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A group of companies - including General Mills, The Hershey Company, and Nestlé - have committed to working with the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana to end cocoa-related deforestation, protect national parks from illegal cocoa production, and improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers. The initiative is led by IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, the Prince of Wales's International Sustainability Unit, and the World Cocoa Foundation, in partnership with the governments of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

The Hershey Company has announced that 30%of its globally sourced cocoa was independently certified and verified in 2014 - this reflects an accelerated pace for achieving its goal of sourcing 100% of its cocoa supply from certified and sustainable cocoa farms by 2020.

Just in time for Easter, Nestlé USA has announced an expansion of its commitment to sourcing sustainable cocoa through its global Nestlé Cocoa Plan. This year, Nestlé in partnership with UTZ Certified, has purchased enough certified cocoa to produce its entire Easter chocolate collection, marking a first for a major U.S. candy manufacturer.

Colombia is the latest country to join the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, which aims to create a global movement for deforestation-free cocoa.

The World Cocoa Foundation launched a public-private partnership to help build resilience for adaption to climate change in the global cocoa supply chain.

Most cocoa farmers receive less than 5 cents for every dollar that consumers spend on chocolate, according to Oxfam, giving little incentive or funding to invest in more sustainable farming methods, writes Amy Carniol. By paying farmers a higher price, Fair Trade chocolate improves producers' quality of life and helps them ensure long-term viability, Carniol writes.

Earlier this year, Hershey set a target to source at least 50 percent of its global cocoa supply from certified and sustainable sources by 2015 - a full year ahead of its original schedule. Hershey has committed to source 100 percent certified and sustainable cocoa by 2020.

Hershey Co. is spending $500 million in the hopes of producing its iconic chocolate Kisses from more sustainable cocoa. Through its so-called Cocoa for Good program, the company will invest the funds through 2030 to support four key areas: nourishing children, empowering youth, building prosperous communities and preserving natural ecosystems.

Global chocolate and cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut launched its new sustainability strategy "Forever Chocolate," which sets out four targets for the company to achieve by 2025. The targets include eradicating child labor from its supply chain, becoming carbon and forest positive, lifting more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty, and using 100% sustainable ingredients in all of its products.

It may be hard for chocolate makers to guarantee that their entire supply comes from a sustainable source by the 2020 target many of them have set, according to a sustainable sourcing auditing firm has told Confectionery News.

Up to 14 percent of the world's cocoa and tea supply is grown sustainably. We are no longer "niche" but we are nowhere near there yet, says Tensie Whelan.