Is the future cocoa-free chocolate?

The spiralling cost of cocoa caused by supply shortages is reshaping the chocolate industry, according to news organisation FoodNavigator. Climate change, disease and political uncertainty in major producing countries such as Côte d’Ivoire are keeping cocoa supplies unreliable and prices high. NGO WWF has warned that the world could be facing major coca shortages by 2030.

In response, brands are turning to cocoa-free “chocolate” alternatives. Retailer Aldi is working with the brand Cho-Viva, which uses sunflower seeds, sugars, and plant-based fats to recreate the taste and feel of chocolate, without using cocoa. UK start-ups such as Win-Win and Nukoko are using fermentation to transform ingredients such as rice, carob and fava beans into chocolate-like products that look, melt and taste like the real thing.

Many of these alternatives are now cheaper than conventional chocolate and claim far lower environmental impacts. The real test will be the taste, but these innovations reflect broader efforts across the confectionery sector to manage supply risk and reduce environmental impact.

Fashion’s low-carbon collaboration

Luxury fashion giants are teaming up to cut their scope 3 supply chain emissions, and they’re starting in Italy. Under a new “European Accelerator” led by The Fashion Pact, brands including Chanel and Prada Group want to make it easier and cheaper for suppliers to go low carbon.

Instead of every brand sending a different sustainability form, they’ve agreed on a shared, optional questionnaire. It focuses on three areas – energy, water and waste – so suppliers can report once, rather than filling out dozens of spreadsheets.

The plan is to then to help suppliers improve efficiency, switch to renewable energy and, crucially, unlock finance for cleaner tech – which is a big barrier for many Italian manufacturers. The idea is that if the big luxury houses line up behind one approach, it cuts red tape, improves data, and speeds up decarbonisation right across the fashion supply chain.

Denmark is planning what could be the world’s first fully circular fish farm, and it’s aiming to rewrite the rules of aquaculture. The Onnest trout farm, due to open in Hirtshals in 2028, is designed around a zero-waste, low-carbon model. Instead of importing soy-based feed, Onnest will produce its own on-site, using algae grown on fish waste and fish-processing by-products, powered with excess heat from nearby industry. The idea is that energy, water and nutrients are reused repeatedly within the system.

Fish welfare is central: the farm is targeting a survival rate of over 95%, far better than many conventional farms, with “zero mortality” as the long-term ambition. Onnest plans to sell premium, clearly labelled trout and to open the site to visitors as a live demo of circular food production. If it works in Denmark, the founders want to scale the model to other countries.

The Science Based Targets initiative has put out a new draft of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, and they’re asking for feedback until 8 December.

This is of course the main rulebook lots of companies use to set science-based climate targets. The update is meant to make it clearer and more practical, while still staying aligned with climate science.

Key changes include:

· net zero is set as the core long-term goal, and companies are expected to publish transition plans showing how they’ll get there;

· there are clearer, separate requirements for scopes 1, 2 and 3, so targets better reflect real-world operations and supply chains;

· more flexible options so businesses can prioritise the emissions they can most influence; and

· and a new recognition mechanism for companies that voluntarily go further and address their ongoing emissions early.

The core theme is transparency: clearer rules on how progress is reported, so it’s easier to see who’s really delivering on their net-zero promises.