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Live Long: Our Sustainable Approach
Together, Good becomes Better
Staying true to our values, making our mission the solid foundation on which all decisions are made, while also setting an example to be followed tomorrow: this is the real lesson of 2021.
We want to inspire a collective movement that unites everyone in the cocoa, chocolate and culinary industries around a fair, sustainable cocoa sector and gastronomy which tastes great, looks great and does great things for the world.
Our mission: the roadmap for tomorrow
It has become clear that with a mission that so greatly influences every part of the company, in our capacity to innovate products and new services, in the structure of our organization as well as in our relationships with our stakeholders, it was time to transform our annual CSR report into a report on our corporate mission “Together, good becomes better”.
B Corp, a guide to building tomorrow.
Since January 2020, Valrhona has been part of the B Corp™ community.
This certification recognizes the companies across the world that meet the highest social and environmental standards and that are committed to progress.
This makes Valrhona the world's largest B Corporation®-certified manufacturer of chocolate for professionals.
Our Mission report
It is thanks to our commitments throughout our entire value chain – from the cocoa producer to chefs in their kitchens – that we’re creating a more responsible chocolate and are working to achieve our mission: "Together, good becomes better."
Visit our press area to access our previous reports and all our charters.
Cocoa
Creating a fair and sustainable cocoa sector
Our challenges related to the cocoa sector
The cocoa sector faces major challenges, which is why we are building our ambitions around three major axes:
- improving the living and working conditions of farmers,
- protecting the environment,
- preserving the soil and flavors.
These pillars focus on major commitments, such as improving the incomes of farmers and their families, fighting against all forms of forced labor, particularly child labor, protecting forests and biodiversity, and our ambition to be carbon neutral by 2025.
In order to achieve these objectives, we are setting up long-term partnerships with women and men who share our values working in the field within cocoa-producing companies or cooperatives. We have developed direct relationships in 14 countries around the world.
Our objectives and progress
100% Traceability
for cacao beans from the producer.
69% traceability
for cacao beans from the farm parcel. Target: 100% by 2022.
64% of the producer countries
visited at least once per calendar year. Target: 100% by 2022.
14 out of our 15 source countries
are part of a long-term partnership
100% of our cacao
purchased through a partnership of at least 3 years.
8.3 years
average lenght of a partnership.
100% of producers supported
in adopting agroforestry practices by 2025.
Long Term Partnership
At Valrhona, we work to create a fair and sustainable cocoa sector by building close, mutually beneficial relationships with our 17,215 cocoa producers. We do this by forging long-term partnerships with producer organizations who share our vision and focus on quality and traceability.
From the construction of housing and schools to the protection of rare cocoa varieties, the projects we carry out together reflect our commitment to producing communities and the environment.
Traceability
At Valrhona, 100% of our cocoa is traced from our 17,215 producers around the world.
This traceability is the basis for creating a fair and sustainable industry.
It allows us to know where our cocoa comes from, who harvested it and under what conditions.
This helps to improve the living and working conditions of producers and to fight against deforestation, while guaranteeing the quality of our cocoa beans.
Preserving the soil and flavors
We aim to maintain the diversity of the tastes we offer. The soil, climate, genetic diversity of plants and human expertise shape the tastes and subtleties of agricultural products. Participating in sustainable sectors also involves preserving and identifying new tastes and cocoa varieties that are part of the national heritage of our partner countries. These projects help create jobs in rural areas and boost the agricultural sector. For us, these projects will also be sources of innovation in order to offer new chocolates and inspire our customers.
Improving living and working conditions
Understanding the needs of our farmers is at the heart of what our team does every day. These needs come from our partners
who we rely on to make sure our activities are relevant and legitimate.
Education and combatting child labor
Child labor is a major problem facing the entire cocoa and chocolate sector. Due to our belief that to have the greatest impact any action must be collective, we joined the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) in 2017. The ICI is a foundation dedicated to protecting children in cocoa-growing communities which works to ensure a better future for children and their families.
Key figures
- 4 schools were built or renovated in 3 countries (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Venezuela)
- 20 classes welcomed 672 students in good educational conditions
Protecting the forest and its biodiversity
We are committed to protecting the forests in the 15 countries where we source our cocoa.
We know that tropical farming, including of cocoa, is one of the main causes of deforestation and biodiversity loss.
This environmental damage not only contributes to climate change, but also threatens the future of our producers and supply chain.
This is why we must ensure the conservation of the environmental heritage of producer countries and work with our cocoa-producing partners to promote responsible farming.
