Cargill Overhauling Energy Processes to Decarbonize Global Cocoa Supply Chain
Agriculture and food production giant Cargill is investing in and deploying multiple energy efficiency and decarbonization technologies to transform the emissions footprint of its global cocoa supply chain.
The objective is to reduce carbon emissions, eliminate waste and boost efficiency from cocoa origin countries in west Africa to processing hubs in Europe. The moves include renewable energy installations, circular supply chain logistics and smart infrastructure technologies.
“Sustainability isn’t a single project at Cargill—it’s how we operate,” said Emiel van Dijk, Managing Director of Cocoa & Chocolate Europe and West Africa, in a statement. “From circular waste reuse to renewable transport and clean energy, we’re showing that climate action can scale, without compromise.”
Cargill is one of the world’s largest cocoa processors, also shipping millions of tons of sugar and product for confectionary brands.
In Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, discarded cocoa shells are used to fuel biomass boilers, while a solar plant in Ghana powers production in Tema, and new ISO tanks are replacing disposable packaging, providing the opportunity to cut up to 100 metric tons of waste each month.
Once the beans and semi-finished cocoa products produced in origin arrive in Europe, they enter a fully integrated logistics network. Beans are stored in solar-powered warehouses near Amsterdam, The Netherlands, then transported to Cargill’s factory in Zaandam through the electric barges, eliminating 190,000 kg of CO₂ emissions annually.
The electricity for these vessels, and for Cargill’s Dutch facilities, arrive from Windpark Hanze, a renewable energy partnership with Vattenfall.
After processing, cocoa shells are reused again as fuel in Cargill’s new biomass boiler in Amsterdam, which will reduce GHG emissions by nearly 19,000 tons each year. Along with the wind farm Cargill and Vattenfall operate in partnership with Windpark Hanze, the CO₂ emissions reduction reaches 31,000 tons per year, representing a reduction of site CO₂ emissions of up to 90 percent.
Semi-finished cocoa products are shipped to Wormer using BIO LNG trucks, and finished cocoa powder is stored at a next-generation warehouse in Zaandam. The facility, operated in partnership with Green Valley Cocoa Logistics, features solar panels, automated vehicles, and intermodal rail and barge connections to reduce last-mile impact.
Cargill’s semi-finished cocoa products are delivered to its own chocolate processing sites and its customers across Europe using renewable fuels and short sea shipping, supporting the company’s global target to reduce supply chain emissions by 30% per ton of product by 2030.
The integrated effort also supports Cargill’s broader climate goals like reducing operational emissions by 10% by 2025.