Deforestation is one of the biggest causes of global warming. It emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through the “slash and burn” method for clearing forests, and at the same time reduces the amount of trees that will absorb carbon dioxide. Climate change has a severe impact on the world in general and agricultural regions in particular. Droughts mean that farmers can no longer rely on the rainfall that’s crucial to farming. And on top of all of this, deforestation leads to soil degradation, accelerating the downward spiral. If industry does not commit to reducing its carbon footprint and achieve zero net deforestation in its supply chain, the ecosystem that provides chocolate ingredients will rapidly erode...Since 2009 we have managed to reduce our relative energy use and carbon emissions by 20%. In the coming years we expect to make further reductions. At more than 75% of our production facilities we have appointed an energy champion who will lead on-site energy saving measures. In the coming years we will introduce an energy champion at all of our sites.