‘Sooner or later, companies are going to be held accountable’: Inside the ICI’s Expanding Role in Cocoa Sustainability
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In our latest exclusive, CocoaRadar sat down with Matthias Lange Executive Director of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), to discuss the organisation’s deepening role in tackling child labour and driving due diligence across the global cocoa supply chain.
Lange, who has led the ICI since 2021, is the architect behind its current strategy, designed around three strategic pillars:
Scaling up Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS);
Strengthening enabling policy environments;
Promoting coordinated sector-wide action.
Under his leadership, CLMRS coverage now spans nearly 590,000 households, surpassing targets—and delivering real impact. In areas where systems are in place, child labour has dropped by an estimated 30%.
“We are seeing strong progress, but the challenge is far from over,” Lange says. “Legislation like the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the EUDR are pushing companies to do more—and quicker.”
But while companies are preparing, Lange warns the bigger risk lies in regulatory backsliding.
Brussels in the Spotlight
The ongoing political drama in Brussels over the CSDDD has raised concerns among civil society groups and sustainability advocates. Proposed rollbacks risk diluting environmental and human rights protections and potentially exclude smaller players from mandatory compliance.
“I wouldn’t advise any company to think they’re off the hook,” Lange says. “Sooner or later, they are going to be held accountable.”
The ICI continues to provide technical support to governments and the private sector in interpreting new regulations—especially in cocoa—where risks such as child and forced labour remain prevalent.
From Policy to Practice: Piloting What Works
Lange also highlights innovative pilots, including cash transfers targeting women in farming households—a promising intervention shown to reduce child labour.
“We’re not just offering theory. We’re generating data, practical recommendations, and supporting companies like Nestlé, Hershey, and Mondelēz.”
As part of its dual mandate, ICI also acts as a sector-wide learning platform, requiring all member companies to report annually on their human rights due diligence (HRDD) activities. The result is a growing pool of shared knowledge to guide collective progress.
Beyond West Africa
While Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana remain the organisation’s core focus, ICI is expanding into Cameroon and Nigeria—and even monitoring developments in Latin America.
“We’re exploring sourcing realities in Brazil and Ecuador. Human rights issues aren’t exclusive to West Africa,” says Lange. “But any action we take outside the region won’t come at the cost of progress in West Africa.”
Final Thoughts
With 1.48 million children still engaged in hazardous work on cocoa farms, Lange acknowledges the road ahead is long. But he remains hopeful.
“CLMRS has become the industry standard. We now need to go deeper—to integrate systems, scale partnerships, and build long-term accountability.”
As legislation takes shape and scrutiny rises, one thing is clear: the future of cocoa depends on collective action, strategic leadership, and sustained innovation. The ICI is helping to lead the way.
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