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A new framework designed to improve how cocoa companies identify and verify deforestation risk has been launched as the industry prepares for stricter environmental due diligence requirements.
Published earlier this month by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the methodology provides a common approach for determining whether cocoa production is linked to deforestation.
Its developers say the framework will make risk assessments more transparent, consistent and evidence-based, while reducing the likelihood that farmers are wrongly classified because of inaccurate maps, poor geolocation data or the limitations of remote-sensing technology.
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The publication comes as cocoa companies face growing scrutiny under measures including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires businesses placing cocoa and other specified commodities on the EU market to demonstrate that their products are not linked to deforestation after the regulation’s cut-off date.
Rather than relying on a single satellite dataset or an automated alert or mapping platform, the methodology sets out a structured process that combines multiple sources of evidence, local knowledge, legal checks, verification procedures, and documented decision-making.