Önem Gıda

Tr / En
Kakao

OUR Sustainability JOURNEY

Önem Gıda, on its journey that started in 1944, produces unique tastes with the heritage of Ülker experience. With technological infrastructure, raw material quality, meticulous and hygienic production environments, Onem offer superior quality cocoa, chocolate, flour, hazelnut and related products with skill and pride. Onem continue its production, marketing, and sales activities worldwide with the Ülker tradition and institutionalism that has passed through generations.

In 2021, Ülker Bisküvi acquired Önem Gıda - of which Ülker is the main client - to achieve a high-level synergy in its main categories of chocolate and bakery products, and to strengthen the sustainable and profitable growth of the company. Onem continues their sustainability activities without slowing down.

Some images on this website are retrieved from the Earthworm Foundation content bank.

Önem meets approximately 75% of the raw material of pladis' cocoa products for 2021 on its own. It supplies 40% of the raw materials it procures as cocoa beans from the Fildisi Cocoa Industry SA company located in Ivory Coast owned by Yıldız Holding, and the rest from 3 other suppliers.

Flowers
% of 2023 spend - for different cocoa products
100%
 
% of beans of volume (22/23 season)
85%
15%
3 suppliers of cocoa beans
FILDISI COCOA INDUSTRY SA
8%
Ecaakog
50%
Dakua
42%
Coodig
Önem intensified its sustainability journey and partnered with Earthworm Foundation.
Key to this journey is:

Traceability improvement
Önem believes that traceability is key to understand, manage and improve the suppliers’ performance in the environmental and labor areas.
Engagement with Tier-1 suppliers to better understand their performance in relation to sustainable cocoa production
At the beginning of its sustainability journey, Önem started to engage, through meetings and questionnaires , with each Tier-1 supplier.

Projects

DEFINITION Of A
sustainability approach
In 2021, Önem defined its ‘Beyond Cocoa’ sustainability approach.
Third-party assessment in production to identify gaps with the sustainability approach
In 2020 and 2021, Earthworm carried out a deep dive field assessment (Ecakoog , Dakua and Coodig) of the cooperatives supplying Fildişi.
Support to communities
in the sourcing areas
In 2021, our parent company, pladis joined additional partners, including GODIVA, in Earthworm’s landscape programme in Soubré (Ivory Coast).
Our parent company, pladis joined Earthworm's landscape programme in Soubré, for creating better farming management methods and infrastructure through innovation and building stronger connections between farmers. 
Önem’s Sustainability Journey has been divided into three phases as follows:
Phase 1
Phase 1 (2020/2021): Development of sustainability tools and approach, streamlining of supply chain, assessment of suppliers’ engagement and performance, and support to a community programme "Soubré Landscape" creating collective impact with all partners. 
First Focus

1,377 farmers have been involved in the project in 2021 and 6,885 community members have been impacted

Second Focus

36 farmers committed to renewing their palm plantations (while the main crop in Soubré is cocoa, there are also palm oil and rubber producers)

Third Focus

4 Village Savings and Loan Applications (VSLA) created, providing 95 women and 23 men with access to finance

Fourth Focus

11 women have diversified their income through loans obtained through the VSLA

FARMER RESILIENCE
Fifth Focus

Farming households 43 extensıon workers (traıners coaching the coops members) of cocoa cooperatıves have been traıned on good agrıcultural and best environmental practices

First Focus
FARMER RESILIENCE

1,377 farmers have been involved in the project in 2021 and 6,885 community members have been impacted

Second Focus

36 farmers committed to renewing their palm plantations (while the main crop in Soubré is cocoa, there are also palm oil and rubber producers)

Third Focus

4 Village Savings and Loan Applications (VSLA) created, providing 95 women and 23 men with access to finance

Fourth Focus

11 women have diversified their income through loans obtained through the VSLA

Fifth Focus

Farming households 43 extensıon workers (traıners coaching the coops members) of cocoa cooperatıves have been traıned on good agrıcultural and best environmental practices

First Focus

1,377 farmers have been involved in the project in 2021 and 6,885 community members have been impacted

Second Focus

36 farmers committed to renewing their palm plantations (while the main crop in Soubré is cocoa, there are also palm oil and rubber producers)

Third Focus

4 Village Savings and Loan Applications (VSLA) created, providing 95 women and 23 men with access to finance

Fourth Focus

11 women have diversified their income through loans obtained through the VSLA

FARMER RESILIENCE
Fifth Focus

Farming households 43 extensıon workers (traıners coaching the coops members) of cocoa cooperatıves have been traıned on good agrıcultural and best environmental practices

