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Live Long Program
Together, let's do good with good
"I am convinced that the company of tomorrow will only flourish if it places its social and environmental impact at the heart of its strategy. By buying Valrhona, our customers choose a responsible chocolate that is 100% traceable and sourced directly from 18,208 producers who we support in adopting good social and environmental practices. They also choose a company that has been partnering the gastronomy sector for almost 100 years. But Valrhona is above all else the story of its people. Our strength lies in the ties we forge between producers, employees and customers. These ties, which we continue to reinforce every single day, help cocoa producers improve their livelihoods and enable our customers to unleash their creativity in an ever more sustainable way. Let’s act now for the responsible gastronomy of tomorrow!"
Clémentine Alzial
CEO, Valrhona
B Corp, a guide to building tomorrow.
his accolade is certainly a recognition of our sustainable approach, but being a B Corp has never been our end goal. For us, becoming a B Corp means joining a growing community of firms committed to exchanging ideas and challenging each other to take action a better world. It serves as a guide to help us continue to challenge the status quo and have a positive impact.
Discover our "Live Long" approach
Download our latest CSR report and discover our 4 pillars.
You can also visit our press area and access all the charters signed by Valrhona.
Live Long Cocoa
Creating a fairer cocoa sector together
Our challenges related to the cocoa sector
Our products’ main ingredient – cocoa – is facing a growing number of social and environmental issues for which it is our duty to respond if we want our cocoa-producer partners’ businesses to develop and flourish over the long run.
Producers’ living conditions, deforestation and climate change are some of the threats we are confronted with. Cocoa’s value chain is complex, not least because cocoa is produced in the Global South but consumed in the Global North. Good supply management and traceability represent challenges of their own.
Our objectives and progress
100% Traceability
for cacao beans from the producer
17% traceability
for cacao beans from the farm parcel. Target: 100% by 2021
81% of the producer countries
visited at least once per calendar year. Target: 100% by 2021
14 out of our 16 source countries
are part of a long-term partnership
93% of our cacao
purchased through a long-term partnership. Initial Target: 90%
7 years
average lenght of a partnership
100% of producers accompanied
towards agroforestry practices by 2025
Partnership
At Valrhona, we work to create a fair and sustainable cocoa sector by building close, mutually beneficial relationships with our 18,208 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
Thanks to our direct relations with cooperatives, producers' associations and private plantations, we are proud to be able to affirm today that 100% of our cocoa is traceable from the producer.
Today, we source our beans from 10,262 producers in 16 different countries, with 93% of our volumes purchased through our long-term partnerships.
Protecting the forest and its biodiversity
We are proud to be part of the Cocoa and Forests Initiative through which we join forces with companies and the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to tackle one of the most pressing issues of our time – deforestation – and together create a cocoa sector in which producers and forests flourish.
We know we can only create the far-reaching change that is so urgently needed if we all work together.
Discover more about our partnerships and actions across the world
See our live long mapOur other pillars
Live Long Environment
Becoming carbon neutral by 2025
Our environmental challenges
From production to distribution and logistics, every part of our value chain has environmental consequences which we, as a business, are committed to minimizing.
As well as ensuring our site met the latest environmental regulations, the policy included specific actions around, for example, employee transportation, waste management, water and energy savings, and eco-designing Valrhona products.
Our objectives and progress
-57% of greenhouse gas emissions
since 2013. Objective: - 60% reduction
90% of waste recovery
Target: 100%.
69% of renewable energies
in the energy mix. Target: 79%.
79% of recyclability rate
of our packaging. Target: 85%
75% of new products
meet our eco-design criteria. Objective : 100%.
-11% of global waste production
Versus 2013. Objective: - 50% reduction
-51% of water consumption
Versus 2013. Objective: - 50% reduction
-31% of total energy consumption
Versus 2013. Objective: - 50% reduction
Carbon Neutrality
All operations in our value chain, from production to logistics to distribution, generate environmental impacts that the company is committed to minimising. A relevant approach to impact reduction begins with carbon footprinting and life cycle analysis.
Energy: being an exemplary industrialist
In addition to reducing our consumption, we are acting on the origin of energy to promote renewable sources. For the past 4 years, 100% of our electricity has come from certified hydropower purchases. Through the purchase of Guarantee of Origin Certificates, we contribute to the financing of the renewable energy sector.
Our other pillars
Live Long Gastronomy
Accompanying our customers towards responsible gastronomy
Commitment to the gastonomy professions
The Live Long Gastronomy commitment was born out of Valrhona's desire to actively support the gastronomic professions to ensure their continuity and influence throughout the world.
We want to support vocations and inspire the chefs of tomorrow by drawing on our expertise and passing on our know-how, particularly through the training of young people.
Our objectives and progress
16K people trained
by l'Ecole Valrhona around the world
6 projects carried out by our subsidiaries
in the field of gastronomy
Projects carried out by our subsidiaries
Whether in Spain, Japan, China, South Africa, Asia-Pacific or Italy, Valrhona subsidiaries are involved in the field, carrying out projects in partnership with the profession and local associations.
Our other pillars
Live Long Together
Constructing a sustainable business with and for our stakeholders
Building a committed ecosystem
A responsible company cannot exist without its stakeholders being involved in and consulted on its strategic direction and its vision.
Therefore, Valrhona is committed to establishing a regular, quality dialogue with all its stakeholders, so that together, we can build a sustainable company that is a great place to work both in and with. We are particularly keen to listen to and share perspectives with all Valrhona’s employees, so that we can use various training, mobility and inclusion programs as a way of meeting our objectives around development and well-being at work.
This committed approach of collaboration with our stakeholders is essential to our B Corp. labeling process. Historically, we have paid particular attention to it and we wish to promote it through this label.
Our objectives and progress
100% of employees
have a CSR objective in 2020
2% of employees
trained in CSR through "ecodesign" training
78% of employees
think that Valrhona is a good company to work for
100% of sales staff
trained in CSR
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
Valrhona, as a buyer, has the responsibility to know its industry and to manage the diversity of its supplies.
We are therefore very involved with our suppliers to co-construct a responsible value chain, lasting relationships of trust and an approach of continuous and mutual improvement.
Valrhona's role is to make suppliers aware of tomorrow's issues and responsible practices so that they can accompany the company's transformations.
Customers
Valrhona's responsibility is to satisfy all its customers, in their diversity and their requirements.
In addition to a unique and high quality product, Valrhona's 40,000 customers increasingly expect a real accompaniment, and an awareness of the gastronomy of tomorrow.
Valrhona therefore strives to meet their needs by coconstructing a responsible chain right up to the consumer.
