Like with so many products, staring at the shelf of chocolate chips and baking bars can be overwhelming. What are the “right” labels to pay attention to: “Certified Compostable,” “Direct Trade” or “Fair Trade?” Does higher price mean better wages for the workers that produced it? Cacao is produced in humid regions near the equator — mainly Central and South America and West Africa. So unless you live in this region, the cocoa beans used to make your chocolate need to travel long distances. When choosing between different brands of chocolate, here’s what to pay attention to.
Why Does It Matter?
Chocolate is a $128 billion dollar industry, and the average American consumes about 12 pounds of chocolate every year. However, chocolate production is tied to both labor and human rights violations, as well as environmentally destructive practices. With such a huge market for chocolate products, choosing ethical and sustainably produced options can make a difference.
Labor issues — particularly child labor — are widespread in the cocoa industry. Forced labor for low wages and dangerous working conditions are commonplace. About 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from Ghana and the Ivory Coast (or Côte d’Ivoire), where over 2 million children are known to work illegally on cocoa plantations. Hershey, Mars and Nestlé — some of the best-known chocolate brands in the world — cannot guarantee that they produce their chocolate without child labor, and have consistently missed deadlines they’ve established to eradicate such labor from their supply chains.
Cocoa bean production has long been associated with deforestation and water use. Like lots of agricultural industries, cocoa production often entails cutting down forests for farmland. Ghana and the Ivory Coast in western Africa produce most of the world’s cocoa, and have lost the majority of their forest cover in the past 60 years, approximately a third of which is attributed directly to cocoa plantations. According to the National Wildlife Federation, tropical trees are being lost quickly in the places where cocoa is grown due to deforestation, which is directly linked to the loss of worldwide migratory songbird populations. Additionally, 21 liters of water are needed to produce one small chocolate bar.
The Problem With Labels
You might recognize some of those stamps on chocolate products, some of which are on other groceries like coffee, sugar or tea. These stamps — like Fairtrade Certified, Fair for Life, and Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa — indicate that the products have been certified and endorsed by specific organizations. Different organizations focus on different things when granting their certifications. Fairtrade, for example, focuses on poverty alleviation and labor standards, and UTZ and Rainforest Alliance focus largely on environmental protection.
“Fair trade” labels, however, aren’t a guarantee. Fairtrade International and Rainforest Alliance/UTZ Certifiers are among the most well-known certifications that consider labor practices, but they are only required to visit 10% of cocoa farms when determining whether a product is fit for their label. Sierra Magazine reports that Tony’s Chocolonely — a popular chocolate brand that is Fairtrade Certified — also states that their chocolate is “100% free from exploitation,” but admittedly found 1,700 cases of child labor in the production of their products.
So, while these labels might provide a good place to start when choosing chocolate products, they aren’t necessarily a guarantee of their practices and ethics.
So, What Can Be Done?
Pay Attention to Packaging
The packaging of food products is often plastic, which either sits in landfills after disposal, or makes its way into oceans where it breaks down into microplastics. Some companies boast of their “compostable” packaging made of bioplastics. Because these often require special industrial composting facilities to be processed, bioplastics are sometimes sent to landfills anyway. In fact, these compostable products might even cause further environmental damage, as anything organic in landfills emits methane during its slow decomposition.
Choose products with minimal or paper packaging, especially those made out of recycled materials or that can be recycled. Some paper wrappers are compostable at home; just make sure to read the labels and confirm before purchasing. Ordering online also entails extra packaging and extra shipping processes that emit fossil fuels, so in-person purchasing is best.
Avoid Palm Oil
A lot of chocolate producers use palm oil in their products to improve texture and appearance. Unlike other oils, palm oil is solid when at room temperature, which makes it advantageous in chocolate. Deforestation and clear-cutting are commonplace in the formation of palm oil plantations. These processes remove important carbon sinks, and devastate landscapes and the species that live there, like Orangutans, pygmy elephants and Sumatran rhinos. Check the ingredients on chocolate products and choose those without palm oil.
Choose Organic
Chocolate bars from the Dagoba and Endangered Species brands. Tanke Çelik / Flickr
While not a perfect standard, the USDA organic label is pretty stringent, and relates to the growing process of products. Organic cocoa beans are “shade grown,” which creates habitats for birds and contributes to a healthier, more diverse ecosystem. They’re also grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, making them a more sustainable choice than conventional chocolate products.
Choose Brands That Have Been Vetted by Third Parties
Instead of only following certifications on chocolate products, choose those that are recommended by other environmental and human rights groups. Food Empowerment Project has a recommendations list of hundreds of brands that they confidently recommend, those with mixed results, and many that they do not recommend, even if they are stamped with certifications. They also have an app for referencing on the go. Other lists by Slave Free Chocolate, The Good Shopping Guide, Green America and Chocolate Scorecard also provide a good starting point.
Divine brand chocolate bars. Brett Jordan / CC BY 2.0
Regarding specific brands, the National Wildlife Federation recommends Endangered Species Chocolate, Equal Exchange and Divine Chocolate. The Sierra Club recommends The Good Chocolate’s (TGC) large bars, which are organic and contain no palm oil or plastic, and can be shipped without excess packaging, as well as Sjaaks and Equal Exchange’s Organic Dark Chocolate Minis. Remember too that higher prices don’t necessarily mean better practices or wages for the farmers who produce it.
Research a Company Yourself
Look at the FAQs for a company, and see if they mention how their chocolate is sourced — or contact them directly with your questions. See if they have sustainability goals, or an impact report that you can reference.
Another good tactic is to look into whether vendors have direct relationships with their farmers, and know exactly where their ingredients come from. This is sometimes called a “bean-to-bar” product, or you might see a package stamped with the term “direct trade,” which isn’t a certification, but simply means that the producer of the beans has a relationship with the buyer, and the ingredients within the chocolate are traceable. Beyond Good is one such company, which makes single-origin chocolate bars with cocoa produced in Madagascar.
The post How to Choose Chocolate That’s Truly Sustainable appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/sustainable-chocolate-ecowatch.html
Today’s quote is from author Ken Webster and philanthropist Ellen MacArthur: “Ordered, complex, intertwined mutually interdependent systems are the new normal.”
Humanity is learning to mimic nature. As we embrace complexity, humanity can evolve new solutions to providing itself food, shelter, and waste elimination.
Ken Webster wrote The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows, which was edited by Ellen MacArthur, founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity committed to creating a circular economy.
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day.
This poster was originally published on June 21, 2019.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Complex Is the New Normal appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/living-well-being/earth911-inspiration-complex-is-the-new-normal/
Last Updated on May 14, 2026
Meal planning is a great way to reduce both packaging waste and food waste, because you’re thinking ahead. It can also help keep grocery costs down because you’re actively planning the menu for the week, not making impulse buys.
But a lot of people (myself included) fail at it for one simple reason: We’re thinking about meals and not ingredients.
For example, if my meal plan says Tuesday is lasagna night, how will I know if I’m still craving that by Tuesday? Keeping a flexible meal plan will help you succeed.
Once you have a meal plan you love, you can get to actually prepping your ingredients for the week. Here’s how I create a weekly meal planning system that I can actually stick to. Bonus? My tips for actual meal prep!
meal planning vs. prepping
Lets first take a moment to separate these two terms, as I’ll be talking about both.
Meal planning is simply the act of planning out what you’ll eat for the week. This can be in regards to your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snacks.
Meal prepping is when you cook your food for the week in advance. If you’d like to meal prep, it’s a good idea to have a meal plan. However, you don’t have to meal prep to meal plan.
Both help you save money and reduce waste in the long run. For example, lets say you want carrot soup on the menu this week. Knowing the ingredients you need to make it helps you stick to a grocery budget. Plus, you can save even more by using up whatever’s already in your fridge!
RELATED: How I Cut My Grocery Bill to $300 a Month
meal planning
how do you create a meal plan?
The first step is to make a master list of all of your favorite recipes. The ones that you love, the ones your family loves, and most importantly – the ones you know how to cook.
