London — Prince Charles’s new environmental push has a sweeter taste. The heir to the British throne, known for disclosing his carbon footprint, is turning to chocolate to help protect the world’s forests. In a meeting on Thursday, organised by his International Sustainability Unit, 12 of the top cocoa and chocolate companies, including Mars and Cargill, committed to ending deforestation that has plagued West Africa. The initiative also involves governments of top growers Ivory Coast and Ghana, where large amounts of cocoa are grown on environmentally unsuitable land, Richard Scobey, president of the World Cocoa Foundation, said in an interview in London. The Ivorian Forestry Ministry estimates about 80% of the country’s forests have disappeared since the 1970s. "Over the past 50 years, about half the world’s tropical forests have been lost largely due to agricultural encroachments," Scobey said. "There have been four big commodities that are the drivers of deforestation: soy, palm ...
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