Lindt & Sprüngli publishes Sustainability Report 2022

Over 112,000 farmers in seven cocoa source countries benefit from the L&S Farming Program

05-Jun-2023 - Austria

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The Lindt & Sprüngli Group has published its 13th annual sustainability report, in which the company highlights the milestones it has achieved in terms of sustainability in 2022. Key progress includes the expansion of responsible sourcing of cocoa and other key raw materials, the expansion of the cocoa sustainability program to more than 112,000 farmers, the submission of science-based climate targets for validation, and the company's increased commitment to respecting human rights throughout the supply chain. The report also highlights opportunities and challenges for the company and the industry as a whole.

Responsible sourcing activities: Lindt & Sprüngli further expanded its responsible sourcing activities in 2022: 67 percent of its cocoa products (beans, butter, powder and chocolate mass) come from sustainability programs. More than 112,000 farmers in seven cocoa sourcing countries now benefit from investments in training, infrastructure and biodiversity under the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program.

In 2022, the company set standards for responsible sourcing of sugar, paper, and vanilla, taking another step forward on its responsible sourcing roadmap. This brings to eight the number of raw materials for which the company has defined responsible sourcing criteria. Lindt & Sprüngli is thus moving closer to its target of covering 80 percent of its procurement expenditure for raw materials and packaging materials through a sustainable procurement program by 2025.

In addition, the company strengthened its efforts to prevent and address child labor in its cocoa supply chain with the development and implementation of its own Community Child Protection System, which provides clear guidelines to suppliers. The company also committed CHF 1.25 million to the multi-stakeholder Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF) initiative to improve access to quality education to address the root causes of child labor.

Review of climate targets: Lindt & Sprüngli is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the company's value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3) and to setting science-based reduction targets in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The company has submitted its climate targets to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for validation. In the second half of 2023, the defined and validated targets will be announced.

Respect for human rights: In 2022, Lindt & Sprüngli introduced its new Human Rights Policy in the company, officially committing to the implementation of a due diligence process aimed at preventing or mitigating adverse impacts on human rights and the environment throughout the company and its supply chain.

Compliance with high standards: Lindt & Sprüngli's commitment to sustainability has been confirmed by EcoVadis, one of the leading providers of sustainability assessments. The EcoVadis assessment covers 21 criteria in the four areas of environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The Lindt & Sprüngli Group received a silver medal from EcoVadis for its performance in 2022. The award recognizes the company's overall performance, ranking among the top 22 percent and, in the area of sustainable procurement, among the top 4 percent of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the category "Manufacturers of other food products."

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1180653/lindt-spruengli-publishes-sustainability-report-2022.html