Snickers - Chocolate: Ethical Sustainable Comparison- The Good Shopping Guide (2024)

FAQs

Snickers - Chocolate: Ethical Sustainable Comparison- The Good Shopping Guide? ›

Unfortunately, The Good Shopping Guide's research reveals that Snickers has one of the lowest scores on our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table and because of this, it cannot be classed as ethical chocolate.

This is why it's so important purchase ethical chocolate. The chocolate industry is riddled with human rights issues, including unfair pay, child labour, and even slavery.

How can consumers choose ethical chocolate consumption? Several ethical chocolate companies use the cocoa beans grown under Fair Trade certifications and Rainforest Alliance certifications. This is the first step to bring ethics into the chocolate industry and keep a check on child labor.

This means that the chocolate is grown free of slave labour, harvested ethically, processed in ethical facilities, and sold using fair prices. The term 'fair trade' has become the industry standard to describe this type of ethical business practice, promoting sustainable living for small-scale farmers worldwide.

Brands like Mars M&Ms, Hershey's Kisses, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are high in sugar and unhealthy additives. Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Truffles have significant sugar content, posing health risks. Ingredients such as partially hydrogenated oils in some chocolates increase bad cholesterol levels.

A top score is given to Snickers as its manufacturer Mars has a good Environmental Report which demonstrates the company's commitment to environmental progress through a series of targets.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 10, 2020 – Trader Joe's ranks poorly among U.S. grocery stores when it comes to both ethical chocolate (in terms of child labor and deforestation concerns) and super-pollutant hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used as refrigerants.

With respect and integrity described as “business imperatives” the firm received external validation earlier this year when Ethisphere, a company specialising in ethical business practices, named Hershey one of the World's Most Ethical Companies.

Sustainable cocoa is grown with fewer pesticides, by farmers who avoid deforestation. Plus, growers often use cacao farming techniques such as agroforestry to improve soil health and biodiversity.

Why is chocolate not sustainable? ›

Monoculture cocoa cultivation is often undertaken with a heavy reliance on harmful pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals, which leads to pollution of water systems and further endangers wildlife. Fortunately, cocoa can be grown in ways that promote biodiversity and support healthy ecosystems.

In addition to Fairtrade, choosing regenerative cacao can further enhance the ethical and environmental impact of your chocolate choices. Regenerative cacao not only adheres to fair labor practices but also promotes biodiversity, soil health, and sustainable farming methods. How Can You Make a Difference?

Addressing the root cause of the problem – poverty.

Children who are exposed to child labour often belong to families in cocoa farming communities that are in desperate poverty. The low price they receive for cocoa is often the reason why they make the decision to expose their children to child labour.

Still, human rights abuses, low pay, and child labour run rampant throughout the chocolate industry. Growers and farmers are rarely treated with the respect they deserve.

Sustainable chocolate means organic farming methods are used to produce sustainable cocoa beans. This method does not use pesticides or herbicides on the crops and keeps them healthy. Chemical fertilizers and child or slave labour are also avoided in this process.

Since 2020, 100% of our cocoa beans are sourced traceable and externally verified by an independent third party. This is a major step toward our target to source all cocoa products (beans, butter, powder) through sustainability programs by 2025.

There are also six companies—Aflac, Ecolab, International Paper, Kao Corporation, Milliken & Company, and PepsiCo—that have been recognized 18 times, every year since the inception of the World's Most Ethical Companies® in 2007.

Responsible cocoa sourcing ​

Hershey has a 12-year commitment to put $500 million into its Cocoa For Good​ strategy. The chocolatier has carved out initiatives to build resilient and sustainable supply chains. As of December 2023, Hershey has invested 51% of this multi-million amount into its ESG effort.

In other words, not all chocolate companies are ethical chocolate companies. By definition, all fair trade chocolate is slave-free chocolate. When you support fair trade producers like Chuao, you're helping eradicate chocolate slavery and ensuring all the hands that went into making your chocolate bar are paid fairly.