Traceability and transparency

Traceability and transparency are important prerequisites for more sustainability in the cocoa value chain. The members of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa are therefore gradually promoting and improving the traceability of cocoa beans back to their origin and disclosing import figures.

Due to the strong globalisation of the food market with many production stages and locations, the traceability of products is not automatically given. Chocolate companies usually purchase the cocoa and intermediate products such as cocoa butter or cocoa paste through several suppliers, who in turn obtain the raw materials from several production sites. Traceability, by contrast, means knowing the origin, the people, the companies and the processing steps behind a product.

Motives for better traceability

Businesses, consumers, civil society organisations and public authorities can all advocate for improved traceability, but with different motivations: For example, to improve supply chain management, to mitigate risks related to safety, quality and sustainability of production, to enable and target direct payments to farmers, to ensure regulatory compliance or to gain consumer trust.

Improved traceability is thus a prerequisite for the targeted management and monitoring of measures to improve sustainability. A high degree of traceability is indispensable particularly for certification as sustainable cocoa and for high-quality cocoa. However, traceability also creates incentives to engage in and report on increased sustainability by increasing transparency and accountability for all actors along the supply chain.

Different levels of traceability

There are different levels of traceability. In the strictest variant, the exact origin and production conditions of the cocoa beans are documented all the way to the end product; in less strict variants, only part of the information is preserved because the cocoa is mixed with other cocoa.

The European Initiatives on Sustainable Cocoa (ISCOs) have agreed on the following four levels:

• Conventional: The cocoa does not meet any traceability requirements. During processing, beans from different production sites are mixed together and the information on the origin and method of production is not documented.
• Mass balance: The cocoa meets the required production standards and the origin and quantity of the cocoa beans is documented at the time of purchase. In later production steps, however, the beans may be mixed with conventional cocoa. Mass balancing also allows cocoa to be sold as certified that technically contains portions of conventional cocoa, as long as the total amount of certified cocoa is not exceeded.
• Segregated: In contrast to the mass-balance-system, the cocoa remains segregated from conventional cocoa during all production steps. However, it may be mixed with same-certified cocoa from other origins.
• Identity preserved: Cocoa from a specific origin remains segregated during all production steps and is not mixed with any other cocoa. This means that the exact information about the origin of the cocoa is preserved until the final product.

Means to create transparency

Transparency is essential to ensure traceability. For certified cocoa, labels serve as a sign of credibility. Certain companies work with their own sustainability programmes that are verified externally. Digital tools also offer a great opportunity. They allow the entire supply chain to be presented transparently and, above all, the production conditions at origin (the so-called "first mile") to be documented precisely. This allows the respective farmers to be supported in a targeted manner and to be fairly remunerated for their work. Various member projects (see below) therefore aim to use digital tools to establish a direct relationship with the farming families and thus increase their share of the added value.

Members of the Cocoa Platform have jointly set the following targets by 2030 in the area of traceability and transparency:

• The entire physical flow of products containing cocoa into Switzerland (beans, butter, mass, finished products, etc.) should be traceably based on sustainable agricultural production (interim target 2025: 80 %).
• Enhanced traceability along the supply chain, involving first mile traceability and – where efficient and practical – segregation of physical flows.

Learn more about the Roadmap 2030

Various members of the Cocoa Platform are implementing projects for improved traceability and transparency. These projects received a contribution from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO thanks to the mediation of the Coordination Office.

At the European level, there is a working group on traceability and transparency. The working group supports members in improving the traceability and transparency of all sourced cocoa. Learn more about the working groups