Source:  Food ingredients 1st

Update: 10 Jan 2023

Puratos is making strides in sustainable chocolate following certification of one of its products that can now carry climate-related labeling and a carbon neutral story that guarantees it actively calculates, reduces and offsets its carbon footprint to combat climate change.

CO2logic, a South Pole company specializing in environmental impact assessments, has awarded Carbon Neutral certification to 60 DAYS, a chocolate product produced by Puratos Grand-Place Indochina (PGPI), a joint venture of ingredient giant Puratos and Grand Place Holding in Vietnam.

This award marks a continuing effort from Puratos to provide climate accountability. In December 2021, PGPI became the first entity of Puratos Group to be awarded the Climate Neutral Certificate for business operations. The new certification follows an extensive evaluation of 60 DAYS chocolate by CO2logic.

The assessment involved the evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions across all activities involved in the production of 60 DAYS. These included the purchase of ingredients, transport of ingredients to the factory, then the energy consumption to create the products, followed by the packaging and transportation to the final recipient.

60 DAYS chocolate is produced in Vietnam via a combination of fermentation in wooden acacia boxes with a slow roast method to create ‘tree to bar’ chocolate in 60 days. Being close to the source and having a quick transition generates lower emissions than traditional methods.

THE ROAD TO CARBON NEUTRAL

Chau Bao Huynh, marketing director at PGPI, maps the environmental, social and governance (ESG) path ahead.

“We believe PGPI is on the right track of transformation and adaptation toward ESG trends due to some main reasons,” she outlines.

“Firstly, we don’t do it to polish our name or get high scores. We always integrate ESG into our core activities. Secondly, due to our early preparation, ESG is gradually taking place synchronously and systematically to promote the development of our general strategy.”

“We have managed to reinvent the chocolate process with a combination of fermentation in wooden acacia boxes, slow roast process and tree to bar in 60 Days, avoiding most of the oxidation by light and air,”  Gricha Safarian, managing director at PGPI explains.

“All with low sugar content formulations. We believe a great chocolate product must have not only good taste but also green production. That is why we pursued Carbon Neutral certification. Achieving this certification is a part of our sustainability commitments. Our purpose is not profit for profit, but for a higher purpose, which means we want to empower consumers and our customers to make better, more informed, more sustainable choices.”

CONSUMERS SEEK ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS

In similar news, a recent study found that when presented with fast food labeled as having a ‘high climate impact,’ almost a quarter of consumers will choose a different, more environmentally-friendly product.

Carbon neutral certification is valuable within the cocoa space, which is plagued across its supply lines by endemic sustainability issues, such as deforestation and child labor, according to the 2022 Cocoa Barometer.

Net zero or carbon zero claims are becoming more frequent, with Nestlé publicizing sustainability endeavors or Morrisons releasing a zero-carbon egg range.

By James Davies