Prince Charles goes green

The 68-year-old royal has joined forces with companies such as Mars, Nestle, and Ferrero to come up with a plan to make chocolate production greener, after environmental group The Mighty Earth warned that chocolate was killing west African forests on a massive scale, due to the cocoa needed to make the sweet treat. Speaking at an industry reception at Spencer House in central London, the Prince of Wales said: “There are many reasons for this being, intrinsically, the right thing to do.

“I have for many years have been deeply committed to the protection of the world’s tropical rainforests. They play an absolutely crucial role, both globally, and locally, in climate change mitigation and adaptation. “But perhaps the most powerful direct reason for action is that deforestation threatens to undermine the very resilience of the cocoa sector itself, and with it the livelihoods of the millions of smallholders who depend on it, due to the increased climate variability that follows forest loss.”

Chocolate manufacturers are expected to come up with a plan which includes tighter policing of rainforests, and use higher-yield crops which require less land. The companies have promised to have finalised details of the plan by November, where it will be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP 23) meeting in Bonn, Germany.

World Cocoa Foundation Chairman Barry Parkin said: “Today marks a crucial step forward because 12 leading World Cocoa Foundation member companies have agreed to work together, and in partnership with others, to tackle the challenge of deforestation in cocoa. “We look forward to more companies joining the effort and are grateful for the leadership provided by The Prince of Wales in convening today’s landmark event.”