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Environment
Reducing our environmental impact
Our environmental challenges
Our activities – from growing cocoa to selling chocolate – have an impact on the environment. At Valrhona, we are committed to minimizing these impacts. This makes sense from a commercial point of view, but also and most importantly to guarantee us a healthy future and a healthy planet.
To stay aligned with a warming trajectory of +1.5°C, France must reduce its emissions by 63% by 2030. To comply with this reduction, numerous measures need to be implemented. Valrhona has chosen to align with the global move towards carbon emissions reduction. So that we can combat climate change and make a meaningful transition towards an environmentally friendly way of working, we have made exact calculations of our emissions a priority. This will enable us to take action and, most importantly, to reduce the emissions we make.
The data displayed below relates to the activities of our two chocolate factories at Tain l’Hermitage, as well as at the École Valrhona, the store and the Cité du Chocolat. We are closely monitoring our energy consumption at these locations.
2023 results
-62% of GHG (greenhouse gas emissions)
directly generated by Valrhona through the combustion of fossil fuels and the consumption of electricity (scope 1 & 2) since 2013. Objective for 2025: -60%
93% of waste recovered
(cardboard, plastic, organic materials). Objective for 2025: 100%.
68% of our energy mix
(electricity & gas) comes from renewables. Objective for 2025: 79%.
86% of our packaging
is recyclable. Objective for 2025: 85%
100% of new products
meet Valrhona eco-design criteria (packaging and recipes). Objective for 2025: 100%
-18% in waste generated
overall 2013. Objective for 2025: 50% reduction.
-33% of tap water consumption
(and 49% less groundwater used) since 2013. Objective for 2025: 50% reduction.
-40% in our total energy consumption
since 2013. Objective for 2025: 50% reduction.
Cocoa’s impact on the environment (scope 3)
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time. At Valrhona, we know that the future of our planet, not to mention our company, depends on our ability to put the climate first in everything we do – every decision, every action, every investment.
Cocoa growing is responsible for the majority of chocolate production’s greenhouse gas emissions (1kg of cocoa emits 23.2kg of carbon dioxide on average worldwide), and 95% of its carbon footprint is due to deforestation.
To reduce our cocoa’s carbon footprint, we are fighting deforestation on several major fronts:
- Traceable plots
- Studying changes in tree cover
- Calculating our cocoa’s carbon footprint
Eco-design (scope 3)
Valrhona is working on the eco-design of its products to fully satisfy our customers while reducing our footprint on the environment and natural resources. We thus act through the eco-design of our packaging and recipes for all new product developments. Our marketing, R&D, and purchasing teams must ensure that a number of criteria are respected with each new development.
RECIPES
- Length of the list of ingredients
- No additives or controversial ingredients
- Nutritional impact
- Level of societal and environmental risk of the sector from which each ingredient comes
PACKAGING
- Reduce weight (of packaging)
- Choose materials made from renewable and/or recycled resources
- Aim for 100% recyclable packaging
For example, the non-recyclable plastic cells used to package chocolate bonbons have been replaced by recyclable transparent cells containing 30% recycled materials. In 2023, the recyclable packaging rate rose again, from 83% to 86% compared to 2022, an increase of 3 points.
Transport (scope 3)
FRET 21 is an initiative aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the freight transport sector. It encourages the use of more environmentally-friendly modes of transport and raises awareness of the importance of sustainability among the freight industry. In 2022, Valrhona renewed its commitment to this initiative for a further 3 years. The company is involved in a number of initiatives aimed at reducing emissions by several hundred tons of CO2. The company signs up to 11 actions under this initiative, the aim of which is to reduce emissions by 949 tonnes of CO2, i.e. a 13% reduction in GHG emissions over the period 2022-2024. Actions focused on 4 main areas:
- Reducing carbon footprint in the last miles (thanks in particular to deliveries by bicycle or electric vehicle)
- Reducing airborne emissions (by controlling our shipments to subsidiaries)
- CO2 Target LABEL (give preference to carriers with the CO2 Target label)
- Experimentation with alternative, less polluting means of transport such as sailboats, biofuel trucks, etc.
Water management
In addition to measuring its carbon footprint, Valrhona also works to respect the planet’s limits. Water management is crucial to preserving the water resources that are essential to life on Earth.
We are now devoting particular attention to our water usage, with the specific objective of cutting our 2013 consumption rates in half by 2025.
By 2023, water consumption at the Tain l’Hermitage production sites had been reduced by 33% compared with 2013. This measure is highly dependent on summer heat in production plants, where temperatures have to be kept stable.
In addition to making employees more aware of their individual usage, teams worked on the risks of leaks in water circulation systems. The most important activity in 2023 was therefore to improve the metering system. This meant: 10 new water meters have been installed so that any leaks can be identified and repaired.
Energy (scope 1 & 2)
We are committed to reducing the amount of energy we use to make our chocolate and to promoting the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Since 2013, we have reduced our total energy consumption by 40%, and 68% of our energy mix comes from renewable sources.
As part of our efforts to be an exemplary manufacturer in terms of energy consumption, we are proud to say that for the past five years, 100% of our electricity has come from certified purchases of hydroelectric power. Through these energy purchases under Guarantee of Origin Certificates, we help finance the renewable energy sector.
More environmentally-friendly refrigeration systems.
Valrhona has to use refrigeration chambers in certain areas of its storage facilities to preserve the flavor qualities of these chocolate products. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are the fluids most commonly used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Their global warming potential is much higher than that of natural hydrocarbons or ammonia-based refrigerants. By investing in facilities that use low-warming fluids, Valrhona reduces their contribution to GHG emissions in the long term.
Reusability: “La Consigne by Valrhona” returnable packaging scheme and reusing our resources (scope 3)
Driven by our zero-waste objective, Returnable Packaging by Valrhona is the name of our ambitious project to reinvent how customers handle the packaging we produce. Launched in 2020 and based on circular economy principles, this project involves trialing deliveries of new packaging which is then recovered, washed and reintroduced into production processes.
La Consigne by Valrhona returnable packaging scheme has achieved its primary objective of reducing waste.
The 2023 balance sheet for La Consigne is positive: 2,830 containers sent to customers in France, representing 17 tonnes of chocolate 691kg of CO2 saved 693kg of waste avoided.
Portraits of Valrhona Experts
Safety & Environment - Elisande Bourry x Nicolas Ghibaudo
B Corp - Audrey Vicenzi
Eco-design - Claudie Bochart & Pierre Martinet
Transport - Guillaume Sempere