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„„Engagement of local communities and institutions to increase awareness „„Child protection activities in case of exploitation, abuse and violence„„Basic education promotion to avoid child labourWith the conviction that to fight child labour, only an holistic approach that brings together community development and child protection can be successful, this project aims to be a sustainable development engine for these communities. The target is to reach 500 children, more than 7,500 members of 10 Communities in the Department of Soubre and 100 representatives of local institutions. On the environmental side, Ferrero, together with the other eleven world’s leading cocoa and chocolate companies, signed a statement of collective intent committing to work together so as to end deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain, with an initial focus on Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Ferrero believes that global challenges such as deforestation need collective commitments. Beginning in September 2014, Ferrero signed the New York Declaration on Forests during the Climate Summit. On 17 March 2017, through this statement of collective intent to end deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain, Ferrero is adding another milestone to its commitment to end deforestation in its key supply chains. The agreement, concluded during a meeting hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales and organized by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative and The Prince’s International Sustainability Unit (ISU), is the first of its kind covering the global cocoa supply chain. It aims to develop an actionable suite of measures to end deforestation and forest degradation, including greater investments in more sustainable forms of landscape management; more active efforts in partnership with others to protect and restore forests in the cocoa landscape; and significant investments in programs to improve cocoa productivity for smallholder farmers working in the cocoa supply chain. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are the world’s leading producers of cocoa, and many observers point to cocoa farming as a driving force behind rapid rates of deforestation in both countries. ■ABOUT THE AUTHORAldo Cristiano is the Director of Global Procurement Raw Materials and Head of Sustainability at Ferrero. He has been working in the Confectionary Business for almost 20 years, covering many areas of the supply chain and taking part in sector-wide initiatives.From 2003 to 2015 Mr Cristiano chaired the Cocoa Committee and the CSR & Sustainability Committee of Caobisco (European Association of the Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industry). He also served as a Board Member of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), from 2007 to 2016.Since 2007 he has been a Member of the Consultative Board at the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), and since 2012 a Member of the Board of Directors at the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF). Mr Cristiano is also the Chairman of the Federation of Cocoa Pictured: Aldo CristianoCommerce (FCC).Left: High Level Meeting on Cocoa and Forests at Spencer House with Senior executives from the cocoa sector, hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales on March 17th 2017Below left: Ferrero has launched a project providing protection and education to children who are at risk of child labour in Ivory CoastAbove & above right: Sustainable cocoa productionITALIAN BUSINESS SHOWCASE 027