Butlers Chocolates Sustainability Initiatives
We use sustainably sources cocoa through Cocoa Horizons. Cocoa Horizons is a worldwide initiative verified by Barry Callebaut and independently audited.
Cocoa Horizons deals directly with the cocoa farmers to ensure they receive a fair premium for their cocoa delivers first hand training ad assistance to improve crop yield and provides funding to improve the livelihood of farmers and their families.
Women are at the heart of the world economy. When more women are empowered to work, economies grow.
We have chosen to work with Cocoa Horizons on a specific programme that supports and empowers women farmers and their communities.
Our Women’s Cocoa Project is location in the Fromager region of the Ivory Coast Where women learn the techniques of cocoa planting and cultivation of other complimentary crops within a cocoa plantation.
The female leaders then pass on the knowledge they learn to other cocoa farmers in the region.
In 2018, we travelled to the ivory Coast to meet with the women leaders on the project.
Our chairman, Mairead met the inspirational women leaders: Koffi Affouet Blandine, Koffi Aya Elodie, Kouame Aya Odette and Konan N’Guessan Lydie.
Our Sustainable Chocolate Factory
Across all levels in Butlers Chocolates, we strive to minimise our impact on the environment and improve our processes all the time, as we carry out our day to day activities and grow our business further. We are always thinking about the future. We are dedicated to challenging the issues of sustainability, reducing energy inputs, minimising the carbon footprint and lessening our impact on the environment. We care about our customers, and that is why we’re proud to be a verified member of Origin Green - a collective drive towards of sustainability that will protect Ireland’s natural resources, and benefit all our communities in the future.
Palm Oil
As of September 2022 we are delighted to announce that we no longer use Palm Oil as an ingredient in any of our products. For the last number of years, it has been present in a tiny minority of our products and we are delighted to be able to say now that any Butlers Chocolates product/recipe produced from September 2022, does not contain any Palm Oil.
Origin Green
Butlers Chocolates is a fully verified member of Origin Green – the world’s first national sustainability programme. Under Origin Green, we set annual targets that are independently measured and verified every year. Butlers has chosen to focus on 3 key areas The three key areas that frame our thinking about sustainability are Sourcing, Emissions and CSR.
Our Coffee
The coffee we use in Butlers Chocolate Cafés is sustainably sourced from Brazil, Honduras, Sumatra and Colombia.
Paper Cups
Since late 2018, Butlers Chocolate Cafés have been using a 100% recyclable paper cups in all stores. These cups are produced and printed in Ireland.
Reusable Cups
Butlers Chocolate Café actively encourages the use of reusable cups and offer our customers a 20 cent discount on the presentation of a clean reusable cup. We also have a Butlers KeepCup for sale through our network of Butlers Chocolate Cafés and we are a member of the Conscious Cup campaign.
The Environment
Sweet Sunshine - Solar Panel Project
2017 was a momentous year for the company in terms of electricity initiatives. We have installed the largest solar panel system on an industrial unit in the Republic of Ireland on the roof of our factory.
The installation covers approximately 2,850 square meters or 28,500 square feet which generate over 350,000 kWh of electricity. The Solar Panels will provide 14% of our annual electricity needs – that’s the amount of electricity needed to make 2.5 million chocolate bars.
Emissions
Our solar panel installation will save the equivalent of approximately 195 tonnes of C02 emissions per annum. Since we began our Origin Green journey, we have decreased our carbon emissions in excess of 10%. Given that the company has enjoyed growth in terms of tonnes of chocolate produced and expansion in the physical size of the factory, this is a considerable achievement. A combined heat and power unit (CHP) was installed which has had a positive impact on energy usage. In addition, various lighting projects have been undertaken to reduce the energy used.
Water Conservation
Water conservation is an important tenet of our sustainability plan. We have installed new valves and taps among other things which have led to a 15% reduction in water usage (at a time when overall output is increasing).
Waste
We are proud to have achieved zero waste to landfill.
Compost
We actively compost our food waste from our factory.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
We locally source packaging products where possible and reduce the amount of product packaging we use. The majority of our product packaging is recyclable. We use delivery bulk material tankers where possible and reusable and returnable containers to reduce waste.
CSR
We care about the community and we are proud to support local community projects and causes through product sponsorship and charity support. One such initiative is “Butlers Cup 4” – where the proceeds of all hot drinks sold on a particular day in Butlers Chocolate Cafés have been donated to a national charity. This program has been proven to be a major success and one in which our customers have been delighted to participate in, raising over €30,000 in 2016 for the Capuchin Centre for Homeless people and local homelessness initiatives in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Previous recipients of the Butlers Cup 4 were The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and Focus Ireland.
We are also delighted to have a great partnership with the HOPE Foundation with whom we have worked for a number of years. The Hope Foundation is an Irish charity that is working to improve the lives of the street children of Kolkata. By providing housing, day-care & education the charity aims to give hope to children who would otherwise have nothing. Since 2004, Butlers Chocolates have produced a special HOPE chocolate bar for the HOPE Foundation, which is sold in schools and businesses around Ireland for €2.00. The Hope Foundation works to free street children and poor families from lives of pain, abuse and poverty. In 2011, the HOPE Foundation launched a major fundraising initiative entitled “A Day of HOPE”, which takes place every Autumn.
Our Ethics
Butlers Chocolates is a family-owned business making and selling chocolates and hot beverages based in Dublin since 1932 and operating over 20 Butlers Chocolate Cafés.
An Irish company, employing over 400 people holding many diverse views, Butlers Chocolates respects everyone's right to have and express their own opinions, and does not, as a company, take any particular political or religious stance on any issue, financial or otherwise.
Butlers Chocolates contributes to a number of Irish and international charities, including programmes for improving the lives of cocoa farming families in The Ivory Coast, on an ongoing basis.
“At Butlers, we are passionate about making the highest quality chocolates and serving the finest hot beverages to our valued customers. An integral part of our philosophy is our underlying commitment to all those with whom we engage – our customers, suppliers, staff and the local community. At all levels of our company, we endeavour to treat everyone with fairness and respect and to consider and protect the environment. The future is important to us and we are all going to play our part in nurturing and safeguarding it.” ~ Mairead Sorensen, Chairman, Butlers Chocolates.
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