The color purple as a point of contention: Because a Dutch chocolate manufacturer put its bars on the shelves in similar packaging, the top dog with the purple cow filed a lawsuit.
Sparks are currently flying between Tony’s Chocolonely and the Milka manufacturer Mondelez. The Dutch manufacturer had introduced a whole milk bar in purple packaging on the shelves as part of the ‘Fair Alternatives’ campaign.
“Your chocolate, but honest”
Tony’s Chocolonely said the bars were designed “consciously parodic”: “Your chocolate, but honest,” the company had also projected on the walls of houses in Vienna. According to their own statement, the aim is to draw attention to the persistent problem of child labor and low wages on cocoa plantations.
Milka manufacturer Mondelez thought this was anything but good and issued an injunction against Tony’s. However, not because of the campaign’s statements about child labor, but ‘because of trademark infringement through the use of the color purple’. The Dutch company has now announced that it will take action against the order.
Child labor, deforestation of rainforests
In addition to the chocolate brand with the purple cow, the Mondelez Group also owns Oreo, Toberlone, Philadelphia and the Mirabell Mozartkugel, which is sold in many places in Austria. The company has been criticized for decades for tolerating child labor and paying rock-bottom prices to cocoa farmers.
Environmentalists have also repeatedly criticized the massive deforestation of rainforest for cocoa farming. Mondelez responded with a sustainability program in the production countries. However, according to several NGOs, including Greenpeace, the measures do not go far enough.
Advertising with sustainability
Tony’s Chocolonely repeatedly promoted paying cocoa farmers higher prices for their raw materials and campaigned against child labor. In fact, the Dutch manufacturer also performed above average in rankings by NGOs such as the WWF. Only in 2021 did the manufacturer come under criticism for sharing a production chain with Swiss chocolate company Barry Callebaut, which has also been repeatedly accused of child labor and rainforest deforestation.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
