Initiatives by non-state actors
French Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa
Driven by the Syndicat du Chocolat, the French Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa was launched on the occasion of World Cocoa Day 2021. It brings together the State ( Ministry of Ecological Transition , Ministry of Agriculture and , Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs , the Agence Française de Développement group ), industrial companies (particularly united within the Syndicat du chocolat ), traders ( Touton ), the Confédération des Chocolatiers & Confectioners de France and the Committed Chocolate Makers Club , distribution brands ( Aldi , Auchan, Les Mousquetaires , Groupe Carrefour , Groupe Casino , Leclerc , Lidl France , Système U ), civil society organizations ( Fair Trade France , Max Havelaar France , Mighty Earth , Nitidae , Pur Projet , Rainforest Alliance , WWF ), research ( CIRAD ) working on the cocoa and chocolate sector in France.
The signatories of this French Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa, which concerns all cocoa and chocolate products (tablets, confectionery, cocoa powder, etc.), undertake to work together to find sustainable solutions in favor of cocoa growing in the producing regions.
The objectives are social, economic and environmental at the same time: Improve the income of cocoa farmers and their families, so that they can achieve a decent income (in the sense of the "Living Income Community of Practice") at the latest by 2030, in collaboration with producing countries; Put an end, with all the stakeholders, by 2025 at the latest, to supplies for the French cocoa industry, and those of its partners, from deforested areas after January 1, 2020, fight against the degradation of forests and preserve remaining forests and areas of high environmental value; Take the necessary measures to fight and make progress against forced labor and child labor, as defined by the ILO Conventions, in cocoa-growing regions by 2025, as part of the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7 (end child labour, forced labour, slavery human trafficking), while helping to promote children’s rights and access to education. They will also contribute to the emancipation of women within the cocoa sector.
On the occasion of its first anniversary, the French Initiative for Sustainable Cocoa has published its 2021/2022 activity report .
[This Initiative is supported and has been co-financed by the French State within the framework of the SNDI]
Soy Manifesto
Initiated in November 2020, and supported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Manifesto "FOR A MOBILIZATION OF FRENCH ACTORS TO FIGHT AGAINST IMPORTED DEFORESTATION LINKED TO SOYA " aims to mobilize all market players in order to ensure a sustainable supply chain for soy imported into France for animal feed.
“Sustainable” means “Zero Deforestation or Conversion (ZDC)” soy, ie soy that guarantees:
- traceability of soybeans from the production area to the finished products,
- the non-deforestation of native forests and the non-conversion of remarkable ecosystems, legal and illegal, on the basis of a cut-off date set for January 1, 2020.
This initiative, coordinated by the Earthworm Foundation, is supported by all of French distribution alongside industrial volunteers. It has more than twenty signatories: distributors, industrialists and manufacturers of animal feed, NGOs.
Among the commitments of the Manifesto, one of the objectives is to use the risk management mechanism based on the dashboard published by the SNDI. This tool aims to concentrate the means of verification and control on the sensitive points. It also aims to encourage marketers to be more transparent and to opt for an action plan to improve their supply.
This initiative is supported by the French State within the framework of the SNDI
Framework of the Alliance for the Preservation of Forests
In order to encourage companies to integrate the challenges of deforestation and the conversion of ecosystems into their purchasing strategies, the Alliance for the Preservation of Forests has drawn up a reference system aimed at guiding them in the structuring of their approach to responsible purchases towards the Zero deforestation objective. Accessible to all companies, regardless of their size, sector and level of maturity, this repository is freely available here .
Based on reference normative documents, this reference system is above all an instruction manual. It will allow any company that buys raw materials (agricultural commodities, packaging, etc.) to formalize its current level of maturity and prepare an improvement path to take into account deforestation and the conversion of ecosystems in its production processes. purchasing and product innovation.
It consists of three volumes: governance; action plan ; communication.
- The “governance” volume comprises three modules: knowledge and skills; organization ; commitment.
- The “action plan” volume includes four: traceability; verification ; certification; transformation.
- The third volume “communication” includes two modules: dialogues between upstream and downstream stakeholders; reporting and communications.
Developed by the Alliance for the Preservation of Forests , a group of companies committed to sustainable, traceable and ecosystem-friendly raw materials, this unique reference system was developed by member companies of the Alliance, accompanied by expert consultants in sustainable development. and responsible purchasing and subject to the opinion of a committee of stakeholders from associations and the world of research.
With this standard, companies will find it easier to integrate the element of the fight against deforestation into their responsible purchases and thus comply with French regulations on duty of vigilance and European regulations for zero deforestation products.
This tool is a voluntary initiative of private actors and has received publication approval from the SNDI Editorial Committee