Around 200 representatives from business, civil society, research and the public sector gathered in Vevey today for the annual general meeting of the Swiss Cocoa and Coffee Platforms. The event was hosted by Nestlé, a founding member of both Platforms.
The discussion on the implementation of both Platforms’ 2030 Roadmaps highlighted that cross-sectoral cooperation can yield joint solutions to the most pressing problems facing the coffee and cocoa sectors.
The subsequent panel discussion focused on how a sustainable future can be achieved for communities that grow cocoa and coffee. In the thematic breakout sessions, participants also discussed concrete approaches to improving producers’ incomes and wages, nature-based solutions for coffee and cocoa cultivation, and joint approaches to managing human rights risks.
Assessment as a basis for progress
Where do the members of the two Platforms stand in terms of their activities to promote greater sustainability? At the annual general meeting, they discussed the results of a recent survey. Thanks to the high level of participation in the member surveys, both Platforms gained important insights into the status of their members’ sustainability efforts.
The assessment shows that living incomes are the top priority, but that implementing them poses the greatest challenge. The assessment provides a vital data foundation for measuring progress and driving forward measures, such as the stronger integration of pricing mechanisms based on living income benchmarks. Members have made the most progress in areas such as human rights due diligence and protection against deforestation. Furthermore, for the first time, members have set out the level of ambition they aim to achieve by 2028.
Share of sustainable cocoa imports on the rise
Every year, the Cocoa Platform publishes import statistics showing the proportion of sustainable cocoa out of total imports into Switzerland. In 2025, 92% of the cocoa bean equivalents imported into Switzerland came from sustainable production. This volume is either certified to internationally recognised standards such as Fairtrade Max Havelaar or Rainforest Alliance, or comes from companies’ own programmes that are verified by independent third parties. Compared with the previous year, 2024, this represents an increase of 8 percentage points.
The Cocoa Platform is proud of this result. Companies’ certification and verification programmes make an important contribution to promoting more sustainable production practices. The Platform will continue its efforts to achieve 100% by 2030. However, to effectively address the social and environmental challenges in cocoa-producing countries and achieve genuine sustainability, more ambitious targets must be pursued, and solutions developed that go beyond certification. This requires joint efforts across the entire sector, as well as enhanced collaboration throughout the value chain.
Media release: Shared challenges, shared solutions
2025 Annual Report of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa