Hunting for ethical Easter eggs? These chocolate brands rank highest

The leaves are starting to turn. The weather is getting cooler. Hot cross buns have been on the shelves for months. All signs point to the fact that Easter must be drawing near.

While Easter will be significant in different ways to different people, for many, it's clearly an opportunity to indulge in a bit of chocolate.

Australians are forecast to spend $2.2 billion, or roughly $145 per person on average, on food and chocolate this Easter, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan.

Navigating the vast array of chocolate eggs and bunnies on the shelves isn't necessarily easy though - depending on what you're looking for as a consumer, that is. Take the issue of price, for one.

A recent investigation by consumer advocates Choice found that some brands and retailers have increased the price of Easter chocolate items by as much as 33% over the past year.

In some instances, prices have been raised. In others, the size of the product has been shrunk while the price has stayed the same (known as shrinkflation). In some cases, both have occurred.

Choice highlighted one example in which retailers were selling a 24-pack of Cadbury chocolate eggs (408 grams) with a recommended retail price of $12.50 in March 2024. However, Choice found a new version of the product for sale this year which only contained 22 eggs (374 grams) for $15.00.

How to find ethical Easter eggs

Beyond getting value for money, some consumers may be interested in purchasing chocolate that aligns with their values on issues like sustainability.

The reality is that there's typically little information about sustainability in the chocolate industry on the back of a packet of Easter eggs though. That's where the sixth annual Chocolate Scorecard comes in.

Spearheaded by Australian charity Be Slavery Free, the Chocolate Scorecard is an annual collaboration between universities, consultants and other groups which sets out to evaluate and rank chocolate companies and retailers across the world on a number of sustainability factors.

The Scorecard looks into six core categories which relate to the traceability and transparency of supply chains, child labour, living wages, climate change and deforestation, pesticides and agroforestry.

"Consumers are being asked to swallow record chocolate prices, and shrinking products. The least they expect is chocolate free from slavery," says Fuzz Kitto, co-director of Be Slavery Free.

"The Chocolate Scorecard will help shoppers make smart purchases this Easter. Chocolate companies love to talk about policies and commitments, but 25 years since they promised to eliminate child labour from the supply chain, it's time to stop 'cocoa washing' and innovate more effective action."

Which chocolate brands are the most sustainable?

This year, 60 chocolate companies and retailers participated and were assessed in the Chocolate Scorecard, while a handful didn't engage.

Dutch chocolate maker Tony's Chocolonely ranked the highest among large and medium companies, receiving a total score of 91% which reflected a strong showing in many of the sustainability sectors assessed. As a result, it took out the Good Egg Award for excellence and transparency.

Beyond Good, which is a US-based chocolate manufacturer which uses beans from Madagascar and Uganda, received the Good Egg Award in the small companies category.

Meanwhile, Mondelēz (owner of brands like Cadbury and Toblerone), received the Bad Egg Award for failing to share any details with the Scorecard producers. In fact, it was only major chocolate company (of the big six) not to participate.

Among the other brand names Australians may be familiar with, Nestlé (KitKat, Smarties etc.), Whittakers and Mars Wrigley (M&Ms, Mars, Twix etc.) all ranked in the top 10, while Lindt & Sprüngli came in 13th and Ferrero finished 14th.

In the retailers section, Woolworths came in 11th place (out of 15) with a score of 27%. However, it was the only Australian retailer to participate, while the likes of Coles, David Jones, Kmart and Target either lacked transparency or did not respond.

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