Cocoa, Fertiliser & Food Safety: This Week's Top Stories
Tony's Chocolonely has achieved one of two overall green scores in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard results. HALBA secured the top position in the assessment.
The Chocolate Scorecard evaluates global chocolate companies annually on sustainability issues within the cocoa industry. According to the scorecard, key areas include living income, child labour, deforestation, gender equality, agroforestry and pesticide use.
Be Slavery Free coordinates the scorecard in collaboration with universities, consultants and NGOs.
This year's assessment placed greater emphasis on measurable impact and tangible progress.
The evaluation rewards companies for demonstrated results rather than aspirations alone.
A beverage manufacturer and an ammonia producer have established a partnership that could reshape how food companies address emissions from agricultural inputs.
PepsiCo and Talus announced a collaboration agreement focused on reducing carbon intensity in fertiliser production across the global food supply chain.
The arrangement will initially cover PepsiCo's operations in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia-Pacific and its global teams.
According to the companies, the collaboration will extend to US operations and connect to the proposed Blue Earth project in Minnesota.
Ecolab has published its 2025 Growth & Impact Report, with findings indicating that business performance and environmental responsibility must advance in parallel to address global resource constraints.
The company operates in more than 170 countries, providing water treatment, hygiene and infection-prevention solutions through scientific methods and digital monitoring systems.
Ecolab's 48,000 associates support the strategy to protect essential resources and enable customer operations in food production, beverage manufacturing and foodservice to maintain safety standards and operational efficiency.
The approach aims to separate economic expansion from resource consumption, creating sustained outcomes for communities, ecosystems and financial stakeholders.
Japan and Australia have formalised a series of trade agreements covering critical minerals, energy and food supply chains.
The partnership addresses concerns over economic resilience and diversification across multiple sectors.
According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the agreement will protect both economies and strengthen relationships between the nations.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has committed €200m (US$234m) to finance agricultural and bio-economy businesses across the EU through a partnership with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions.
The funding could enable food producers and agri-businesses to invest in equipment that reduces energy consumption and environmental impact.
According to the European Environment Agency, agriculture accounts for 11% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU to date.
The financing arrangement targets small- and medium-sized enterprises and mid-cap companies operating in the agriculture and bio-economy sector.
Initial allocations are expected in Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.
Company portals
Executives
Christophe Beck
Chairman and CEO
Douglas Lamont
Chief Executive Officer
Emilio Tenuta
Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab
Gelsomina Vigliotti
Vice-President
Margaret Henry
Vice President, Sustainable & Regenerative Agriculture
Neil Pein
CEO of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions
