Certification and traceability
Certification
All our cocoa volumes are sourced as Rainforest Alliance Certified. The Group will continue its commitment to the Farming Program as its Responsible Sourcing Standard (as defined in our Sustainability Statement) for cocoa. The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard aligns with the Farming Program’s objectives and thus serves as a complementary baseline for the Group’s cocoa sourcing. Activities within the Group’s Farming Program are implemented in addition to the Rainforest Alliance certification.
For more information on the Responsible Sourcing Standards relied on by Lindt & Sprüngli, see the latest Sustainability Statement.
Traceability
Supply chain traceability is a part of our key principles of our cocoa sourcing. This includes establishing traceability from the farm to the first point of purchase (first mile traceability) as the initial step in the implementation of the Farming Program. Additionally, supply chain traceability refers to the ability to trace cocoa products along the supply chain to our factory doors.
Cocoa beans are sourced in a way that lets us trace the beans back either to one specific Rainforest Alliance Certified farm or to a group of Rainforest Alliance Certified farms (Identity Preserved / Mixed Identity Preserved). Our aim is to source 80% of cocoa butter from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and to keep it strictly separate from non-certified cocoa throughout the entire supply chain (Segregated). The remaining volumes are sourced through a system that allows Rainforest Alliance Certified and non‑certified cocoa to be mixed, but we buy enough certified cocoa to cover the certified claims we make (Mass Balance).
See our latest Sustainability Statement to learn more about the traceability levels of the cocoa products we source.
