????好時(shí)（Hershey）Kiss巧克力遠(yuǎn)比乍看之下復(fù)雜。生產(chǎn)這種食品及其他巧克力糖果所需的可可大都產(chǎn)于西非，經(jīng)過(guò)漫長(zhǎng)的供應(yīng)鏈，萬(wàn)里迢迢地來(lái)到美國(guó)工廠。

????好時(shí)這樣的財(cái)富500強(qiáng)巨頭必須為整條供應(yīng)鏈上的每一個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)擔(dān)負(fù)起責(zé)任，如今，這種情況更是無(wú)以復(fù)加。1月30日，好時(shí)宣布，計(jì)劃投入1,000萬(wàn)美元，用于在2017年前解決西非可可種植園中的童工問(wèn)題。這筆資金還將幫助農(nóng)民們獲得教育培訓(xùn)，提高可可產(chǎn)量。

????好時(shí)的這一最新舉措屬于各方面為保護(hù)可可供應(yīng)鏈而協(xié)同努力的一環(huán)。從2000年世界可可基金會(huì)（the World Cocoa Foundation）成立之日起，這一戰(zhàn)役就已經(jīng)打響。該基金會(huì)促使包括好時(shí)及其競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手瑪氏（Mars）、雀巢（Nestlé）和卡夫（Kraft）在內(nèi)的大型巧克力公司與可可生產(chǎn)國(guó)的政府和農(nóng)戶(hù)攜起手來(lái)。

????大公司注重的是增長(zhǎng)和利潤(rùn)，這兩個(gè)數(shù)據(jù)與外國(guó)小農(nóng)的生活狀況并沒(méi)有必然聯(lián)系。可是，可可生產(chǎn)具有的一些特征使得可持續(xù)發(fā)展對(duì)巧克力行業(yè)具有至關(guān)重要的意義。

可可是怎樣煉成的

????要維持可可的持續(xù)生產(chǎn)，就要求彼此競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的企業(yè)展開(kāi)合作，共同幫助農(nóng)民，這談何容易?！叭虬b糖果行業(yè)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)極為激烈，”好時(shí)在2010年財(cái)報(bào)中寫(xiě)道：“一些競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手規(guī)模比我們大得多，擁有的資源多得多，在國(guó)際市場(chǎng)的實(shí)力也更為強(qiáng)大?！?/p>

????不過(guò)，巧克力廠商的確存在共同利益，如果農(nóng)民們能生產(chǎn)更多可可，所有業(yè)內(nèi)巨頭都會(huì)得益。市場(chǎng)需求正在增長(zhǎng)。隨著印度和中國(guó)等國(guó)日趨富裕，這兩個(gè)國(guó)家的中產(chǎn)階級(jí)正在蓬勃壯大，這個(gè)階層的新成員對(duì)咖啡和巧克力等奢侈性商品的胃口也日益顯現(xiàn)。

????同時(shí)，各大廠商還需密切關(guān)注環(huán)境和政治問(wèn)題對(duì)可可收成的威脅?？煽芍贿m合在赤道氣候中生長(zhǎng)，因此能種植可可的土地有限。受病蟲(chóng)害侵害，每年有三分之一的可可樹(shù)顆粒無(wú)收?？煽沙霎a(chǎn)國(guó)政治形勢(shì)的不穩(wěn)定也會(huì)進(jìn)一步加劇市場(chǎng)的動(dòng)蕩。例如，科特迪瓦貢獻(xiàn)了全球可可產(chǎn)量的三分之一。2011年，該國(guó)的一次地方性選舉引發(fā)政治動(dòng)蕩，導(dǎo)致政府暫停一切出口?？煽晒?yīng)因此受限，價(jià)格也隨之暴漲。

????為了保證供給，企業(yè)必須直接與當(dāng)?shù)剞r(nóng)民接觸。舉例來(lái)說(shuō)，好時(shí)去年引入了一項(xiàng)稱(chēng)為可可鏈（COCOALINK）的項(xiàng)目。鑒于多數(shù)農(nóng)民已有手機(jī)，該項(xiàng)目通過(guò)短信向農(nóng)民發(fā)送氣候和害蟲(chóng)防控信息?！拔覀円呀?jīng)看到了真正與農(nóng)民打交道、向其提供最可靠信息的裨益，”好時(shí)公關(guān)副總裁安德魯?麥克科米克表示?！俺醪浇Y(jié)果顯示，這將在幾年內(nèi)使可可產(chǎn)量翻一番?！?/p>

????巧克力廠商還在嘗試其他形式的社區(qū)活動(dòng)。2009年，多家企業(yè)與比爾及梅琳達(dá)蓋茨基金會(huì)（the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation）攜手，通過(guò)一個(gè)4,000萬(wàn)美元規(guī)模的計(jì)劃，來(lái)改善可可生產(chǎn)地區(qū)的教育，并改進(jìn)可可的種植方法。

????A Hershey's Kiss is more complicated than it looks. Most of the cocoa in it and other chocolate candies comes from West Africa, and it makes its way through a long supply chain to get to U.S. factories.

????Now more than ever, Fortune 500 companies such as Hershey (HSY) have to take responsibility for every link in that chain. On January 30, Hershey announced plans to put $10 million towards solving child labor problems on West African cocoa farms by 2017. The money should also help farmers access educational programs and improve their cocoa yield.

????Hershey's latest move is part of a larger effort to secure the cocoa supply chain, a campaign that began with the founding of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in 2000. The WCF joined big chocolate companies -- including Hershey and its competitors Mars, Nestlé, and Kraft (KFT) -- with governments and farmers in cocoa-producing nations.

????Big businesses run on growth and profit, two figures that aren't necessarily linked to the well-being of small farmers in foreign countries. But certain characteristics of cocoa may put the chocolate industry in a sweet spot for sustainable development.

What goes into making our cocoa

????Sustainable cocoa development requires competing companies to work together to help farmers, no small hurdle. "The global confectionery packaged goods industry is intensely competitive," Hershey said in its 2010 annual report. "Some of our competitors are much larger firms that have greater resources and more substantial international operations."

????But there is common ground. All industry players benefit if farmers produce more cocoa. Market demand is growing. As nations like India and China grow wealthier, new members of their burgeoning middle classes have developed an appetite for luxury goods such as coffee and chocolate.

????At the same time, companies are keeping an eye on environmental and political threats to cocoa yields. Space to grow cocoa is limited; it only thrives in equatorial climates. About a third of the crop grown every year is trashed because of pests and disease. Unstable political conditions in cocoa-producing nations also adds to the volatility in the market. Cote d'Ivoire, for example, produces over a third of the world's cocoa. In 2011, political unrest surrounding a local election caused the government to cease all exports, which limited the cocoa supply and sent cocoa prices skyward.

????Companies need to get on the ground to ensure their supply. Hershey, for example, introduced a program called COCOALINK in 2011. COCOALINK distributes information about climate and pest control via SMS to farmers with cell phones, which most of them already have. "We're starting to see the benefits when you really get to the farmers and give them the best information," says Andrew McCormick, the vice president of public affairs at Hershey. "The preliminary results are that it will double crop yields in a couple of years."

????Chocolate companies are also working on other kinds of community outreach. In 2009, several companies joined the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation on a $40 million project to boost education and improve farming practices in cocoa-growing regions.