Discover more about our partnerships and actions across the world
See our live long mapOur other pillars
Global carbon neutrality
Contributing to global carbon neutrality
Our environmental challenges
Our activities – from growing cocoa to selling chocolate – have an impact on the environment. At Valrhona, we are committed to minimizing these impacts. This makes sense from a commercial point of view, but also and most importantly to guarantee us a healthy future and a healthy planet.
This is why we mainly focus on contributing to global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. We strive to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon footprint of our chocolate factory and our transport-related emissions, as well as by combatting deforestation and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
We are actively working to minimize our environmental impact, including reducing waste, using renewable energy and designing our products with the environment in mind. We ensure that our chocolate factory complies with the most stringent environmental regulations.
Our objectives and progress
-38% of greenhouse gas emissions
since 2013. Objective for 2025: - 60%.
91% of waste recycled
Objective for 2025: 100%.
69% of renewable energies
in the energy mix. Objective for 2025: 79%.
83% of packaging
is recyclable. Objective for 2025: 85%.
93% of new products
meet our eco-design criteria. Objective for 2025: 100%.
-18% of global waste production
Versus 2013. Objective for 2025: 50% reduction.
-60% of water consumption
Versus 2013.
-36% of total energy consumption
Versus 2013. Objective for 2025: 50% reduction.
Carbon Neutrality
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time. At Valrhona, we know that the future of our planet, not to mention our company, depends on our ability to put the climate first in everything we do – every decision, every action, every investment.
We are committed to doing everything we can to help the world achieve carbon neutrality and thus keep global warming below 1.5°C (2.7°F).
To do this, we measure our carbon footprint, reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and contribute to global carbon capture efforts.
Energy
Processing cocoa into chocolate requires a lot of energy. If we want to reduce our carbon footprint, it is essential to improve our energy consumption. We are committed to reducing the amount of energy we use to make our chocolate and to promoting the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.
As part of our efforts to be an exemplary manufacturer in terms of energy consumption, we are proud to say that for the past four years, 100% of our electricity has come from certified purchases of hydroelectric power.
Through these energy purchases under Guarantee of Origin Certificates, we help finance the renewable energy sector.
La consigne by Valrhona
La Consigne by Valrhona, our project to reinvent our packaging based on the principle of the circular economy, continues to grow. Today, more than 14 tons of Valrhona chocolate have been sold in bulk deliveries.
Customer feedback has been very positive, and the initiative is also gaining recognition within the Food Service: in September 2021, La Consigne by Valrhona was shortlisted for an award at the SIRHA Innovation Awards in the “MATERIALS - EQUIPMENT - PRODUCTS - TECHNOLOGIES - SERVICES” category.
Water management
Minimizing our environmental footprint also means reducing our water consumption in our industrial activities.
In the manufacturing of its chocolates, Valrhona strives to limit its environmental impact, pollution and resource consumption.
We are now devoting particular attention to our water usage, with the specific objective of cutting our 2013 consumption rates in half by 2025.
Waste management
As a business that uses raw ingredients to make chocolate, we are making every effort to limit the amount of waste we produce and improve the ways we recycle and recover.
Our objectives for 2025: to achieve our target of recovering 100% of our waste, while cutting in half the amount we generate as compared to 2013.
In 2021, through the efforts of our teams, we were able to recover 100% of the waste from the stone picking workshop. Since February, 27 tons of leaf residue, pieces of wood and other plantation waste have been transformed into compost, when in the past they would have simply been buried. This effective measure, among others, has enabled the company to increase its rate of waste reuse from 80% in 2013 to 91.3% in 2021.
This means that for a kilogram of waste produced, 652g was used as raw material for another product (co-product), 255g was recycled or reused, and 12.5g was recovered for energy.
Eco-design
Our aim is to offer our customers increasingly responsible products.
Our stakeholders judge our products’ quality and sustainability by their ingredients and recipes – but also by the packaging and materials they use.
Valrhona is working to ensure its products have an environmental design that completely lives up to customer expectations while also reducing our impact on the planet and its natural resources.
Transport
In order to limit its direct emissions, Valrhona has also adopted a transport policy that supports the reduction of GHG emissions linked to employee travel.
This approach also applies to the transport of our goods around the world, particularly by air.
Since November 2019, we have been participating in the French government’s FRET21 initiative to reduce our transport emissions, including, for example, minimizing air freight transportation.
In 2021, we started using trucks running on fuel made from rapeseed oil in partnership with the transportation company MARTIN. These trucks produce 60% less CO2 than “conventional” trucks. As a result of its use in 2021, we were able to save 32 tons of CO2.
