Satellite event: CocoaLab - Innovating for a Sustainable Cocoa Future

The Blended Intensive Program (BIP) titled "CocoaLab - Innovating for a Sustainable Cocoa Future" is a collaborative initiative organized by Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut – Condorcet. This interdisciplinary program brings together international students, academics, and industry professionals to address the interconnected challenges of the cocoa industry and climate change.

Format of the event: The BIP is designed as a hybrid program: 

Online component (March 2025): 

Three weeks of virtual collaboration involving research, group discussions, and expert-led webinars. 

Participants explore case studies, theoretical concepts, and preliminary solutions. 

On-site intensive week (March 31–April 4, 2025): 

Hosted at the Charleroi campus, this week features hands-on workshops, interdisciplinary group projects, guest speakers, and site visits to industry leaders like Belvas. 

Topics covered: 

The event is built around four thematic pillars: 

1. Circular Economy and Waste Valorisation: Exploring innovative ways to reduce waste in the cocoa value chain and transform by-products into valuable resources.
2. Climate Resilience: Identifying strategies to mitigate climate impacts on cocoa production and promote sustainable agricultural practices. 
3. Fair Trade and Equity: Addressing global inequalities in the cocoa trade and promoting ethical supply chains. 
4. Entrepreneurship in Education: Inspired by Enabel’s PEM (Programme d’Entrepreneuriat et Mobilité), this topic focuses on fostering innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. 

Objectives: 

1. Foster climate action: empower participants to propose actionable solutions that align with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
2. Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration: using the MIT REAP Pentagram approach, participants take on roles (e.g., government, academic, corporate) to tackle challenges from multiple perspectives. 
3. Promote global and local impact: equip students with the knowledge and skills to drive sustainable change both locally and globally, linking academic learning with societal needs. 
4. Strengthen international networks: build partnerships between students and experts from Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and beyond to share best practices in cocoa production and climate resilience. 

Key highlights: The program uses local partnerships with Belvas, Rikolto, and AWEX, as well as international collaborations with Enabel, Oxfam, and the Belgian Fair Trade Federation. 

Interactive activities include team problem-solving sessions, expert panels, and field visits to companies leading in sustainability and ethical trade. 

Participants will co-create solutions to real-world challenges and present their findings during the final plenary session, fostering actionable climate-conscious innovations.