Premium chocolate manufacturer Valrhona has gained coveted B Corp status, recognizing its efforts towards delivering sustainability initiatives designed to improve its environmental and overall business performance.
“Today, after almost three years of following a strict process, Valrhona has earned the B Corporation certification,” says Clémentine Alzial, chief executive officer of Valrhona. “This rewards the companies that are the most committed in the world to performance, transparency and social and environmental responsibility.”
Launched in the United States in 2006, the B Corp community brings together companies around the world who place their societal mission at the core of their purpose. They meet the most demanding standards in terms of social and environmental impact.
B Corporation certification measures company performance in five areas: governance, workers, customers, community and environment. To qualify, a company must to take into account all of these dimensions. Information is scored on a 200-point scale, with a minimum of 80 points required to receive the precious certification.
With 88.3 points, Valrhona is now the largest chocolate maker for professionals in the world to earn the B Corporation certification. Of the 80,000 organizations worldwide that have undertaken the evaluation, only 3,200 have received the certification, representing 130 industries and 60 countries.
To keep their certifications, B Corp businesses must continue their actions over time and build on their progress as their status is re-evaluated every three years. Among Valrhona’s top priority objectives for the future are:
- Prepare for the consequences of climate change by becoming carbon neutral throughout the company’s entire value chain by 2025 as well as rethinking its flows
- Deliver chocolate while minimizing or eliminating packaging
- Fight for cacao that is cultivated using agroforestry
- Help the sector to adopt more responsible practices
- Improve the diversity policy
“Valrhona has been engaged in the responsible transformation of its economic and organizational model for several years,” says Alzial. “The company is working toward a just and sustainable cacao sector, takes care of the planet and pushes boundaries in gastronomy so that it is more responsible. Profit, the planet and humans are all tied together when it comes to a company’s livelihood. B Corp is the approach for progress that I have wanted Valrhona to be a part of. It’s a true guide for challenging ourselves and creating positive impact for the world.”
