How Chocolats Camille Bloch Makes Due Diligence Work in Practice

“Sustainability has long been part of how we do business, even if it was not always described in those terms. Protecting people, resources and farming communities is not only a responsibility, but also essential to the long-term future of our company. As our CEO once said: our sustainability policy is to make good chocolate. If we make a high-quality product, we can charge a fair price, pay a fair price throughout the value chain and reduce waste because consumers value the product.  

It is therefore important for us to understand where our raw materials come from and how they are produced. So, our sourcing policy is to buy as locally as possible: first regionally, then within Switzerland and Europe. For ingredients that cannot be sourced closer to home, such as cocoa and nuts, we work with suppliers that meet recognized sustainability standards. 

Being a smaller company, we do not have a dedicated sustainability department. Sustainability is managed by a multidisciplinary team consisting of our CEO, the Head of Operations, the Head of Procurement and myself. This way of working does not only improve our efficiency, but it also means that decisions are immediately integrated into procurement, production, communication and marketing.  By understanding the different parts of the business, we can develop practical solutions that fit the company and balance sustainability ambitions with costs, regulations and business needs.”  

“Our ingredients come from several different supply chains, including cocoa from Peru, milk powder from Switzerland, hazelnuts from Georgia and Turkey, almonds from the USA. Each combination of product and country brings different potential risks. To prioritise, we need reliable information, but this is often difficult to obtain. Sources such as the ILAB, UNICEF, and Google Alerts help us keep track of the latest information. We also stay in contact with suppliers and visit sourcing countries when possible.   

The CSR Risk Check gives us an additional perspective by highlighting risks linked to a specific country and product. I particularly value its broad scope. It covers not only issues such as deforestation and child labour but also risks such as corruption. If the tool identified a serious concern relating to cocoa from Peru, I would discuss it with our head of procurement.  

We cannot eliminate or independently verify every risk, but we can stay engaged, maintain dialogue with suppliers and use the available information to make more responsible decisions. While prioritising is important, we try not focus all our sustainability efforts on just one ingredient or issue. Attention may shift from child labour to deforestation, for example, while risks related to hazelnuts or milk receive less attention. We therefore try to look at the value chain as a whole and consider the social and environmental challenges connected to all our main ingredients.” 

“Do not reinvent the wheel. Look at how larger or comparable companies approach due diligence and reporting and adapt the most useful elements to your own organisation. For our double materiality assessment, I used examples from several other companies as a practical starting point. The goal is not a perfect assessment, but a reasonable and workable approach.  

Furthermore, I would also recommend keeping ownership within the company. Make it practical by involving internal stakeholders and try doing the work yourself. External experts can provide guidance or review your work, but doing the assessment yourself helps you understand the risks and use the findings to make better decisions."