Mondelez International establishes partnership to protect forests in Ghana

Mondelez International said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Forestry Commission of Ghana, Ghana Cocoa Board and United Nations Development Programme, reinforcing its commitment to reduce emissions in its cocoa supply chain across Ghana.

Through Cocoa Life, Mondelez International's signature sustainable cocoa sourcing program, the company will take a leading role in implementing projects to deliver the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Program (GCFRP) which aims at tackling deforestation and forest degradation.

"Deforestation makes up the largest part of our carbon footprint, which is why it's so important for us to address this issue head on. Through this collaboration, we can be even more efficient in safeguarding the environment and helping cocoa farmers become resilient against climate change," said Hubert Weber, executive vice president and president Europe at Mondelez International based in Deerfield. "This partnership builds on Cocoa Life's ongoing forest protection efforts. It's an exciting new chapter in our work in Ghana and fits with the commitment we made by signing the Cocoa & Forests Initiative Framework for Action at COP23."

As one of the largest cocoa-producing countries, Ghana supplies about 20 percent of the world's cocoa. According to the GCFRP, Ghana also has one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa at 3.2 percent per annum. This is primarily due to unsustainable expansion of cocoa and other agricultural crops.

Mondelez International is contributing $5 million over five years to the GCFRP, which aims to significantly reduce the high rate of deforestation and forest degradation, as well as their associated greenhouse carbon emissions, from cocoa farming within Ghana's High Forest Zone.