima donnas can't grow together without a society [of other flora and fauna] around them. Good farming practices improve quality and productivity, and protect the environment, while helping to ensure a continued supply of cocoa beans.

How did Mars first incorporate sustainability into its business strategy?

We made a very rigorous choice to invest in the development of cocoa communities, where we believed we could really make a difference. The first step was launching our iMPACT program (Mars Partnership for African Cocoa Communities of Tomorrow), a unique partnership designed to address some of the challenges facing those communities. The program tackles a variety of development needs, from education to sanitation to conservation initiatives. In doing so, it involves Mars and our collaborators in all steps of the supply chain, from bean to bar.

Why did Mars choose Rainforest Alliance certification?

We had been considering certification for a number of years, and we went with the Rainforest Alliance primarily for two reasons: our objectives were very much in line with each others and because the Rainforest Alliance didn't provide us with lip service -- you really acknowledged the challenges of such a major decision. Ours is an enormous commitment -- on the scale of the Rainforest Alliance/Chiquita collaboration -- and a meaningful one.

Will the decision affect the way other major players in the industry view sustainability?

We hope it inspires many companies to make certification commitments -- and that eventually all cocoa is from certified cocoa farms. The industry needs to be ready to make a bold move, and the certifiers need to be ready to meet the demand for sustainable beans.

When will we see the little green frog seal on a Mars cocoa product?

We're not looking to 'win' the seal right away. After we see real success on the ground -- and we've won the hearts and minds of farmers -- we'll invest in marketing the commitment [by putting the seal on products]. Before that, we want to involve our whole network of farmers in becoming ambassadors for sustainability who can attest to the concrete benefits of certification.