Here are a few of my favorites for inspiration:
- Shepherds Pie
- Burgers
- Mac & Cheese
- Quesadillas
- Fajitas
- Chicken/Eggplant Parm
- Lasagna
- Fried Rice
- Beef/Mushroom and Broccoli
- Cheese Steak/Balsamic Mushroom Subs
- Sloppy Lentil Joes
- Caeser Salad
You can write these on a notepad, on your phone, or on the computer. Refer to this master list whenever you’re planning meals for the week – and don’t be afraid to add meals to it over time.
It’s also a good idea to jot down some of your favorite breakfasts, lunches, and snacks – not just dinner. This will help you better plan your grocery haul for the week ahead.
Try to stick to one particular day to grocery shop every week – be it on Tuesday nights or Saturday mornings. Whatever works for you.
You’ll want to check the calendar and make sure there’s no upcoming events in the week ahead. This will keep you aware which nights you won’t be cooking.
You may also want to factor in weather and seasons – for example, I love eating soup on cold days! But hot days, I’d prefer something lighter, like a tofu stir fry.
Now comes the fun part – actually writing your meals for the week! Make sure you have that master list of recipes you made on hand, then start jotting down what dinners you’d like to eat.
You don’t have to set specific days for when you serve these meals, unless you want to. Feel free to shuffle the meals around, depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Next, make a grocery list based on the meals you’ve written down. You can organize the list into sections of produce, pantry, protein, etc.
For me, proteins will include beans, lentils, seitan and hummus. And for produce, I always try to stick to what’s currently in season – like sweet potatoes in the fall, lettuce in the summer.
Once you’ve done your shopping, you can come home and prep a few items to make your life easier during the week. For example, if one of your recipes calls for kale, having it washed, chopped, and properly stored will make it super easy to add into your cooking.
what about breakfast, lunches and snacks?
For me, breakfast, lunch and snacks are often more consistent than dinner. I could eat a sandwich every single day and be happy.
Peanut butter and jelly with chips was my go-to lunch from elementary to high school. So I’ve decided to lean into that, focusing on simple breakfasts and lunches that keep me full.
Knowing what you like to eat is a good place to start! I love high protein yogurt jars for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, sliced apples, hummus, and chopped veggies for snacks.
If I don’t prep these items ahead of time, I have a bad habit of waiting until 2PM to eat. Which leads to really poor food choices.
If you’re also like this, chances are meal planning and prepping doesn’t have to just begin and end with dinner.
Figure out what it is you struggle with most before deciding which foods, ingredients, and meals to prep for the week. Ask yourself what would be more convenient to have ready to grab-and-go: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks? Perhaps a combo of the four?
Your job and schedule can also influence this decision. For example, if you’re working from home, you may have more time to whip up breakfast than someone who needs to be at work at 8AM.
meal prepping
I personally like to meal prep ingredients instead of meals to give myself freedom and reduce waste. This helps get food on the table fast.
And always check your fridge and pantry before grocery shopping. Try planning your menu around what’s already available, then grocery shop for the rest of the ingredients you’ll need to complete each dish.
I recommend dedicating 2-3 hours a week to meal prep. You can make it fun by turning on the TV, listening to music or a podcast. For me, meal prepping means peeling and chopping carrots, washing and cooking my vegetables, etc.
However, feel free to make full-on meals if you know you won’t have time otherwise. I’ll do this with my breakfast yogurt jars, veggie sandwiches, and snacks on a Sunday afternoon.
Setup glass snapware to contain whatever it is you’re making, and always ask yourself if you have a carb, a protein, a fat, and fiber. This will keep your meals balanced and help you stay full longer.
And if you’re short on time, just focus on getting your vegetables all washed, chopped, and stored in glass containers. No need to cook anything. This will make your life so much easier when you go to cook after a long day at work.
mistakes to avoid
Here are a few mistakes to avoid when it comes to meal planning and prep:
- Not checking your weekly schedule first.
- Using containers that don’t seal or close properly.
- Making cuisines and recipes outside your comfort zone / your family’s preferences.
- Making servings too big or too small.
