Business and Biodiversity Initiative

For years, Ritter Sport has made environmentally friendly policies an important part of its mission statement. The company views protecting natural resources, which also includes preserving biodiversity, as one of the most important challenges facing mankind in the future.

As a member of the ‘Biodiversity in Good Company’ Initiative and in order to implement the Leadership Declaration, Ritter Sport has agreed to analyse its business activities and their effects on biodiversity. The insights gained from this will serve as a basis for further possible activities. These projects will be coordinated by a selected Ritter Sport employee.

The chocolate manufacturer’s suppliers shall be informed of the company’s biodiversity goals and included in this goal wherever possible. In addition to this, the company is investigating the possibility of entering into cooperation with NGOs and/or environmental groups and whether this would make economic sense.

To make it possible to assess how successful Ritter Sport is in promoting biodiversity and sustainability, the company has identified a few main focal areas. Using the progress sheets for these core focal areas, their development can be analysed every 2 to 3 years and corrected if necessary.

Sustainable Cocoa Farming

Over the last two years, Ritter Sport has succeeded in increasing the area dedicated to cocoa production using agroforestry by over 30%, by providing consultancy services (particularly training in ecological cocoa farming), constructing a cocoa purchasing and drying station and paying cocoa prices well above the global market value (as of 2009, USD 3,650 per tonne for organic cocoa and USD 3,100 per tonne for regular cocoa). The number of certified organic cocoa producers has risen from 350 in 2007 to 2000 in 2009. Cocoa trees are very sensitive and need an environment similar to that of a rainforest, with larger trees to provide shade and protect the cocoa trees from the sun. This leads to the development not of monocultures, but of diverse systems of mixed cultivation.

The introduction of a central drying station and energy-efficient drying methods (tunnel and rack drying) also saves 465,000 kg of firewood a year (for 500 t cocoa), further reducing deforestation and conserving vital habitats.

Growing high-quality organic cocoa has created benefits for all involved – for farmers, for the rainforest and for Ritter Sport.

Alternative Sources of Energy

Ritter Sport’s increased use of alternative sources of energy also benefits the environment. The generation of electricity by conventional means, using nuclear fission, coal, etc., heats up the coolant, which kills fish and leads to the growth of dangerous algae when it is discharged into rivers. The exhaust produced by the generation of energy in coal power plants, for example, exacerbates the greenhouse effect, leads to global warming and changes many ecosystems, destroying the habitats of many species. The consequence: the extinction of many species of flora and fauna.

The most impressive combination of all Ritter Sport’s ecological efforts and its commitment to sustainability is in its organic chocolate bars: raw materials from controlled organic production come together with organic cocoa from Nicaragua, are made into chocolate using green energy and finally packaged in a fully recyclable polypropylene wrapper.

Ritter Sport

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