Cocoanect part of REDD+ Business Initiative to fight deforestation and climate change

During the annual conference of the green business organization De Groene Zaak in the Netherlands on June 27th, Cocoanect, Eneco, Essent and Tarkett signed a cooperation agreement to jointly invest in forest management and sustainable agriculture in the tropics based on ‘REDD+’ and form the REDD+ Business Initiative.

REDD+ is a UN instrument for the controlled conservation and sustainable management of forests. The companies work closely together with the Dutch Development Bank FMO and Ecosphere+, part of the Althelia Climate Fund, an investment fund of more than €100 million that is a world leader in this area. Both are also members of the REDD+ Business Initiative, as well as the entrepreneurial organization De Groene Zaak, which forms the bridge for new companies wanting to join. The aim of the initiative is to motivate more companies to invest in REDD+ projects.

We are losing our rainforests at a terrifying rate, together with their wealth of biodiversity. This also means that the huge amount of CO₂ that forests store is ending up in the atmosphere and one of the most cost-effective methods of tackling climate change is literally being burned down, along with the valuable ecosystem services they provide.

The members invest in the Tambopata Biodiversity Reserve project in Peru as a signal that companies are willing to work together in the fight against deforestation as one of the main causes of and near-term solutions to climate change, and contribute at the same time to the Sustainable Development Goals and the health of vital ecosystems.

The Tambopata Biodiversity Reserve Project embraces the economic development of local communities as well as environmental protection. In the buffer zones around the park, organic cocoa farming is introduced. By planting newly developed Trinitario fine or flavor varieties, and by using agroforestry techniques with more shade trees a total of 400 smallholder cocoa production jobs will be created. The first chocolate made from this cocoa tasted very promising. We are looking forward to supplying more chocolate makers this fine flavour cocoa in 2018.

Redd+ Business Initiative founding members, from left to right: Jan Willem Beukers (Eneco), Erik van Zadelhoff (RBI/De Groene Zaak), Anne van der Veen (Cocoanect), Marjolein Demmers (De Groene Zaak), Rudi Daelmans (Tarkett), Lucy Arndt (Ecospehere+), Varishna Tewarie (FMO) and Chris Arthers (Essent).

 

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Our involvement in the REDD+ Business Initiative and the Tambopata Biodiversity Project, are part of Cocoanect’s intent to end deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain, as underlined in the signed Cocoa & Forest Initiative. Other projects include the ProcarBOOH project and Tai National Park project which we currently run in Ivory Coast and which we will soon expand to Ghana.