Supporting an Eco-Friendly Easter
Small Ways to Support an Eco-Friendly Easter
'Demand for cocoa is fast rising and producers are struggling to keep pace particularly due to global warming. It can take an entire year for a cocoa tree to produce the cocoa needed to make just half a pound of chocolate. Cocoa farmers also usually clear tropical forests to plant new cocoa trees rather than reusing the same land, which has led to mass deforestation, which is bad news for climate change. Furthermore, overseas cocoa industries often rely on child labour and unethical practices that keep many families trapped in cycles of poverty.' - Rachel England (Do One Thing)
How to Choose an Easter Egg - Don't Worry. It's not all bad.
There are in fact businesses who are ethically trading and supporting sustainable farming which can actually have beneficial impacts on the planet! So let's support those, and speak with our money this Easter. Conscious consuming does require some effort on our part, but here's a quick way to know what to look for thanks to Ethical Consumer
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Is it Organic?
Synthetic pesticides and herbicides threaten insect populations, contaminate water sources and can have ecosystem-wide knock-on effects
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Is it Fairtrade?
Many agricultural products are grown by overworked and underpaid workers. Look for Fairtrade to make sure that the person growing your chocolate is receives a fair wage and working conditions
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Is it vegan?
Much dairy is produced through intensive farming, which keeps animals in cramped conditions, and has high levels of emissions. Look for dairy-free to help protect the environmental and animal rights
What you can Find at The Store
We have a small selection of ethical easter chocolates for you to choose from, made by companies we're supporting like Montezuma, Cocoa Loco, Divine, Love Cocoa and Seed & Bean. All with fully recyclable or compostable packaging, all ethical businesses, most made in the UK, and all supporting sustainable farming!
Love Cocoa is another sustainable chocolate company that also works directly with farmers to make sure there are correct and ethical practices happening.
"We take great care in sourcing our chocolate, not just ensuring we are selecting the best tasting chocolate, but also making sure it is sourced in the most sustainable way.
We work with suppliers who guarantees cocoa farmers higher than the market price. Their integrated production value chain means directly trading with farmers, so there are no middlemen, resulting in fairer prices for the producers. They go further by working with farmers to improve the way they harvest their crop, from ensuring trees are replanted to monitoring the way the beans are fermented, ensuring the full aromas of chocolate are discovered.
The chocolate industry is dominated by many multinationals. We work with smaller family run business who have a long and respectful relationship with all members of the value chain." - Love Cocoa
And I'm sorry to break it to you...Companies to avoid
Not only do Nestle score poorly on the ethical consumer table, they also received the worst rating for their management of workers' rights in its cocoa supply chain. Plus they got one of the worst ratings for palm oil. We would recommend also avoiding the below who scored very low when it comes to ethical chocolate companies and planet impact:Cadbury's, Nestle, Creme Egg, Twirl, Green & Black's, Terry's, Aero, Kit Kat, Smarties
