Chocolate

Origin

• Chocolate comes from cacao trees, which grow in tropical areas of the world.

Production

• Cacao seeds are extracted from the tree.
• The seeds are fermented, roasted, grounded.
• Then combined with other ingredients, such as sugar.

According to the Rainforest Partnership (2014), "The growth, extraction, and transportation of cacao has had serious consequences including deforestation, biodiversity, and climate change" (para.3).

It takes many acres of tropical rainforest and the methods used to establish the cacao farms are extremely harmful to the environment, which involve either selective cutting or the slash and burn method (Rainforest Partnership, 2014, para.3).

Rainforests are destroyed in the process and mass amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are emitted.

more sustainable methods

• Farmers can use an integrated approach of combining their crops with other natural vegetation, which increases biodiversity (Rainforest Partnership, 2014).

what you can do

• Buy sustainably sourced chocolate that is Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade certified.