Huel has announced a partnership with Tony’s Chocolonely’s Open Chain, the industry lead initiative that helps brands transform their cocoa supply chains and become sustainability frontrunners.
This collaboration will see Huel making a long-term commitment to a sustainable supply chain that has been meticulously designed to ensure living incomes are paid, that the cocoa is 100% traceable with a direct link to farmers, that farmers are supported to increase productivity, and that child labour is eradicated.
“Huel is super excited to be joining Tony's Open Chain,” stated Jess Sansom, sustainability director at Huel. “We strongly believe that it is possible to create a sustainable food system, and Tony's mission and work in West Africa is proving what is possible. The five sourcing principles are holistic, the approach is collaborative, and the results speak for themselves. We are looking forward to working alongside other Mission Allies, and calling upon other brands to join Open Chain and make a difference.”
This will add a further string to Huel’s ethics bow, which already requires all their suppliers to sign a contractually binding ‘Sustainability Code of Conduct’ for the protection of human rights and welfare, as well as necessitating that its suppliers hold an independently verified, internationally recognised ethical certification.
Chief of impact and operations at Tony’s Chocolonely, Pascal Baltussen, added: “At Tony’s Open Chain we envision a future where cocoa farmers in Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana earn a living income, child labour is eradicated, and deforestation is stopped. The five sourcing principles that Tony’s Open Chain has implemented over the past 10 years is showing that this future is feasible, the biggest driver for change is scale.”
Huel joins frozen cheesecake brand Pleese, which was Tony’s first UK ‘Mission Alley’, as the second British brand to come on board, among other organisations. As a collaborative initiative, Mission Allies “compete on chocolate but collaborate on cocoa”, along with committing to the five sourcing principles.
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