Green & Blacks

How ethical and sustainable is Green & Black’s? 

Green & Black’s is owned by Mondelēz and is found in The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Chocolate Rating Table. Green & Black’s fails to meet our ethical benchmark and we hope that it will progress and meet the benchmarks we have set out.

This brand should push for Ethical Accreditation from The Good Shopping Guide if they are truly focused on becoming one of the most ethical chocolate brands. Ethical Accreditation allows for a more detailed analysis and recommendations to be provided by The Good Shopping Guide which will increase customer and investor confidence. For more information on the Fairtrade chocolate industry visit The Good Shopping Guide to Ethical Chocolate and view other brands in our Ethical Chocolate Rating Table.

What does Green & Black’s do?

Green & Black’s was founded in London in 1991 by a husband and wife with a focus on creating organic chocolate. Find out more about its story and its aim to become the best Fairtrade chocolate brand…

The brand predominantly sells organic chocolate in various degrees of intensity and darkness, but they also offer hot chocolate and ice cream options. In 2005 it was bought by Cadburys, who pledged to run it as a separate business. Green & Black’s was then later transferred to the parent company Mondelēz when it bought Cadbury in 2010.

For which criteria does Green & Black’s perform poorly? 

The biggest issues for Green & Black’s ethical performance lie with its parent company. Mondelēz has donated thousands in past years towards US political parties and also suggests the usage of GMOs in its products; you can read more on this here.

The company also scores poorly in our Animal Welfare research category as the brand is doing nothing to combat poor standards within its supply chain.

Past Criticisms of Green & Black’s ethical record

Green & Black’s ethical record came into question during its partnership with Mondelēz as it advertises as an ethical brand and the values of the two brands do not align. Mondelēz has been found sourcing unethical palm oil, usage of child labor, low supply chain transparency and deforestation.

In what areas does Green & Black’s score well for its ethics?

Green & Black’s provides chocolate that is certified by the Fairtrade foundation, and the brand’s main focus is producing organic ethical chocolate.

How can Green & Black’s brand improve its ethical rating?

The Good Shopping Guide uses three different criteria to determine a brand’s ethical rating; the score is determined by how a brand treats and considers the Environment, People and Animals; read more about our methodology here.

In order for Green & Black’s to improve its ethical rating and be on track to gaining Ethical Accreditation, it must tackle the issues within its parent company and improve transparency about the impact that Mondelēz has on its business practices.

Why not check into Ethical Accreditation with The Good Shopping Guide if you work for or with a chocolate company that places ethics at its core? From this certification of sustainability and ethics, chocolate companies like Seed & Bean, Alter Eco, Wunder Workshop and Raw Living have all benefited. Contact us to learn more, or complete our short initial assessment form.