Hop to It! Your Last-Minute Guide to Real “Good” Chocolate

Still scrambling to fill your Easter baskets? Want to fill them with really “good” chocolate—the kind that not only is delicious, but also protects forests and wildlife? Don’t worry, last-minute shoppers—we’ve got your back.

National Wildlife Federation proudly partners every year with the Chocolate Scorecard, led by Be Slavery Free, alongside dozens of other NGOs and academics to rank over 80% of the global top chocolate brands based on their environmental and social practices. That way, we help you to find the chocolate brands that not only taste good, but do good!

This Easter, don’t hop off with just any chocolate—hop to the 2025 Chocolate Scorecard!

Let’s protect a planet where chocolate exists.

As a true chocoholic, I once saw a mug with a quote that felt like my motto: “Save the Earth—it’s the only planet with chocolate.”

I found it quirky and funny at the time, but in hindsight, now I see it as a powerful call to action. Climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, and unsustainable farming practices among other causes, is threatening ecosystems where cocoa grows and the very future of chocolate. What started as a jokey quote on a mug is quickly becoming a scary reality if consumers and companies don’t act now.

You, as a consumer, have the power to ensure the future of chocolate, its farmers, and the forests where it grows by choosing chocolate that supports deforestation-free farming, fair labor, and sustainable practices.

Chocolate in Crisis

This year, you might be wondering, judging by the price tags, if your chocolate eggs are made of gold. And you’re not too far off. Chocolate prices have skyrocketed over the past year. Between 2002 and 2022, cocoa prices (the main ingredient in chocolate) typically ranged between $1,500 and $3,000 per metric ton. But by April 2024, prices had soared past $12,000, and by December, they hit a record high of nearly $13,000.

This unprecedented price spike is caused by a perfect storm of factors: climate change, crop diseases, and growing demand from emerging markets like Asia, all of which are putting intense pressure on supply and availability.

Cocoa comes from cocoa trees that grow only in very specific rainforest conditions—high humidity, steady rainfall, and rich soils. But climate change is disrupting these conditions. Rising temperatures and shifting rain patterns are threatening cocoa trees, weakening tree growth, and reducing the quality and quantity of cocoa beans. At the same time, unpredictable rainfall and more frequent droughts have devastated harvests in the top cocoa-producing countries, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Cameroon, which together supply over 60% of the world’s cocoa.

But this soar in prices has also exposed chocolate’s dark side: a system that chronically underpays the farmers who grow cocoa—prevailing poverty, and enabling child labor. Despite being a popular, beloved treat and part of a multi-billion-dollar global industry, chocolate relies on a supply chain where smallholder farmers earn far too little, with families who work on the cacao crops earning less than $1 a day, an income below extreme poverty. This crisis is a wake-up call, revealing how chocolate has long been undervalued and its true cost hidden at the expense of fair wages for producers.

It’s time to demand change in how the chocolate industry operates, by supporting companies that ensure fair livelihoods for farmers and are committed to investing in sustainable practices that help mitigate and adapt to climate change, creating a system that protects nature and people.

The Not-So-Secret Ingredients for “Good” Chocolate

The recipe for “good” chocolate isn’t just about its ingredients—it’s about values. Each year, we evaluate how chocolate companies perform across six key sustainability areas: traceability and transparency, deforestation and climate, living income for farmers, child and forced labor, agroforestry, and pesticide use. Then, we grade and rank them so you can shop with purpose.

Companies Hopping On the Good Chocolate Train

The 2025 Good Egg Award goes to Beyond Good and Tony’s Chocolonely for earning the highest scores in the small and medium-to-large companies categories, respectively. These companies stood out for strong performance across all six sustainability criteria. In total, 8 chocolate companies and only 1 of the 13 retailers assessed earned the coveted green “Good Egg” for exemplary practices. That’s a pretty exclusive podium!

Companies Hopping Off the Good Chocolate Train

At the other end of the spectrum, the Rotten Egg Award goes to Mondelēz for lack of transparency in their cocoa sourcing. Additionally, six chocolate producers and a surprising 18 retailers declined to participate in the survey, compared to just 15 who did. This highlights the urgent need for greater transparency in supply chains, especially among retailers. It’s time for more companies to step up and for consumers to raise their voices and put pressure on a different way, a “good” way to produce chocolate.

So keep informed, buy with purpose, and eat “good” chocolate. 🍫🌍🐰