Ansvar som håller - our long-term responsibility
Ansvar som håller is our way of describing long-term responsibility – responsibility that endures over time, stands up to scrutiny, and is built together with others. It is not about perfection, but about working systematically, transparently, and with respect for people, nature, and raw materials across our cocoa supply chain.
This page shows how our sustainability strategy, Sweet Future, is put into practice. Here, we openly share how we work with responsibility in our cocoa supply chain – from origin and traceability to living income, human rights, gender, health, and environmental impact – in close collaboration with our suppliers and partners.
This page is primarily written in English, as it is used in international sustainability contexts and comparative frameworks within the chocolate industry. A summary in Swedish is provided at the bottom of the page.
How we take responsibility
Malmö Chokladfabrik is a small, independent chocolate maker. We do not own farms, operate in origin countries, or run our own in-country programmes. Instead, our responsibility is exercised through long-term partnerships, careful sourcing decisions, and transparency about how our cocoa is produced.
Our approach is guided by Sweet Future, our sustainability strategy, which sets the direction for how we work across environmental, social, and business-related issues. Sweet Future defines our ambitions and principles; this page focuses on how those principles are applied in practice.
Because we are a small buyer in global cocoa supply chains, much of the practical implementation of sustainability measures therefore takes place through our suppliers. This includes areas such as traceability, living income initiatives, human rights due diligence, gender considerations, health and wellbeing, and environmental programmes. Our role is to choose partners carefully, work long-term, ask the right questions, and be open about what is in place today and what is still developing.
The information presented here is structured in line with internationally recognised sustainability frameworks used in the chocolate sector. These frameworks help us assess our current practices, identify gaps, and prioritise continuous improvement.
We believe that responsibility that lasts is built through honesty, long-term relationships, and a willingness to improve step by step.
Our cocoa suppliers
Cocoa suppliers used during the 2025 reporting period
- Pronatec - Cocoa mass sourced from Peru, and cocoa butter sourced mainly from the Dominican Republic.
- Tradin Organic - Cocoa mass sourced from Congo, and cocoa butter sourced from South America and Africa, according to statements of origin provided by the supplier.
- Åkessons Organic - Cocoa beans sourced from Madagascar.
- Bohnkaf-Kolonial - Cocoa beans sourced from Ecuador.
- Silva Cacao - Cocoa beans sourced from Ecuador.
Origin, traceability and transparency
Understanding where our cocoa comes from – and how responsibility is shared across the supply chain – is a central part of Ansvar som håller.
Our work with origin, traceability and transparency is primarily carried out through our suppliers. We source cocoa through partners that work directly with producer groups and growers, and that maintain systems for traceability and responsible sourcing. These systems form the basis for visibility on origin, supply chain structure and sustainability-related risks.
Our traceability typically reaches at least the level of producer groups, and in some cases further, depending on the supplier and origin. In a limited number of cases, we work directly with individual growers or maintain close, long-term relationships that provide deeper insight into farming and post-harvest practices. We do not operate our own traceability systems in origin countries, and levels of detail vary between supply chains.
For us, transparency means being open about who we work with, how our cocoa supply chains are structured, and where our insight is strong – as well as where it is still developing. This approach supports continuous improvement over time and allows us to engage constructively with internationally recognised sustainability frameworks used in the chocolate sector.
Living income
Ensuring that cocoa farming can provide a viable livelihood is a fundamental challenge in the chocolate sector. For Malmö Chokladfabrik, living income is therefore a central consideration within Sweet Future and an important part of how we understand responsibility in practice.
We do not set farmgate prices or run our own income programmes at origin. Our influence is instead exercised through purchasing decisions, long-term relationships and the choice of suppliers that actively work with living income-related initiatives. This may include price premiums, reference pricing, productivity support or broader programmes aimed at improving farmers’ economic resilience.
Our role is to engage with these efforts in a transparent and constructive way: by prioritising long-term sourcing, by seeking insight into how living income considerations are integrated into supplier programmes, and by being open about the fact that outcomes and coverage vary across supply chains. We recognise that achieving living income is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration across the value chain.
We see living income as an ongoing area of development. Over time, our ambition is to deepen our understanding of how our sourcing choices connect to farmers’ livelihoods and to improve how we can contribute, together with our suppliers, to more resilient cocoa supply chains.
Child labour and human rights
Respect for human rights is a fundamental part of how we understand responsibility in our cocoa supply chain. Risks related to child labour and other human rights issues are systemic challenges in cocoa production and require long-term, coordinated efforts across the sector.
Malmö Chokladfabrik does not operate its own child labour monitoring or remediation systems in origin countries. Our approach is therefore based on working through suppliers that maintain established processes for human rights due diligence, including systems to identify, address and remediate risks related to child labour where applicable.
