Cargill says investments to reduce carbon emissions, eliminate waste, and boost efficiency stretching from West Africa to Europe have transformed its global cocoa supply chain. The upgrades span renewable energy, circular logistics, and smart infrastructure.
Cargill MD of Cocoa & Chocolate Europe and West Africa, Emiel van Dijk, said the investments were interconnected from cocoa origin countries in West Africa to processing plants in Europe.
“Sustainability isn’t a single project at Cargill, it’s how we operate. From circular waste reuse to renewable transport and clean energy, we’re showing that climate action can scale, without compromise,” van Dijk said.
Examples of project outcomes include:
- In Côte d’Ivoire, cocoa shells that used to be discarded are now used to fuel biomass boilers; and
- in Ghana, a solar plant powers production in Tema, and new ISO tanks are replacing disposable packaging, providing the opportunity to cut up to 100 metric tons of waste each month.
Beans and semi-finished cocoa products are stored in solar-powered warehouses near Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and then transported on fully electric barges to Cargill’s processing plant Zaandam, eliminating 190,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions annually. Electricity for the barges and facilities comes from Windpark Hanze, a renewable energy partnership with Vattenfall.
After processing, cocoa shells are reused again as fuel in Cargill’s new biomass boiler in Amsterdam that cuts greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by nearly 19,000 tons a year.
Cargill said the initiatives will achieve 31,000 tonnes of CO2 reductions, representing a reduction of up to 90 per cent.
Semi-finished cocoa products are then shipped to Wormer, the world’s largest cocoa processing site, via low-emission BIO LNG trucks, and finished cocoa powder is stored at a next-generation warehouse in Zaandam.
The warehouse features solar panels, automated vehicles, and intermodal rail and barge connections to reduce last mile impact and is operated in partnership with Green Valley Cocoa Logistics.
Cargill’s global target is to reduce supply chain emissions by 30 per cent per tonne of product by 2030 and reduce operational emissions by 10 per cent by this year.
“This is what sustainability at scale looks like. It’s measurable, circular, and designed to serve both people and the planet,” van Dijk said.
