The declaration was initially established by the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) and the Belgian initiative "Beyond Chocolate" last July. Now the European platforms are expanding their cooperation together.

The Memorandum of Understanding focuses on enhancing traceability in the cocoa value chain, contributing to a Living Income for cocoa Farmers and their families, halting cocoa-related deforestation and ending the worst forms of child labour. In addition, coordinating and aligning activities on the operational level and among the working groups of the individual platforms as well as harmonizing their monitoring and evaluation systems is part of the Memorandum of Understanding.

Like the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa, the Swiss, Belgian and Dutch initiative bring together the various stakeholders in the cocoa sector. The common aim is to overcome challenges in the cocoa sector through close cooperation and joint actions. The recently signed Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding is a clear sign of this cooperation and a next step towards greater sustainability and transparency in the cocoa sector.