Our role is to set clear expectations, engage in long-term partnerships and seek transparency into how these systems function in practice. We recognise that the existence of monitoring systems does not mean that risks are eliminated, but that they are identified and addressed in a more structured and responsible way.
Levels of detail vary across supply chains. Addressing child labour and human rights risks is an ongoing process that requires continuous attention, collaboration and improvement over time.
Gender and inclusion
Gender inequality is a structural challenge in cocoa production and affects access to income, resources, decision-making and resilience at farm and community level. Addressing these issues is therefore an important part of building cocoa supply chains that are fair, resilient and sustainable over time.
Our approach to gender and inclusion is integrated into how we work with suppliers rather than addressed through standalone programmes. We prioritise partnerships with suppliers that recognise gender-related risks and opportunities and that seek to include women meaningfully within their sustainability work, governance structures and farmer engagement activities.
We recognise that gender dynamics vary between origins and supply chains, and that data availability and level of detail differ depending on context. Our focus is therefore on learning and engagement: seeking insight into how gender considerations are addressed in supplier programmes and encouraging gender-sensitive approaches where possible.
We view gender and inclusion as closely linked to broader issues such as living income, human rights and long-term community wellbeing. Strengthening inclusion is a gradual process that requires collaboration, cultural understanding and continuous improvement across the value chain.
Health and wellbeing
Health and wellbeing are fundamental to resilient cocoa farming communities. Risks related to occupational safety, access to healthcare, water and sanitation, and overall wellbeing are closely linked to human rights, gender equality and long-term livelihood outcomes.
Our approach to health and wellbeing is embedded in how we work with suppliers rather than addressed through standalone initiatives. We engage with partners that recognise health-related risks in cocoa production and that integrate wellbeing considerations into broader sustainability programmes, such as farmer training, occupational safety practices, access to basic services or community-level support where relevant.
Health and wellbeing are context-specific, and approaches vary across origins and supply chains. Our focus is on learning and engagement: seeking insight into how health-related issues are addressed within supplier programmes and how these efforts connect to human rights due diligence.
We see health and wellbeing as an integral part of responsible cocoa sourcing and as an area where long-term collaboration and continuous improvement are essential. Over time, deeper insight into these aspects helps strengthen both farmer resilience and the sustainability of the cocoa supply chains we are part of.
Environmental impact, deforestation and climate
Environmental impact and climate change are closely linked to how cocoa is grown and how land is managed over time. Deforestation, soil degradation and loss of biodiversity are among the most significant climate-related risks in cocoa production, with long-term consequences for ecosystems, farming communities and the resilience of cocoa supply chains.
Our primary approach to climate-related responsibility therefore focuses upstream, through how cocoa is sourced and how environmental risks are addressed within supplier-led programmes. We work with partners that recognise the importance of deforestation prevention, responsible land use and agroforestry practices, and that integrate these aspects into their sustainability, traceability and risk management systems.
We acknowledge that levels of monitoring, implementation and data availability vary across origins and supply chains. Our focus is on transparency and continuous improvement: seeking insight into how deforestation and climate-related risks are identified and addressed, and being open about where visibility is strong and where it is still developing.
While the most significant climate impacts occur in cocoa production, we also work to reduce environmental impact within our own operations and logistics. This includes investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency at our production facilities, as well as collaboration with logistics partners that offer mass-balance solutions for renewable marine fuels. These initiatives contribute to lower-emission transport at system level and reflect our commitment to reducing climate impact where we have direct influence, while prioritising action where the risks are greatest.
Continuous improvement and transparency
Responsibility that lasts is built over time. It requires openness about what is in place today, humility about what is still developing, and a willingness to improve step by step.
The information shared on this page reflects how we currently work with responsibility in our cocoa supply chain, based on available insight and recognised sustainability frameworks within the chocolate sector. As expectations, methodologies and data continue to evolve, so will our approach and our reporting.
We see transparency not as an end point, but as a tool for learning, dialogue and accountability. By openly sharing both progress and limitations, we aim to contribute to more informed conversations and to long-term improvements across the value chain.
Ansvar som håller is about doing the work, staying honest, and building responsibility together – over time.
Svensk sammanfattning
- tydlighet kring ursprung, spårbarhet och leverantörer
- levnadsinkomst som en central fråga i kakaosektorn
- mänskliga rättigheter och risker kopplade till barnarbete
- jämställdhet och inkludering i odlingsledet
- hälsa och välmående i kakaoproducerande samhällen
- miljö, avskogning och klimatpåverkan – med fokus där riskerna är som störst