Kocoatrait Chocolates Sets the Bar for Transparency & Sustainability, Reveals Carbon Footprint of Chocolate
Kocoatrait Sustainable Chocolates, a pioneer in India’s craft chocolate industry, commits to complete transparency. It announces the carbon footprint data disclosure, a first in India among craft chocolate makers. Kocoatrait believes in “You can’t manage what you can’t measure” and as part of their transparency initiatives has also shared and published cost breakdown for over two years.
Chocolate’s global popularity should not blind us to its real environmental costs. Every bar carries not just the flavor of cacao — but the imprint of forests cleared, soil altered, fuel burned, and emissions released. In today’s eco-conscious era, Kocoatrait leads globally, emphasizing transparency’s role in mitigating its carbon footprint.
After four weeks of in-house analysis, it calculated the carbon footprint of its 45-gram dark chocolate bars. The company acknowledges the pivotal role of transparency in mitigating its carbon footprint and environmental impact. Research reviewing 25 life-cycle assessment studies have revealed that the environmental footprint of chocolate is driven primarily by what goes into it — and how it is made. Raw material production and manufacturing account for up to 97% of total impact, with cocoa, milk powder, and sugar being the largest contributors. Our dark chocolate range is specifically designed to keep your carbon contribution low.
The largest share of chocolate’s carbon footprint comes from cocoa farming itself — especially when forests are cleared to make way for plantations. This “land-use change” releases massive amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere. The Earthbound Report. In many producing countries, forests are still being cut down to grow cocoa — a factor that dramatically increases climate impacts and reduces the planet’s ability to absorb CO₂.
Dark chocolate tends to have a lower carbon footprint than milk or white chocolate because it contains fewer dairy ingredients — dairy production itself is a major emitter due to methane emissions from cows.
Transporting cocoa beans from tropical regions to processing facilities across continents emits significant CO₂. thefloopapp.com. Roasting, grinding, and manufacturing chocolate are energy-intensive processes. thefloopapp.com. Packaging materials, refrigeration, distribution and retail add more emissions on top of that.
Each 45-gram Kocoatrait dark chocolate contributes 1.3 kg of carbon footprint on average. To contextualize this, a mature tree absorbs 20 kg of CO2 annually and the emissions are similar to driving several kilometers in a car. We’ve invested in energy-efficient equipment and eco-friendly packaging. This data underscores the need to reduce chocolate-making emissions. The global average for a 50-gram chocolate bar is 0.95 kg (Source: co2everything.com).
Kocoatrait, known for ethical sourcing and fair trade practices, shares its carbon footprint data to raise awareness and collaborates to lower emissions. L Nitin Chordia, Co-Founder of Kocoatrait, emphasizes transparency’s importance: “We aim to inspire industry change and lead India in sustainability.” Kocoatrait’s carbon footprint measurement is an in-house, voluntary effort, and includes scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions in its calculations.
About Kocoatrait Sustainable Chocolates & L Nitin Chordia
Kocoatrait is India’s 1st and only award winning, Zero Waste, Inclusive, Sustainable and Planet Friendly Zero Waste Single Origin Bean to Bar chocolate operating in a circular economy. We have prevented 300+ Kgs of plastic wrappers from polluting landfills! This is our measure of the impact of our concerns on climate change. L Nitin Chordia is India’s 1st Certified Chocolate Taster, India’s 1st Judge at the International Chocolate Awards, London and Cocoa Post Harvest Professional. Learn more about Kocoatrait sustainable efforts at cocoatrait.com/about-us/
Press Contact: L Nitin Chordia; +919600064846 and nitin@cocoatrait.com