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The Hershey Company is the largest producer of chocolate in North America, a leading snack maker in the U.S. and a global leader in chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery. They market, sell and distribute chocolate, sweets, mints and other snacks under more than 90 brand names in 80 countries worldwide.
Since 2014, The Hershey Company has worked with Earthworm Foundation on their responsible palm oil sourcing strategy. Through this work, Hershey supports transformation initiatives to drive better environmental and social practices on the ground. With Earthworm's support, Hershey launched a multi-ingredient work plan to address deforestation and conversion in their agricultural supply chains. This initiative extends collaboration beyond palm oil to include pulp & paper, and soy supply chains, which are identified as most at risk.
Hershey commits funding to the Forest Conservation Fund’s Lobu Tayas Village community conservation project in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia.
Hershey, Airbus, and Earthworm Foundation join hands for major multi-ingredient workplan focused on No-Deforestation Verification in Hershey’s Palm Oil, Pulp & Paper, and Soy supply chains
Hershey expands support for transformation programmes as it becomes a Contributor to the Southern CFS (Central Forest Spine) Landscape in Peninsular Malaysia
Hershey begins using Starling to conduct spatial monitoring of its palm supply chain to proactively identify cases of deforestation. It joins the Starling Users Group, a pre-competitive collaboration with other EF members to reduce duplication of deforestation-free verification efforts
Starting in 2020, Hershey partnered with Airbus and Earthworm Foundation to monitor their palm oil supply chain through the use of Starling satellite monitoring solution.
Hershey funds a pilot of EF’s Kumacaya programme in Aceh, which enables independent monitoring and verification of social and environmental issues by local people and civil society organisations. Hershey also establishes a formal process for response to grievances and a public grievance log
Hershey contributes to Earthworm’s Rurality programme in East Riau, seeking to increase the resilience of smallholders in Indonesia’s largest palm producing region
In 2017 and 2018, Hershey increased its support of transformation programs by contributing to the Indonesia Landscape Initiative and Support for Transformation (SFT) mill trainings. Hershey also began publicly reporting the list of mills in its palm oil supply chain from 2017 onwards.
In late 2016, Hershey partnered with a palm oil refiner company to support a training workshop on sustainable palm oil practices for their supplying mills in the area.
Hershey pledged No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation in its palm oil supply chain.
In 2014, Earthworm worked with Hershey to help develop its rigorous Responsible Palm Oil Sourcing Policy.
Palm oil is a highly versatile and inexpensive vegetable oil – we eat it, put it on our bodies and can burn it for fuel. This has made it a major driver of economic growth in many countries, but can also lead to many issues such as loss of tropical forest habitats, which contain more than half of the Earth’s plants and animal species.
For nearly a decade, Earthworm Foundation has supported Hershey's efforts to implement its Responsible Palm Oil Sourcing Policy, which commits the company to sourcing 100% traceable and sustainable palm oil products within its supply chains. Earthworm Foundation supports Hershey with several tools and interventions to support this endeavour, including conducting traceability exercises with their palm oil suppliers to understand where their palm oil supply comes from, monitoring deforestation risks in their supply chain using the Starling solution (a satellite technology, co-developed by Earthworm and Airbus), engaging suppliers to mitigate risks in their supply chains and drive progress towards NDPE commitments, and more.
Hershey also supports several transformation initiatives to drive better environmental and social practices on the ground, including Earthworm landscape.
Forests are under increasing pressure from human activity, resulting in forest loss and degradation. The forest product industry can contribute to these pressures but is also an essential part of the solution to keep forests thriving and restore forest values.
In 2022, Earthworm Foundation began working with Hershey on responsible sourcing for Pulp & Paper. Earthworm Foundation supports Hershey in conducting traceability exercises with their Pulp & Paper packaging suppliers, monitoring their Pulp & Paper packaging supply chain for risks of deforestation and degradation, and helping Hershey understand the risks associated with their Pulp & Paper packaging supply from various sourcing regions.
Earthworm Foundation began supporting Hershey's journey towards more sustainable sourcing of Soy at the end of 2023. Earthworm Foundation supported Hershey in updating their Deforestation and Conversion-Free Policy detailing Hershey's commitment to achieving a deforestation and conversion-free supply chain for the cocoa, palm oil, pulp & paper (packaging), and direct soy they source by 31 December 2025 while respecting and protecting the human rights of individuals. Our work together on Soy will continue to explore the risks associated with Hershey's direct soy supply chain through improved traceability of their Soy supply chains.
Earthworm Foundation and Hershey began collaboration on cocoa, the raw material at the heart of Hershey’s products, in 2023. Stay tuned for further updates on this collaboration.