Living Income: Finally at the heart of the cocoa agenda 

Something big is happening. Within the Beyond Chocolate partnership, 90% of members have honoured their commitments: investing in sustainable production programmes for the Belgian market, with the goal of eliminating deforestation and child labour. 

It’s a major achievement, but also a reminder: sustainability only makes sense if cocoa farmers can earn a living income. 

For decades, the cocoa supply chain has been under pressure: low farmgate prices, chronic poverty, deforestation, child labour. These elements are the symptoms of a system that simply doesn’t work. 

Oxfam has been sounding the alarm for more than 50 years. Today, Beyond Chocolate is the first partnership with the potential to truly shift the sector. 

More than 90 companies and organisations, including Oxfam, now participate, representing 85 to 90% of the Belgian chocolate market. 

Together, they work toward two shared goals: 

• By 2025: invest in sustainable programmes to structurally tackle deforestation and child labour. 

• By 2030: ensure that all cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire earn at least a living income. 

First Target Reached, now time for the next step 

At the 2025 Beyond Chocolate annual conference, 90% of partners, or 79 % of the Belgian market, confirmed they had met the first target. The progress is already visible on the ground: 

• higher productivity and better quality cocoa, 

• nursery programmes run within cooperatives, 

• increased agroecological practices, 

• Rainforest Alliance, organic and Fairtrade certifications. 

Another significant change is coming: the EU’s new Deforestation Free Supply Chains Regulation (EUDR), set to apply to cocoa from early 2027. But let’s be honest: a sustainable cocoa sector without living income is only half the job done. 

How did Beyond Chocolate start? 

Beyond Chocolate was launched in 2018, when Belgian chocolate producers and major retailers joined forces under one commitment. But it didn’t happen overnight. 

A first partnership existed, yet it failed to address the root causes of the crisis. Oxfam engaged in dialogue with policymakers and the chocolate industry to push for deeper, more structural commitments. Thanks to this collective effort, today’s partnership finally puts living income and the fight against deforestation at the centre. 

What is a living income? 

A living income is the amount a family needs to cover all basic needs: food, clothing, healthcare, school fees… and enough savings to cope with future risks. 

Without a living income, farmers cannot invest in sustainable farming or improve productivity. Many are forced to clear more land simply to survive. In these circumstances, all hands are forced into the fields, even children, with girls bearing the greatest burden. 

The research is unequivocal: achieving a living income is the key to transforming the cocoa sector for good. 

Slow but real progress made possible through collective action 

The recent rise in cocoa prices sends an encouraging signal. 
According to a Fairtrade study, in 2025 24% of cocoa growing households in Côte d’Ivoire reached a living income. 

It’s a start. There is still a long way to go. 
But the sector is finally moving, and companies are playing a crucial role in this shift. 

Oxfam sets the bar higher 

At Oxfam Fair Trade, we know exactly what this transition means in the countries we buy cocoa from. Our story began decades ago with the same ambition. We have been Fairtrade certified from the beginning, and in our products, every ingredient that can be Fairtrade truly is, never just a token component. 

Since 2019, we’ve been investing in agroecology and living income through Bite to Fight, our pilot project in Côte d’Ivoire. 

The results are tangible: in 2024–2025, 79% of Bite to Fight farmers achieved a living income. 

This is still far from the sector’s norm, but it proves one thing: it is possible!  

That’s why we welcome Beyond Chocolate’s decision to place living income at the very heart of Belgium’s chocolate supply chain. 
Because no one, anywhere in the world, should work without being able to live with dignity.