Aug 19, 2026
At Sourcemap, we believe that true sustainability starts with knowing exactly where your materials come from. We are excited to share that our ongoing partnership with Ferrero has been featured in a new article by The Guardian, titled “How Ferrero is rethinking responsible sourcing at scale.”
The feature explores how Ferrero is tackling some of the food industry's biggest challenges—from supporting farming communities to mitigating deforestation—through technological innovation and deep supply chain transparency.
Updating a Legacy of Transparency When Ferrero was founded in 1946, the company operated on the principle of sacco conosciuto, or “knowing what's in the bag”—which historically meant meeting face-to-face with local growers. Today, with products sold in over 170 countries, executing that vision requires a vast, data-driven network. The Guardian highlights how Ferrero has turned to Sourcemap’s digital traceability platform to modernize sacco conosciuto for the 21st century.
How Sourcemap Enables "Sacco Conosciuto" at Scale To ensure sustainable sourcing for key ingredients like palm oil, coffee, and cocoa, you have to look beyond simply where an ingredient comes from, and understand how it is grown.
As the article details, Ferrero uses Sourcemap to trace its raw materials backward through the businesses that handle them. Through our platform, suppliers provide vital data, including GPS coordinates and digital maps of their farms. These maps, known as polygons, give Ferrero a highly detailed view of its supply chain, down to the specific plot of land where an ingredient was cultivated.
This level of granular mapping yields incredible results. According to Ferrero’s 2025 Sustainability Report, highlighted in the piece:
98% of Ferrero's cocoa was traceable to farm polygon maps.
100% of its coffee beans were traceable to plantation polygon maps.
98.6% of its palm oil was traceable to plantations.
The First Step to Ending Deforestation Mapping is the foundational step for taking meaningful environmental action. By securing these farm polygons through Sourcemap, Ferrero is able to combine supplier data with satellite monitoring services (like Airbus's Starling) to actively monitor for—and prevent—deforestation around the land where these crops are grown.
As The Guardian rightly points out, "lasting change in complex supply chains is built through collaboration, not in isolation." We are proud to provide the technological foundation that allows global leaders like Ferrero to turn their responsible sourcing commitments into measurable realities.
