More than Just Chocolate: 5 Potential Uses of Cacao By-Products
Image credit: Pixabay
As an environmental conservation student and a designer working with plant-fibers, I find myself continuously wondering about the potential for various plants and trees’ utility beyond just their primary use. On a previous post, I shared about the by-product of banana plants in Uganda used to create textiles out of what would otherwise become agricultural waste.
After finishing my online program in Tropical Forest Landscape Conservation through Yale University’s Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative, I had the privilege of traveling to Bahia, Brazil earlier this month [September 2024] with my program, where I visited several innovative land management projects and agroforestry systems. On one visit to the Pau-Brasil rural settlement* in Itamaraju, the expansive cacao agroforestry system made me wonder — similar to banana, is there any use of cacao pods beyond just making chocolate?
Cacao fruit (left), Cacao tree growing at Pau-Brasil rural settlement in Itamaraju, Bahia, Brazil (right)
Chocolate comes from the seed of the cacao pod, the football-shaped fruit of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). For clarity, “cacao” refers to the plant and the raw, unprocessed product, whereas “cocoa” refers to the seeds that have been roasted/processed. The cacao pod has a hard outer shell and contains a fleshy, pulp-like fruit most similar to the taste of lychee. However, the seed is the only part of the entire pod that is used for making chocolate. The seeds are fermented, which separates them from the fruit, followed by a lengthy process where they are then dried, roasted, ground, separated and tempered to create that delicious chocolate bar we all crave.
But what about the rest of the pod? Representing 75% of the total weight of the cacao pod [5], the outer shell is the main by-product generated from the production of cocoa. This means that for every 1 ton of cocoa beans harvested, an estimated 10 tons of waste is generated [16]. On my visit to the rural settlement in Itamaraju, I noticed in one area that the shells had been discarded in large piles, where they were being composted and used to help replenish the soil. I also learned that other cacao growers in Brazil would sell some of the shells to restaurants, who would use them as a vessel to serve novelty cocktails to tourists. In other words, these pods at least served some purpose beyond just chocolate production, but they would inevitably be discarded or composted. While composting is still a legitimate use of the pods, it doesn’t inherently generate significant income for cacao farmers and may only be utilizing less than 10% of the potential for this crop.
Realizing the limited use of cacao shells—at least in this region of Brazil—I wanted to learn if other producers of cacao around the world were using the shells for any alternative uses. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an estimated 5 million global households depend on cocoa for their livelihoods, and 70% of the world’s cocoa is produced by smallholder farmers living on less than just $2 USD per day [30]. Identifying additional use for crops like cacao can help generate additional income for farmers, who are already investing intense labor and other resources to produce it.
It is also a worthwhile question in the case of finding another agricultural by-product that can replace other common materials that might be harmful, expensive, or unsustainable to produce.
After doing some additional research, I’ve discovered 5 uses of cacao that offer significant potential beyond chocolate production:
1. Biofuel
Fossil fuel depletion has driven environmental and economic concerns, leading to the gradual transition away from fossil fuel use and the exploration of regenerative energy alternatives, otherwise known as biofuels. Lignocellulose, in particular, is a plant biomass which acts as a substrate for obtaining biofuels [21]. It is found in woody plants like miscanthus (Miscanthus giganteus), Giant reedgrass (Arundo donax)[14], and coconut husks [31], and it is one of the most abundantly available renewable organic materials on earth. The cacao pod also contains lignocellulose in its seed shell and outer husk [16]. To explore the potential for use as biofuel, an experimental study transformed cacao shells into activated charcoal, which was successfully used in the production of biodiesel (a type of biofuel from vegetable oils) from cooking oil waste [20].
In the Ivory Coast, more formally known as Côte d'Ivoire, more than 70% of electricity is generated from fossil fuels, mainly natural gas [4]. Ivory Coast also happens to be the world’s largest producer of cocoa and accounts for 40% of all cocoa beans globally [17]. The nation is steadily moving towards more renewable energy sources and is now utilizing their vast supply of cacao waste as a main source of biofuel. In Divo, a town that produces a significant share of the nation’s cocoa [17], a biomass facility fueled by cocoa waste opened in early 2023. The facility was established thanks to a $996,238 grant to the Société des Energies Nouvelles (SODEN), an Ivorian energy company, from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) in 2018 [29]. The facility is able to produce up to 70 megawatts of power, eliminating 4.5 million tons of emissions per year [27]. According to Managing Director of SODEN Ogou Yapi, “This project will provide jobs, additional opportunities for cocoa farmers and the cocoa economy, and it contributes not only to energy security in Côte d'Ivoire but it can also help us reach our goal of reducing our CO2 emissions by 28% set at COP21 in Paris” [29].