- Trying to do it all (maybe start out by prepping just one or two meals for the week instead of all 5 days)
how to keep it budget-friendly
Definitely work with what’s in season! I find that shopping for tomatoes in summer tends to be cheaper than in winter, because there’s an abundance of them.
Always try to prioritize local farmers markets and CSA boxes whenever possible. You can also try growing your own produce, joining a local community garden, or even just doing an herb container garden to save money.
Also, shopping at low-cost grocery stores or farmers markets can help cut costs. Looking for discounts, coupons, and sales is also ideal.
I love shopping the discount section of my grocery store – sometimes they’ll have imperfect produce at half price, and I always scoop that up first.
You’ll want to also prioritize what’s in your fridge already, and what’s about to go bad. Have some sad looking celery? Toss it into a soup for the week. Stale bread? French toast casserole it is for breakfast.
And factor in leftovers too! If you have some rice that needs to be used up, make sure to prioritize a dish in the beginning of the week that requires it.
That goes double for food scraps – don’t toss out all your vegetable ends and peels. You may be able to make them work overtime by making veggie stock for your meal prepping!
You may also be surprised at what’s edible – like beet tops, carrot tops and celery leaves. Here are some other recipes to help you reduce food waste.
benefits of meal prep
There are so many benefits to meal prepping, but the biggest one is peace of mind. You don’t have to think about what you’ll eat every single day, because half (or all!) the work is done for you.
And, if you’re checking your pantry and fridge before meal prep, you’re probably reducing a lot of food waste. Because you’re going to prioritize using up what you have.
Some more benefits to meal prepping include:
- Big time saver.
- Helps prevent drive thru or take out orders because you have food at your fingertips.
- You’ll know exactly what goes into your food.
- Zero waste food, so little to no waste.
Prefer video content? Check out my tips for crushing meal prep below!
What are your meal planning and prepping tips? Let me know in the comments!
The post My Weekly Meal Planning System That Prevents Food Waste appeared first on Going Zero Waste.
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Algenesis & Blueview Launch the Algae-Based Polyurethane Industry
Travel back in time to hear the origin story of Algenesis, which started as two companies in one, a biotechnology innovator and footwear maker. Today, the company is a leading maker of bio-based plastics. In 2023, Algenesis had just begun making a new, sustainable material and found a clever way to prove its utility to get big companies to embrace it. Join the conversation hear why a shoe company was the best a practical application to prove the value of a plant-based, compostable bioplastic foam. Stephen Mayfield, a professor of Biology at UC San Diego and director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology, invented Soleic, an algae-based rubbery foam material that can be used in footwear, surfboards, and other products in the place of petroleum-based polyurethane foam. He launched Algenesis, a biotechnology-based materials science company to commercialize Soleic.
Note: This article contains affiliate links that help fund our Recycling Directory, the most comprehensive in North America.
But shoe companies did not come running to use Soleic, which biodegrades completely in sea water and compost piles. Along with Algenisis president Tom Cooke, a footwear and apparel industry veteran who had worked for Reef and Vans, Steve launched Blueview Footwear, maker of the world’s first compostable shoe. Steve and Tom join me today to talk about the evolution of Algenesis and Blueview, as well as the many materials Soleic could replace across a variety of product categories. The companies have also developed compostable, plant-based fabrics and a bioplastic waterproofing technology that biodegrades into organic material in a home compost pile. You can learn more about Blueview Footwear at blueviewfootwear.com and its parent company Algenesis Materials at algenesismaterials.com.
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube.
Editor’s Note: This podcast originally aired on February 20, 2023.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Algenesis & Blueview Launch the Algae-Based Polyurethane Industry appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-algenesis-blueview-launch-the-algae-based-polyurethane-industry/
Analysis: UK no longer top UN Green Climate Fund donor after latest aid cut
Federal Budget must give Aussies a ‘fair shake of the sauce bottle’: Greenpeace
‘A new low’: Greenpeace responds to Woodside’s flawed emissions reduction and renewables modelling
-
Climate Change9 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases9 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Renewable Energy7 months agoSending Progressive Philanthropist George Soros to Prison?
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits
-
Greenhouse Gases10 months ago
嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测