Our other pillars
Gastronomy
Inspiring creative and ethical gastronomy
A creative and ethical gastronomy
At Valrhona, we know that gastronomy is a source of delight. We also believe that how we feed ourselves has an impact on biodiversity, the climate and public health. We believe that chefs have the ability to influence our consumption habits. It is through this power that together we can have a positive impact on our planet, our food and our future.
Increasingly, chefs are taking steps to integrate their social and environmental impact into their creations. We want to support them in this approach and thus create a world of gastronomy that, as well as being good and beautiful, also makes the world a better place.
Our objectives and progress
10,000 people trained
by l'Ecole Valrhona.
92 young people
took part in the Graines de Pâtissier program.
40% young people
started a professional culinary qualification after going through the Graines de Pâtissier program.
New tools for sustainable sweet cuisine
The sweet cuisine sector faces specific sustainability challenges. However, there was no framework for sharing best practices, nor for gathering advice that could guide chefs and pastry makers in their efforts to improve their craft.
In 2021, our ambition was to remedy this. By working with Food Made Good, Valrhona’s official sustainability partner, as well as 30 chefs from 12 different countries, we are proud to have created two support tools for professionals:
- a guide with practical advice
- and a self-assessment tool to commit to more sustainable sweet cuisine
A school and committed chefs
L’École Valrhona is the center of expertise for chocolate and pastry making that brings together the biggest names in sweet cuisine from all over the world. We sustainably promote excellence, innovation and the teaching of its sector expertise. As a group of chef instructors, our ambition is to share our know-how and our vision with our colleagues. Every day, we are committed to promoting creative, inclusive and ethical gastronomy so that, together, we may take action and push back the boundaries of gastronomy.
Our subsidiaries are committed to culinary arts
Whether in Spain, Japan, China, South Africa, Asia-Pacific or Italy, Valrhona's subsidiaries are involved in the field, carrying out projects in partnership with gastronomy professionals and with local associations.
Our other pillars
People and innovation
The driving force behind our business
Valrhona’s strength lies in our ability to innovate and in our relationships with the men and women around us: our farmers, our employees and our customers.
The driving force behind our business
Valrhona is part of a community. Only by innovating alongside all our stakeholders, listening to their needs and working with them can we achieve our mission: “Together, good becomes better.”
We build and maintain these relationships in a variety of ways, including regular satisfaction surveys and focus groups with our employees, customers and suppliers, as well as discussions with NGOs, professional bodies and other companies.
Our objectives and progress
52% of employees
have a CSR objective by 2022.
8.2% of employees
including salespeople, trained in CSR.
100% of suppliers
have signed our Responsible Purchasing Charter
697,428€ of donations
throughout the year
832 employees
including 421 women & 411 men
11 accidents
resulting in time off work
Committed innovation
In 2021, we launched three new products that perfectly embody Valrhona’s commitments to create a fair and sustainable cocoa sector and inspire creative and sustainable gastronomy.
- OABIKA: the cocoa juice concentrate
- MILLOT 74%: the first organic chocolate Grand Cru from Millot plantation
- AMATIKA 46%: the first Vegan Grand Cru made in the plantations of Madagascar
Employees
Valrhona's mission can only be achieved if its strategy is built and deployed in a logic of co-development and synergy with Valrhona's major stakeholders.
We involve the latter throughout our value chain, taking into account their expectations and the challenges of our businesses, starting with our employees.
Suppliers
As a buyer, it is Valrhona’s responsibility to understand the sector and successfully manage every different aspect of our supply chain.
We have therefore forged strong relationships with our suppliers so that we can co-create a sustainable value chain, long-lasting trust-based relationships, and a shared approach founded on continuous improvement.
Valrhona has its duty to raise suppliers’ awareness about future issues and sustainable practices, as it is this that will enable them to support our company’s development.
Customers
It is Valrhona’s responsibility to satisfy every type of customer, whatever their needs.
Valrhona’s 40,000 customers expect not just unique, top-quality products but also, in an increasing number of cases, real support and greater information about the food industry of tomorrow.
Valrhona is doing everything in its power to meet these needs by working with others to create a responsible industry, right down to the consumer level.
The Valrhona Foundation
In line with its mission statement, “Together, good becomes better”, Valrhona set up the Valrhona Foundation in 2019.
This endowment fund only finances and manages projects of public interest that fit in with its CSR policy.
Through the Foundation, all members of the Valrhona community can now come together and act as one to achieve two priorities: a fair and sustainable cocoa sector and inclusive and sustainable gastronomy.
