Loacker
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Family-owned South Tyrol maker of wafers and chocolate wafers.
Loacker can't show that the people who grow its cocoa in Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador earn a living wage, which workers there are very unlikely to.
Also worth knowing
It has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and unaudited production in high-risk countries. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its cocoa is grown in Ecuador, Nigeria and Indonesia, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listRuns its own factories
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Finds and fixes problems, or invests in communities |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Loacker's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its cocoa is grown
From Loacker's own disclosure: it runs its own factories and says where its cocoa comes from. Its list covers only part of its range. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'Ivoire | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| Ecuador | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Traces all of its hazelnuts to the country of origin or beyond, or buys all of them certified
- Invests in worker and farming communities
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
Research notes Loacker's cocoa comes from Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador through its own Cocoa Farming Program with named partners (Sucden, Agroforce, Altromercato, Minka), which it says traces beans to farmers; its 2025 impact report says all cocoa mass now comes from the programme, while half its cocoa powder was Rainforest Alliance certified. All hazelnuts are Italian, from its own Tuscan orchards and about 80 partner farms. It publishes no country shares, audit results or child labour cases, and makes no living wage or income commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not listed | Not among the companies invited to or assessed in the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard. View |
| Fairtrade (incl. FLOCERT and Fairtrade ANZ) | Not listed | Loacker's cocoa runs through its own sustainability programme; no Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certification is claimed for its products. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 7th edition Chocolate Scorecard: who is participating · search the archive · Loacker not among the 44 companies invited to the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard
- Loacker Mini Crispy Wafers 800g (Costco Australia) · search the archive · Loacker wafers sold by Costco in Australia
- Loacker Napolitaner (Open Food Facts) · search the archive · Ingredients include coconut oil and hazelnuts; no palm oil
Published by Loacker or its owner
- Loacker Wirkungsbericht 2025 (impact report) · search the archive · 1,175 staff; 100% of cocoa mass from its Cocoa Farming Program (CI, EC); 50% of cocoa powder Rainforest Alliance; 100% Italian hazelnuts
- Loacker Sustainability Update 2024 · search the archive · 1,173 staff (2023); cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador via named partners, traced to farmer
- Supply chains sustainability projects (Loacker, 2021) · search the archive · Own hazelnut estates in Tuscany plus 80 partner farms; cocoa programme in Côte d'Ivoire and Ecuador; plants at Auna di Sotto and Heinfels
- Sustainably Sourced Ingredients (Loacker USA) · search the archive · 100% Italian hazelnuts; cocoa cooperatives in Ivory Coast and Ecuador; community support such as health facilities and wells
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 1,175
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Loacker ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/loacker, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded chocolate
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Loacker.