Sunbeth Global Concepts (SGC), one of Africa’s leading agro-commodities exporters, has launched Orange Cocoa, a long-term sustainability framework aimed at transforming cocoa production, improving farmers’ livelihoods, and strengthening environmental protection across West Africa.
The initiative, built on three strategic pillars, Better Cocoa, Better Life, and Better Planet, outlines measurable commitments designed to tackle some of the most pressing challenges confronting the cocoa sector, with implementation targets extending to 2050.
As one of the world’s most traded agricultural commodities, cocoa remains a major source of income for millions of smallholder farmers across West Africa. However, the sector continues to grapple with declining yields, aging plantations, climate-related pressures, deforestation, child labour concerns, and persistent rural poverty, factors that increasingly threaten the sustainability of global cocoa production.
Speaking on the initiative, Sustainability Director of Sunbeth Global Concepts, Oyinkansola Owoyemi, described Orange Cocoa as the company’s structured response to the growing economic, environmental, and regulatory pressures shaping the future of the cocoa industry.
According to her, the framework establishes clear accountability systems, measurable targets, and transparent reporting mechanisms to ensure long-term progress across SGC’s cocoa sourcing operations.
Under the Better Cocoa pillar, SGC plans to train 100,000 farmers in sustainable agricultural and environmental practices by 2040, while also distributing one million hybrid cocoa seedlings across its sourcing communities. The company further disclosed plans to establish three regional cocoa quality testing hubs to improve product standards and productivity within the supply chain.
The company revealed that more than 60,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings will be distributed to farmers within its network in 2026 alone as part of efforts to improve farm resilience and boost cocoa yields.
Through the Better Life pillar, SGC will implement a Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS), designed to identify and support vulnerable children within cocoa-producing communities. The company stated that every child identified under the programme will receive and complete an approved remediation plan within one year of identification.
Owoyemi noted that improving the welfare and economic stability of cocoa farmers remains central to the long-term sustainability of the industry, stressing that supply chain security and social impact are closely connected.
On environmental sustainability, the Better Planet pillar commits the company to planting 300,000 shade trees by 2040 to support biodiversity restoration, improve soil fertility, and strengthen climate resilience across cocoa farms.
SGC explained that the framework also positions the company ahead of evolving international trade regulations, particularly the European Union Deforestation Regulation, which requires exporters to provide verified geolocation data, due diligence documentation, and full farm-level traceability.
According to the company, Orange Cocoa’s traceability and environmental monitoring systems are expected to enhance market access, attract climate financing and impact investments, and strengthen opportunities for premium market partnerships and long-term international contracts.
