Mondelez International has teamed up with Fairtrade to expand its Cocoa Life sustainability program which will now run across all Cadbury products in the UK and Ireland.

The partnership will begin in May 2017 and has been heralded as an “industry leading sustainable cocoa farming program” by Fairtrade and Mondelez International.

The move comes as consumers increasingly demand to know the provenance of the chocolate - and other products - they buy and whether cocoa farmers are adequately paid.

Mondelez International launched its $400m Cocoa Life initiative in 2012 and by partnering with Fairtrade, Mondelez says it will help drive greater scale and impact for cocoa farmers and their communities.

The expansion will see Mondelez-owned Cadbury products now carry the Cocoa Life logo on the front of pack.

Mondelez International will work with Fairtrade on a number of initiatives, such as programs relating to education on sustainability issues and “building resilience to climate change”, which farmers complain is a threat to their livelihoods.

To date, the Cocoa Life program has been rolled out across more than 795 cocoa farming communities around the world and independent verification shows that farmers’ in the Cocoa Life programme in Ghana have seen their incomes increase 49 percent more than farms outside the program, according to Mondelez International.

The cocoa premiums paid to farmers under Cocoa Life will be the same as Fairtrade’s fixed premium of $200 per metric ton.

Glenn Caton, president, Northern Europe at Mondelez International, commented: “Cocoa Life builds from Cadbury’s proud heritage of sourcing cocoa sustainably, which dates back to a hundred years ago when the Cadbury family helped establish cocoa farming in Ghana.”

“Through Cocoa Life, we want to become an accountable partner for our cocoa farmers, not just a buyer. We are directly connecting buyers to farmers, enabling them to build long-term businesses. Cocoa Life truly transforms communities by delivering real and measurable improvements for cocoa farmers.”

“We want to use our scale as the world’s largest chocolate maker to drive positive change for the communities on which we depend. We support Fairtrade’s vision to drive sustainable livelihoods through empowered farming organisations and communities and fairer terms of trade. We are proud to have Fairtrade’s support in helping us achieve this.”

“We are proud to have worked closely with Cadbury since 2009 to improve the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities. But the reality is that life for too many cocoa farmers remains a daily struggle against poverty, whilst their communities still lack many essential services and climate change poses increasing threats to their livelihoods and future.”

“The evolution of our partnership with Cadbury and Cocoa Life is an exciting development as it embeds Fairtrade, our values, principles and unique relationships with farmer networks, into the whole program.”

“In doing so, together we can increase the scale and impact of Cocoa Life, towards a common goal – one in which cocoa farmers, their organisations and communities are empowered, can invest in their own future, and go from just surviving, to thriving.”

Key benefits of partnership

• A $400m investment by 2022, empowering 200,000 farmers and reaching 1 million people in communities in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, India and Brazil.

• Independently assessed improvements to the lives and livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities – farmer income has increased 49% more and cocoa yield increased 37 percent more in Ghanaian Cocoa Life communities than in communities outside the programme.

• A competitive price for their cocoa, on clear terms of trade, and loyalty payments to Ghanaian farmers, which together with programme investments, will deliver value per farmer at least equivalent to that previously delivered by Fairtrade premiums.

• Investment in more than 795 cocoa farming communities, helping them set and deliver their own tailored action plans that address their needs – whether that’s education, healthcare, infrastructure or other priorities.

Alongside Fairtrade, Cocoa Life is also supported on the ground by NGO delivery partners including Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), Save The Children, CARE International, World Vision, Swiss contact and Solidaridad.