7th Edition World Chocolate Scorecard (2026) Announced

The Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN) announced the "7th Edition World Chocolate Scorecard (2026)" (hereinafter, Chocolate Scorecard) on May 13, participating as a cooperating organization. The Chocolate Scorecard, a project led by the Australian human rights organization Be Slavery Free, is conducted with the cooperation of 28 organizations including universities, civil society groups, and consulting firms worldwide, and this year marks its 7th edition.

The Chocolate Scorecard surveys 80 chocolate-related companies in the global chocolate industry, including trading companies, processors, manufacturers, and retailers (49 companies responded, 31 did not), evaluating their procurement policies and initiatives. This time, 9 Japanese companies were surveyed: 7 medium-to-large companies and 2 retailers (of which 2 retailers did not respond).

[Overall Evaluation of Japanese Companies]

Among Japanese companies, Meiji Holdings significantly improved its ranking in the overall evaluation by advancing information disclosure on traceability down to the cooperative level, securing the top position among Japanese firms. While a significant gap still exists with Western companies, Meiji Holdings could become a leader among Japanese companies, where polarization is progressing.

EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation) Note 1) is improving the initiatives of Western companies as a "regulatory driving force." However, due to the lack of regulations in Japan and East Asia, progress is slow, and Japanese companies are unable to keep up with the annually rising evaluation hurdles, making it difficult to improve their scores.

Six out of the seven participating Japanese companies have seen their traceability and transparency evaluations decline in recent Chocolate Scorecards.

The number of Japanese companies certified by SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative) Note 2) has increased to four. From now on, not only policies but also concrete initiatives at the practical level are necessary.

It is crucial not only to "know" where cacao comes from but also to be able to "disclose information" that can be verified by a third party. Furthermore, in the future, the payment of living income Note 3) will be required to solve poverty issues.

The Chocolate Scorecard categorizes target companies into ① medium-to-large companies, ② small companies (cacao handling less than 1,000 tons), and ③ retailers, and conducted different questionnaires for each. Companies are evaluated on a 5-point scale from "Green" (leading the industry in policy and implementation) to "Black" (lacking transparency, no response) across 8 areas (1. Traceability and Transparency, 2. Living Income, 3. Child and Forced Labor, 4. Deforestation, 5. Agroforestry and Climate, 6. Pesticides, 7. Gender, 8. Farmer Health) (of which Farmer Health is not disclosed).

Consumers, retailers, and policymakers can quickly see who is leading the industry, who is following, and who is refusing to be evaluated through the Chocolate Scorecard.

Link to the 7th Edition World Chocolate Scorecard (English) here

*The Japanese version of the Chocolate Scorecard will be released later on the Chocolate Scorecard website.

7th Edition World Chocolate Scorecard: Performance of Japanese Companies, created by Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN)

[Global Standards and the Current State of Japanese Companies]

8 Western companies can pass European audits tomorrow.

Among the 49 companies that participated in the survey, only 8 Western companies already meet the standards of EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation). These companies range from specialized craft manufacturers to global brands, covering all business types.

What differentiates these 8 companies from others is not the presence or absence of satellite monitoring technology, but "what they do after a satellite detects a problem." Advanced companies explicitly state "supplier exclusion" in their procurement contracts, stopping purchases from supplier companies if they clear forests for farms.

Furthermore, these advanced companies operate a system that combines "exclusion" with a "path to reintegration." If the lost environment is restored, the farm can return to the supply chain. Additionally, they conduct on-site verification of satellite data (ground-truthing) to avoid punishing innocent farmers.

However, deforestation does not stop—it merely shifts location.

The 8 leading Western companies are still an "exception." The majority of cacao beans circulating in the global supply chain are not integrated into any monitoring system, and the impact of this "monitoring gap" is by no means small. Cacao that slips into unmonitored supply chains is likely sourced from emerging regions with weak management systems and vast untouched forests. As regulations become stricter in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the world's two largest producers, the pressure for deforestation is shifting to areas like Liberia's Upper Guinean forest zone and the Congo Basin.