Aug 7, 2025
Achieving 90%+ Raw Material Traceability | The Ferrero + Sourcemap Case Study
Achieving 90%+ Raw Material Traceability The Ferrero + Sourcemap Case Study
In their 2024 Sustainability Report, Ferrero disclosed the impressive results of its years-long pursuit of raw material traceability, with over 97% of palm oil and cocoa and over 94% of hazelnuts traceable to the farms (by volume).
Ferrero ranks among the largest confectionery companies in the world and sources from hundreds of thousands of farmers to meet the demand of customers in over 170 countries.
How does a company the size of Ferrero achieve such a high degree of assurance of its raw materials sourcing?
n-Tier Mapping: Cascading to Origin
Since 2020, Ferrero has worked with Sourcemap to map all of its suppliers and sub-suppliers to get first-hand information on the farms where ingredients are grown. The process involves inviting all suppliers to a cloud-based portal where they can map their own suppliers, and those suppliers can map their suppliers until every exporter, distributor, warehouse and farm is mapped.
Continuous Traceability: Documenting the Chain of Custody
Mapping is the process of identifying all stakeholders in the supply chain, and traceability provides additional verification by ensuring that all volumes are attributable back to the suppliers (including the farms). Data is collected along the entire supply chain to confirm where volumes are sourced and to ensure an unbroken chain of custody.
Real-Time Monitoring: Automating Supplier Due Diligence
n-Tier mapping and traceability provide an unprecedented degree of accuracy to Ferrero's transparency journey. Detailed GPS maps of every single sourcing farm can be automatically screened for deforestation, assessed for carbon emissions, and more - helping to meet expanding global regulations while maintaining close control over quality and dependability of supply.
Find Out More
Ferrero's Sustainability Report: https://www.ferrero.com/au/sites/ferrero_au/files/2025-07/ferrero-2024-sustainability-report-final.pdf
Nicola Somenzi, Head of Responsible Sourcing at Ferrero, Discusses Ferrero's Due Diligence Approach at Sourcemap's Supply Chain Transparency Conference: https://youtu.be/czkj7LMkKHI
