A chocolate industry trade body has helped develop new methodology to assess the risk of deforestation.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), together with the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), has announced the publication of the Active Deforestation Risk Assessment Methodology for cocoa supply chains.
Representing around 80% of the cocoa and chocolate sector, the World Cocoa Foundation is made up of global cocoa traders, processors and chocolate manufacturers including Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Mars Wrigley, Mondelēz, Nestlé, Ferrero and Lindt & Sprüngli.
The methodology has been developed to provide practical guidance to support more transparent, consistent and evidence-based approaches to deforestation risk assessment.
It is intended as a practical reference framework for companies, governments and third-party monitoring providers and is designed to complement existing national systems and company due diligence processes by improving transparency, comparability and confidence in assessment outcomes. The methodology provides step-by-step guidance covering:
- Plot data quality assurance
- Forest baseline definition and validation
- Deforestation overlay analysis
- Legal zoning checks
- Verification procedures
- Mitigation and corrective actions
“The cocoa sector needs robust, transparent and practical approaches to assessing deforestation risk” says Mike Matarasso, impact director and head of North America, World Cocoa Foundation. “This methodology represents an important step forward in supporting greater consistency, stronger verification and better-informed decision-making across cocoa supply chains.”
Louis Reymondin, senior scientist for digital inclusion at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, said no single dataset can fully capture the complexity of tropical agricultural landscapes.
“This methodology provides a structured framework for assessing evidence, strengthening verification processes and improving transparency in how risk assessments are conducted,” they added.
The publication is part of broader collaboration between WCF, the Alliance and sector partners to strengthen transparency, comparability and implementation readiness across sustainable cocoa supply chains.
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