Sucden, Mars launch five-year low-carbon cocoa program in Dominican Republic and Ecuador
The partnership targets climate-smart farming to cut emissions, improve yields, and strengthen cocoa farm resilience in Latin America.
ECUADOR – Sucden (General Cocoa) and Mars Inc. have announced a five-year collaboration aimed at promoting low-carbon and climate-resilient cocoa production in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, as both companies seek to reduce emissions across the cocoa supply chain.
The initiative will run from 2025 to 2029 and aligns with Mars’ sustainability ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions across its global operations by 50% by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, compared with a 2015 baseline.
The program is designed to reduce the carbon footprint of cocoa farming while supporting improved productivity and long-term resilience for participating farmers.
Under the collaboration, farmers will be encouraged to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices intended to lower emissions and enhance soil health. These practices include the use of improved planting materials, low-carbon fertilizers, aerobic composting methods and agroforestry systems that integrate shade trees with cocoa cultivation. The approach aims to improve yields while strengthening farms against climate-related risks.
Sucden’s technical partners will play a central role in designing, implementing and monitoring the program. Advanced modeling tools and field-based assessments will be used to quantify emissions reductions, evaluate environmental outcomes and track progress over the duration of the initiative.
Over the five-year period, the program is expected to support hundreds of cocoa farmers across priority growing regions in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Activities will cover approximately 5,250 hectares of cocoa farmland, with a focus on agroforestry practices that align with Mars’ greenhouse gas reduction targets and Sucden’s regenerative supply chain commitments.
Pedro Amaral, associate director and head of cocoa climate sustainability at Mars, said collaboration with suppliers is essential to achieving the company’s climate and sustainability goals.
He noted that building a deforestation- and conversion-free cocoa supply chain depends on working closely with partners to support farming practices that increase productivity while reducing emissions.
Charlotte Demuijnck, global cocoa program manager at Sucden, said addressing climate challenges in cocoa production requires coordinated action and specialized expertise.
She highlighted Sucden’s experience in farmer engagement, sustainability program delivery and cocoa production systems as key to implementing complex, multi-year climate initiatives.
Raw ingredients account for around 65% of total greenhouse gas emissions within Mars’ snacking portfolio, making cocoa farming a critical focus area for emissions reduction.
The companies said that if the agroforestry and low-carbon practices tested through the collaboration prove effective and scalable, they could contribute significantly to broader supply chain emissions reductions.
The partnership also supports Mars’ Net Zero Roadmap, which outlines a pathway to achieving a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain by 2050.
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