And Ivory Coast isn’t the only nation using cacao waste to fuel a greener future. In Ghana, the cacao bean husks (different from the outer shell of the pod) are now being used on a micro-scale to generate power in rural communities, who have previously only had access to 50% of the country’s total energy capacity [28]. These husks make up 800,000 metric tons of waste [28] and are therefore plentiful for using in alternative energy sources. A project sponsored by the UK government’s global challenge research fund (GCRF) and led by the UK’s University of Nottingham provides communities with access to bio-power electricity generation units, which burn cocoa husks and convert them into electricity [28].
Having reliable access to electricity in rural areas offers many benefits. Jo Darkwa, professor of storage technologies at the University of Nottingham, hopes that electricity generated through cacao biofuel will be used for storing vaccines, which have a short life span and need to stay within a specific temperature range [28]. Food can also be stored for longer durations, and reliable lighting and internet can allow schoolchildren the ability to study in the evenings. “The impact factor is huge,” Darkwa says. “A number of people can be removed from the poverty levels, which causes premature deaths that could be prevented” [28].
The environmental impact of burning cacao husks for biofuel has not yet been investigated with conclusive data.
2. Cleaning wastewater
The cacao shell is highly absorbent and capable of entrapping pollutants out of water, particularly some heavy metals like lead and cadmium [18]. While this has become a concern regarding the heavy metal content of some commercial chocolate, it poses opportunities to entrap pollutants such as heavy metal ions, gases, and industrial dyes [21].
In some areas of Indonesia like Kutacance in the Babussalam District, consuming the yellowish, murky water can lead to fatal diseases like typhus, hepatitis, cholera, polio, diarrhea, and dysentery [32]. To treat the well water, purification must be done using a filtration method that separates contaminates and metal contents from the water. The working principle of this technique is absorption, which is the same technique used for the majority of industrial applications for drinking water decontamination [12]. These filters therefore include a majority of absorbent materials like clay, activated carbon (also called activated charcoal), natural zeolite (a mineral formed from volcanic ash), coconut shell, and rice husk [22]. Researchers discovered that compared to the 75.20% absorbance of coconut shell, for instance, cacao demonstrates an impressive 94.87% absorbance [22], the percentage of water mass that is able to be absorbed by the material. The greater the water absorption is, the better the purification of contaminants from the water.
To test the efficiency of cacao in water purification, the research team sampled water from a Kutacance well and discovered that cacao waste, when combined with clay, is an effective combination of materials for use in the filtration of contaminated water. The results showed a 65% reduction of turbidity (water cloudiness), 91.95% color reduction, and a 53.70% reduction of heavy metal content [22].
This project in Indonesia proves promising potential for using cacao waste to achieve safer drinking water. However, this research is still evolving, and widespread commercial application of water purification with cacao waste is not yet common or well documented.
3. Paper and packaging materials
cocoa paper baking molds by Green Box
Cocoa shells are a byproduct of roasting the seeds during the chocolate production process. These cocoa fibers can be extracted and mixed with conventional paper fibers to result in a unique, dark brown paper [13]. Cocoa paper is particularly useful in packaging materials and ideal for baking molds due to their heat-resistant properties. In addition to being plastic-free, paper from cocoa is also recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable. Other uses for cocoa paper have included chocolate packaging, bakery wrapping, fast food packaging, beauty packaging, toiletries, retail packaging, tableware, confectionaries [3], and filament for 3D printing [15]. Using cacao to make paper products can also be an environmentally friendly alternative to other papers. Companies like Favini, a maker of cacao paper, is even able to replace up to 15% of virgin cellulose by using cacao bean husks to produce their products [7].
4. Bioleather
Although plant-based alternatives to conventional leather have been around since the late 19th century [19], recent technological development and increasing demand has drawn greater interest in new leather alternatives. In 2022, the plant-based leather market was valued at $68 million USD, and it is expected to increase to $97 million USD by 2027 [26]. This rapidly growing market is primarily driven by environmental concerns and the rising demand for vegan, cruelty-free products [26]. In the last decade, several research groups have developed a range of plant-based leather made from materials like mushroom, fruit waste, and even brewer’s spent grain from beer. Now, some researchers are even developing leather made from cocoa waste.
