Cargill Unveils Comprehensive Plan to Transform Cocoa Supply Chain Sustainability

According to a recent announcement from Cargill, the food production powerhouse is on a mission to revamp its cocoa supply chain with an eye toward sustainability by reducing carbon emissions and minimizing waste.

In their July 1 statement, Cargill outlined ambitious goals: thay aim to slash supply chain emissions by 30% per ton of product by the year 2030 and cut operational emissions by 10% come 2025. A key part of this initiative involves repurposing cocoa shells—previously seen as waste—into fuel for biomass boilers at their facilities in Amsterdam. Additionally, they’ve embraced solar energy at production sites in Ghana and warehouses in the Netherlands.

“We’re demonstrating that effective climate action can be implemented on a large scale without sacrificing quality,” remarked Emiel van Dijk, who oversees Cargill’s cocoa operations across Europe and West Africa.

Cocoa beans stored near amsterdam are now transported via electric barges to Wormer in northern Netherlands. From there, LNG-powered trucks take them to Cargill’s eco-friendly warehouse in Zaandam. The journey continues as semi-finished cocoa products are shipped to chocolate processing plants using renewable fuels and short sea routes. Notably, electricity for both vessels and facilities is sourced from wind farms operated by Cargill throughout the Netherlands.