Category: News

New study: More cocoa farmers earning closer to living incomes in Côte d’Ivoire thanks to higher farmgate prices

Stuart Mitchell

Higher farmgate prices together with Fairtrade interventions are having a positive effect on Fairtrade cocoa farmer incomes in Côte d’Ivoire, a new study found.   The study, “Assessing Cocoa Famer Income: The household income of cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and strategies for improvement” found that 24 percent of farmers are projected to earn above a living income based on the current farmgate price, and another 50 percent should earn close to a living income.  Commissioned by Fairtrade and conducted by Impact Institute, the multi-part study demonstrates the important role price…

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Green tokens are back! Waitrose relaunches its Community Matters programme with a refined focus on supporting food causes that matter

Stuart Mitchell

The Waitrose Community Matters programme has, to date donated over £50m to good causes across the country, and was the first scheme of its kind to be introduced to a supermarket back in 2008.  Over time the green tokens built up a deep rooted fondness amongst customers and Partners alike, therefore it was a difficult (yet necessary) decision to remove them when Covid hit in 2020. Waitrose has continued to give to worthy causes as part of the scheme, but this was done without the physical customer voting mechanic in…

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Ceres urges EPA to preserve critical Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program to keep U.S. competitive

Stuart Mitchell

Ceres Senior Director of Federal Policy Zach Friedman testified today before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in support of preserving the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, arguing that maintaining robust, facility-level reporting is a fiduciary and taxpayer obligation, an economic safeguard, and a competitive imperative.   The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is the only standardized, facility-level greenhouse gas dataset in the U.S. It covers thousands of facilities across all major sectors and provides critical market infrastructure that investors, companies, and policymakers depend on to invest in American infrastructure, manufacturing, and exports. …

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Cargill’s EverSweet® stevia sweetener named a finalist in the 2025 Global Good Awards Game Changing Innovation of the Year

Stuart Mitchell

Today’s consumers want foods and beverages that align to their wellness goals without compromising taste. In fact, according to Cargill’s Trend Tracker research, 65% of consumers now prefer products that are less sweet. More than a decade ago, Cargill anticipated shifting consumer demand and developed EverSweet®, a breakthrough zero-calorie sweetener, which has been named a finalist in the Game Changing Innovation of the Year category at the 2025 Global Good Awards.  Produced through precision fermentation, EverSweet® delivers a sugar-like taste without bitterness while dramatically reducing resource use. Life Cycle Assessments…

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Integrity Council approves six carbon dioxide removal methodologies

Stuart Mitchell

A further Improved Forest Management and an Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation methodology version were also approved in ICVCM’s latest assessment decisions. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) today approved another batch of engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methodologies, following the approval of three biochar methodologies in July. Engineered CDR involves using purpose-built technologies to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While it currently represents less than 1% of the voluntary carbon market by issued volume, CDR is responsible for a considerable volume of forward sales in…

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