One group, Kajkao, is currently exploring a zero-waste process to transform the agricultural by-product of cacao into high-quality leather. By working directly with the cocoa sector in Ecuador, their goal is to generate additional income for farmers, balance their environmental and social footprint, promote responsible consumption, and offer high-quality goods [10].
However, projects like this are complex and require the ongoing collaboration of numerous industries and stakeholders. To achieve a successful result, Kajkao recognizes that there must first be an awareness of the social and environmental footprint of the production chain. Consumers must seek environmentally friendly products. Both small and large-scale cacao farmers must be willing to adapt their agricultural practices to more environmentally sustainable models, and they need to have the incentive of increasing their business profitability. Reliable infrastructure, like collection centers, are necessary to concentrate the collection of cacao and prepare it for the initial stage of production. A diverse team of scientists, designers, architects, anthropologists, business strategists, researchers, and manufacturers must collaborate to develop the knowledge to transform cacao waste into biomaterials. Additionally, financial contribution from investors like chocolate companies, NGOs, universities, research centers, venture capital funds, and angel investors are essential to bringing this work to life.
Kajkao is currently still in the development phase for a range of bioleather, bioplastic, thermo-acoustic panels and chipboard all made from cacao waste.
5. Natural fabric dye
In addition to bioleather, cacao offers other uses for textile applications. The pigment extracted from the cacao shell is also a high-quality source of natural dye for coloring fabrics. Unlike traditional reactive dyes which require a water-based dyebath system, cacao dye is able to be used in what is called a D5 dyeing system. D5 (short for decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) is a clear, odorless, colorless fluid regarded as a safe solvent for both humans and the environment. At the end of the dyeing process, D5 can be recycled and reused in a circular system. This waterless dyeing method offers potential of an eco-friendly alternative to traditional dyes as it doesn’t discharge hazardous effluents into waterways [9].
Because it involves a waterless dyeing method, cacao dye provides significant ultraviolet protection [9]. The dye also results in a much higher fixation rate when compared to conventional aqueous dyeing methods. The fixation rate is the measure of how much a dye reacts with the fabric [23] and is an indicator of the material’s colorfastness (the resistance to fading or washing out). Cacao dye in the D5 medium produced a 95% fixation rate, compared to just 35% in the conventional dyeing method [9]. Therefore, dyeing natural fibers like cotton with extracts from cacao shell is not only a viable method for the textile industry, it also happens to be an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods and a resourceful way to utilize cacao by-products.
An opinion and word of caution
While it is important to identify and explore these potential uses for cacao agricultural waste, I believe the realization of such uses should not incentivize the further scaling of cacao farming. Rather, we must make use of the waste that is already being generated. Incentivizing the scaling of the global cacao industry, which is not always innocent of environmental harm, could potentially cause further damage to ecosystems and counteract any objectives to limit our environmental footprint. Therefore, it is important to first consider the type of cacao farming and what agricultural practices and tools are being used.
Although the cacao tree is not considered to be invasive in its non-native regions [25] and is capable of growing in diverse forested ecosystems, large commercial chocolate companies are known to clear forests to plant monoculture cacao farms [8]. Monoculture is defined as a form of agriculture based on the growth of only one type of crop at one specific time [11]. Deforestation to produce monoculture systems can disrupt natural ecosystems which limits the biodiversity of plant and animal species in the area [33], contributing to habitat loss. Crops produced in monoculture systems are also more vulnerable to diseases and pests, which therefore requires heavy use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides [11]. These chemicals contribute to greenhouse gas emissions [6] and contaminate groundwater and soil [11], threatening the health of human and animal communities and further depleting an already devastated ecosystem that may have once been a thriving forest.
A graphic by Reuters showing Ivory Coast's deforestation from 1990-2015.
