The Hershey Company is the largest producer of chocolate in North America, a leading snack maker in the U.S. and a global leader in chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery. They market, sell and distribute chocolate, sweets, mints and other snacks under more than 90 brand names in 80 countries worldwide.
Since 2014, The Hershey Company has worked with Earthworm Foundation on their responsible palm oil sourcing strategy. Through this work, Hershey supports transformation initiatives to drive better environmental and social practices on the ground. With Earthworm's support, Hershey launched a multi-ingredient work plan to address deforestation and conversion in their agricultural supply chains. This initiative extends collaboration beyond palm oil to include pulp & paper, and soy supply chains, which are identified as most at risk.
Hershey commits funding to the Forest Conservation Fund’s Lobu Tayas Village community conservation project in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.
Hershey, Airbus, and Earthworm Foundation join hands for major multi-ingredient workplan focused on No-Deforestation Verification in Hershey’s Palm Oil, Pulp & Paper, and Soy supply chains
Hershey expands support for transformation programmes as it becomes a Contributor to the Southern Central Forest (SCFS)Spine) Landscape in Peninsular Malaysia
Hershey joins the Starling Users Group, a pre-competitive collaboration with other EF members to reduce duplication of deforestation-free verification efforts
Starting in 2020, Hershey partnered with Airbus and Earthworm Foundation to monitor their palm oil supply chain through the use of Starling satellite monitoring solution.
Hershey funds a pilot of Earthworm’s Kumacaya programme in Aceh, Indonesia, which enables independent monitoring and verifying of social and environmental issues by local people and CSOs. Hershey also establishes a formal process for response to grievances and a public grievance log
Hershey contributes to Earthworm’s Rurality programme in East Riau, seeking to increase the resilience of smallholders in Indonesia’s largest palm producing region
Hershey starts to support EF’s landscapes programme by contributing to the Aceh landscape in Indonesia. Hershey also begins publicly reporting the list of mills in its palm oil supply chain
Hershey partners with a palm oil refiner company to support a training workshop on sustainable palm oil practices for their supplying mills
Earthworm supports Hershey as it begins engagement with suppliers to advance implementation of its NDPE policy
Earthworm helps Hershey develop its Responsible Palm Oil Sourcing Policy, committing to no deforestation, no peat development and no exploitation in its palm oil supply and beginning its work on traceability to mill- and plantation-level
Palm oil is a highly versatile and inexpensive vegetable oil – we eat it, put it on our bodies and can burn it for fuel. This has made it a major driver of economic growth in many countries, but can also lead to many issues such as loss of tropical forest habitats, which contain more than half of the Earth’s plants and animal species.
For nearly a decade, Earthworm Foundation has supported Hershey's efforts to implement its Responsible Palm Oil Sourcing Policy, which commits the company to sourcing 100% traceable and sustainable palm oil products within its supply chains. Earthworm Foundation supports Hershey with several tools and interventions to support this endeavour, including conducting traceability exercises with their palm oil suppliers to understand where their palm oil supply comes from, monitoring deforestation risks in their supply chain using the Starling solution (a satellite technology, co-developed by Earthworm and Airbus), engaging suppliers to mitigate risks in their supply chains and drive progress towards NDPE commitments, and more.
Hershey also supports several transformation initiatives to drive better environmental and social practices on the ground, including Earthworm landscape.