ChoViva - an eco-friendly treat for people and the planet

The cultivation of cocoa plants has led to the deforestation of tropical rainforests¹: Between 1988 and 2008, 3 million hectares of this unique habitat were lost worldwide²; in Ghana³, a major cocoa-producing region, the rainforest loss amounts to over 80%.

This loss of forests is an environmental issue, as tropical rainforests store more than twice the amount of carbon dioxide per hectare compared to cocoa plantations. During deforestation, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere, increasing the overall emissions for one kilogram of chocolate: Of the average 19 kg CO₂e/kg, 16.1 kg CO₂e/kg⁴ is attributed solely to land use changes.

When it comes to measuring the climate-friendliness of products, you'll primarily encounter two terms: CO₂ and CO₂e. Here's how they are related.

The CO₂ balance¹, also known as the climate footprint, measures the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that occur directly or indirectly during the lifecycle of a product. This provides a detailed picture of how climate-impacting a product is—from the cultivation of ingredients to its arrival at the supermarket.

This unit¹ is used to determine a climate footprint; it quantifies the total of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during a product's lifecycle: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). In the calculation, these emissions are aggregated, taking into account the amount of each greenhouse gas and its global warming potential (GWP) over a 100-year period compared to carbon dioxide (CO₂).

To determine our climate footprint, we collaborate with CarbonCloud: This online platform specializes in analyzing and managing the CO₂ footprint of companies and products.

CarbonCloud’s online tool is based on 20 years of research, has been validated through numerous scientific publications, and has been used by agencies such as the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. CarbonCloud works with international partners like Princeton University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

CarbonCloud monitors trends and actively collaborates with research institutions to stay at the forefront of scientific advancements in climate calculations. Many established companies also partner with CarbonCloud.

CarbonCloud analyzes each ChoViva formulation using the LCA method, also known as Life Cycle Assessment. This method measures the climate impact of a product at one or more stages of its lifecycle.

The climate footprint of ChoViva varies slightly depending on the recipe, though the reduction compared to chocolate is always significant.

ChoViva comes in several variants with the following approximate CO₂ climate footprints¹:
ChoViva Smooth (milk chocolate alternative): 2.3 kg CO₂e/kg
ChoViva Vegan (vegan chocolate alternative): 1.3 kg CO₂e/kg
ChoViva White (white chocolate alternative): 2.4 kg CO₂e/kg
ChoViva Semi-Sweet (dark chocolate alternative): 1.4 kg CO₂e/kg

Since ChoViva is just one ingredient among many in cookies, wafers, or cereals, additional factors must be considered for the climate footprint of the final product, such as the production process and the transportation from our partners' factories to the supermarket.

However, these factors can be calculated only by the end product manufacturer themselves.

Since ChoViva is used as an ingredient in products (e.g., as a filling or glaze), the climate footprint of ChoViva does not include the CO₂ emissions associated with the creation of the end product or the transport to our customer's factory or to the supermarket. These factors are covered in the climate footprint calculations of the end product manufacturers.

We do not know how you transport your ChoViva product home after purchasing it—whether by car, bicycle, or on foot. We also cannot track how the packaging is ultimately disposed of.

Currently, we do not account for emissions from the production facility that are independent of production, the commuting of our employees, or general business activities such as product development, marketing, or research. These aspects are difficult to attribute to a single product and are considered minimal.

The mentioned figures are primarily based on the fact that a large portion of our ingredients can be grown in Europe. Shorter supply chains and the avoidance of deforestation contribute, among other factors, to a lower CO₂ footprint compared to chocolate.