First Focus
Forest Protection & Restoration
- 3 nurseries set up for 15,000 trees
- 4,230 saplings in nurseries are ready for planting
- 1,000 shade trees provided by the regional department of water and forestry
Second Focus

23 ha of degraded areas have been restored in months kourabahi reserve with 1,597 shade trees

Third Focus
- 11 awareness sessions on forest rehabilitation and protection have been undertaken around months kourabahı forest reserve
- 4,062 community members reached
Fourth Focus

2 maintenance activities of restored area (23 ha) with youth groups

Fifth Focus
- Principles of agroforestry introduced to 700 farmers
- 1 ha of agroforestry set up by 1 farmer in Obrouayo Commitments received from additional farmers
Önem also follows their energy consumption and carbon emission performances on yearly basis. Last 3 years’ performance is shown below:
ÖNEM GIDA 2020 2021 2022
PRODUCTION ton 124.956 126.060 139.102
WATER CONSUMPTION m3 141.710 149.573 150.860
water consumption per production m3/t 1,13 1,19 1,08
ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION kWh 46.786.840 44.247.817 46.995.557
electricity consumption per production kWh/t 374,4 351 337,8
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION Sm3 4.719.722 4.893.308 4.833.271
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION kWh 45.276.293 46.941.504 46.365.569
natural gas consumption per production Sm3/t 37,8 38,8 34,7
TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION TEP 7917 7842 8029
energy consumption per production TEP/ton 0,0634 0,0622 0,0577
Scope 1 Emissions ton-CO2 9109 9444 9328
Scope 2 Emissions ton-CO2 25733 24336 25848
Scope 3 Emissions (Logistics & Transportation) ton-CO2/cocoa bean tons 0,0074 0,0084
TOTAL CO2 RELEASE (scope 1&2) ton-CO2 34.842 33.780 35.176
CO2 release per production t-CO2/ton  0,279 0,268 0,253

Önem Gida 2020
PRODUCTION ton 124.956
WATER CONSUMPTION m3 141.710
water consumption per production m3/t 1,13
ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION kWh 46.786.840
electricity consumption per production kWh/t 374,4
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION Sm3 4.719.722
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION kWh 45.276.293
natural gas consumption per production Sm3/t 37,8
TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION TEP 7917
energy consumption per production TEP/ton 0,0634
Scope 1 Emissions ton-CO2 9109
Scope 2 Emissions ton-CO2 25733
Scope 3 Emissions (Logistics & Transportation) ton-CO2/cocoa bean tons
TOTAL CO2 RELEASE (scope 1&2) ton-CO2 34.842
CO2 release per production t-CO2/ton  0,279
Önem Gida 2021 2022
PRODUCTION ton 126.060 139.102
WATER CONSUMPTION m3 149.573 150.860
water consumption per production m3/t 1,19 1,08
ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION kWh 44.247.817 46.995.557
electricity consumption per production kWh/t 351 337,8
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION Sm3 4.893.308 4.833.271
NATURAL GAS CONSUMPTION kWh 46.941.504 46.365.569
natural gas consumption per production Sm3/t 38,8 34,7
TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION TEP 7842 8029
energy consumption per production TEP/ton 0,0622 0,0577
Scope 1 Emissions ton-CO2 9444 9328
Scope 2 Emissions ton-CO2 24336 25848
Scope 3 Emissions (Logistics & Transportation) ton-CO2/cocoa bean tons 0,0074 0,0084
TOTAL CO2 RELEASE (scope 1&2) ton-CO2 33.780 35.176
CO2 release per production t-CO2/ton  0,268 0,253
PHASE 2
Phase 2 (2022/2023): We are strengthening the engagement with Tier-1 suppliers and upstream, with a specific focus on traceability improvement (e.g. creating unique farmer IDs), improvement of farm mapping, verification of deforestation-free practices, overcoming the living income gap, agroforestry practices, good agricultural practices and agroforestry trainings, safe use of chemicals,  elaborating on CLMRS follow ups and conducting new community projects. See our 2023 Sustainability Progress Report and 2023 CLMRS Baseline Report.
PHASE 3
Phase 3 (2024 and beyond): During this phase, Önem will continue to work with Tier-1 suppliers and Fildişi’s dedicated portfolio of coops towards full deployment of Önem’s ‘Beyond Cocoa’ sustainability approach

Cookies are used in accordance with the legislation on this website for purposes limited to those in the Law on Personal Data Protection numbered 6698. You can examine our Cookie Policy for detailed information.