iChoc scoops German Sustainability Award 2026
Ethical chocolate brand iChoc beat six strong finalists to win the German Sustainability Award 2026 for its innovative approach to sustainable supply chains.
The brand’s ‘Farmer-To-Bar’ initiative means shoppers can track who grew the cocoa in their chocolate and how their purchase is changing farmers’ lives on the ground. The jury noted that, “With the ‘Farmer-To-Bar’ project, EcoFinia has developed a pioneering concept for greater transparency in the global cocoa supply chain.”
To see their cocoa’s journey, consumers can scan an on-pack QR code to access an interactive map tracking each bar back to 240 specific cocoa growers in the Dominican Republic. Every scan also generates a donation for the ‘iChoc Route’ that’s used for improvement projects in collaboration with local communities. Recently, the funds were used to build an aqueduct that will supply families with water.
“Only through precise tracking can child labour and other forms of exploitation in cocoa farming be reliably excluded.”
EcoFinia spent more than a year working on the new tracking tool. Managing director Gerrit Wiezoreck’s experience as former head of data and AI strategy and transformation at E.ON Digital Technologies proved invaluable. “I knew which software and databases were required, but linking the data from the country of origin with production at our factory in Herford was a challenge,” he says.
Wiezoreck predicts that supply chain transparency will become even more important as both regulations and shopper trends drive demand. “Legal requirements – such as those from the Supply Chain Act and deforestation regulations – will continue to increase, as will consumers’ desire for ‘clean’ products,” he explains. “And only through precise tracking can child labour and other forms of exploitation in cocoa farming be reliably excluded.”
By Jane Wolfe, contributor