In Ivory Coast, many national parks and protected areas are already entirely or nearly entirely lost to deforestation due to cocoa growing endeavors [8]. A report by NGO Mighty Earth revealed that multiple areas that had previously been covered by forests had been overtaken by illegal cocoa operations [8], and the country as a whole has lost over 85% of forest cover since 1960 [1]. In neighboring Ghana, the situation is similar. Between January 2019 and January 2022 alone, Ghana had lost nearly 40,000 hectares of forest within cacao-growing regions [24]. Investigations into the illegal clearing of protected forests in Western Africa revealed that three of the world’s largest cocoa traders, Olam, Cargill, and Barry Callebaut, were buying illegally-grown cacao from protected areas. These investigations also implicate nearly every major chocolate brand in North America and Europe, including all of the following [8]:
Blommer Chocolate Company
Cadbury
Costco
Kraft
Lindt & Sprüngli
General Mills
Hands Off My Chocolate
Guylian
Hershey
Ferrero
Godiva
Leonidas Chocolate
Magnum
Mars
Mondelēz
Morinaga
Nestlé
Neuhaus
Starbucks
Turin
Chocolate traders Cargill, Olam, and Barry Callebaut
Cocoa production also presents serious risks to human welfare. In Ivory Coast, the average cocoa farmer earns around 50 cents per day, and 84 cents per day for farmers in Ghana [8]. This is less than half of their earnings more than 40 years ago, sending nearly all below the poverty line. In 1980, farmers could expect to receive an average of 16% of the retail value of a chocolate bar, whereas today that figure is only 6.6.%. This is in contrast to the 35% that goes to chocolate companies, and 45% that goes to retailers and supermarkets [8].
Moreover, the cocoa industry is not free from labor rights abuses and instances of forced labor. Today, an estimated 2.1 million West African children are engaged in dangerous, exploitive labor practices [8], and this reality is not limited to West Africa alone. Evidence has surfaced of child labor and slavery on cacao farms in Brazil and throughout Latin America in addition to other West African nations including Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone [2]. For decades, the aforementioned large corporations implicit in deforestation have also refused to release information about where their cocoa is sourced. Because of the pressure from consumers, several large chocolate manufacturers are finally admitting to the use of slave labor in their supply chains. Despite their claims to reduce “the worst forms of child labor” in their cocoa sources, established deadlines to end child labor have only been missed, and in 2020 it was reported that child labor and human trafficking in cocoa supply chains had actually increased [2].
Call to Action
Chocolate producers and relevant governments must therefore adopt and execute implementation plans for sustainable and ethical cacao production. Current practices involving excessive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and biodiversity loss need to replaced with restored, thriving ecosystems and protected biodiversity and forests. Rather than continued deforestation and the growth of cacao in full sun, instead shade-grown agroforestry should be established, which promotes nutrient-cycling, erosion control, water regulation, nitrogen fixing, crop pollination, and reduced weed growth [8]. In contexts like Ivory Coast and Ghana where over 2 million children are victims of child labor and farmers receive low wages [8], decent work conditions and policies must be established. Monoculture systems must be replaced by polyculture food systems consisting of diversified subsistence food crops that contribute to better livelihoods for smallholder farmers. Fair prices and living wages must be established. Farmers should receive decent pay that gives them and their children access to quality education, healthcare, and other resources. Major chocolate companies need to be held accountable, and consumers should factor this information into their purchasing decisions. By choosing products that prioritize sustainability and ethical practices, in addition to voting for stricter standards on deforestation and labor exploitation, consumers can effectively advocate for an end to deforestation and labor abuses in the cacao industry.
Overall, the cacao industry must become one that protects ecosystems, biodiversity, wildlife habitats, waterways, and the well-being of our global community.
In acknowledgement of the many farms and organizations that are doing their part to operate with environmental responsibility and respect for all life, we recognize the following groups*:
A certified B-Corp that makes fair trade, non-GMO, organic chocolate with coconut oil and uses compostable packaging.
Askinosie is a small-batch chocolate “micro-factory” that works with smallholder cocoa farmers to produce award-winning chocolate.
Bantu specializes in single origin slave-free cocoa products.
Beyond Good works directly with farmers to grow premium cocoa so that farmers can make more profit.
Divine Chocolate is a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana that makes chocolate with fair trade ingredients, pure cocoa butter, and no artificial flavors or palm oil.
A non-profit organization that works to identify, preserve, and propagate rare and fine-flavored cacao varieties.
Pau-Brasil combines agricultural production with environmental preservation and social well-being.
The first Fair for Life-certified chocolate maker in North America.
A company create to combat slavery, rather than to sell chocolate.
Varlona works closely with over 18,000 cocoa producers to promote fair and sustainable cocoa farming practices.
If you believe that your company, cacao farm, or affiliated partner should be included on this list, please write to: hello@takehearttextiles.com
*Note: I am not directly affiliated with any of the farms or companies mentioned in this article, and I do not speak on their behalf. I do not take responsibility for their practices or views. The views expressed here are based on my findings and should not be taken as definitive representations of their practices or those of any affiliated partners. I do not receive direct monetary compensation for the recognition of any company mentioned in this article.
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