Environmental Footprints of Cocoa, Cocoa Products and Chocolate in Germany
The aim of this study is to present the most relevant environmental footprints for cocoa and cocoa products, such as chocolate, that are consumed in Germany, based on consistent and up-to-date assessment methods.
In addition to the carbon footprint, which is important from a climate protection perspective, other environmental impact categories, such as the water, land and phosphate foot prints will be considered. Water, land, and phosphate are finite resources, largely used for food production, and subject to major conflicts. We therefore strongly support the inclusion of these impact categories in the environmental assessment of food.
The water and land footprints will take into account not only the amount of resources used, but also the severity of their environmental impact based scarcity (water) or the degree of ‘naturalness’ (land).
In order for the results to be used consistently for all cocoa products, the following products will be considered: cocoa beans, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder as well as various chocolates. We will distinguish between milk, dark and white chocolate, as their cocoa content and other components vary considerably.
Area of focus: Cocoa
Author(s): Claudius Grehl, Guido Reinhardt
Organisation/institution: IFEU