Responsible Cocoa

Growing demand for food has led to an increase in African exports. Cocoa beans rank first in the continent for food exports, and two-thirds of the world's production comes from two West African countries, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Ghana is also Switzerland's leading supplier of cocoa. Cocoa is important to the economic activity of Switzerland, and chocolate is perhaps the most iconic Swiss export. Moreover, Switzerland is the country with the highest per capita consumption of chocolate in the world.

Meanwhile, cocoa producers earn less than 10% of the final purchasing price of chocolate; thus, precarious living conditions are a paramount issue for farmers and an estimated 1.5 million children who work on cocoa fields in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Cocoa production has also been linked to widespread deforestation. In response, companies have increasingly relied on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and international certification standards to try to reduce these harmful effects.

We approach this topic from both the producer and consumer side. In Ghana, we study the impact of schooling and behavioral interventions to reduce child labor in cocoa-growing communities in Ghana. In Switzerland, we study consumer demand, knowledge and behaviour toward chocolate based on more ethical production processes.

Researches: Isabel Günther, Jan Averkin

Alumni: Erwin Lefoll