The Lincolnshire-based company said the new panels will provide more than half of the business’ electricity and are the equivalent of planting 1,200 trees a year.
Carol Oldbury, managing director of Hames Chocolates, said: “Manufacturing chocolate in an ethical and sustainable way is hugely important us, which is why we have made the move to install solar panels. This is the latest step in our commitment to the environment, which also includes working closely with organisations such as the Rainforest Alliance (ra.org) and Cocoa Horizons (cocoahorizons.org), to make sure our cocoa is supplied from ethical and more sustainable resources.
She said Hames pays an additional premium for its cocoa-based products to enable the certification programs to fund schemes to increase cocoa farmer productivity, improve their community and protect the environment.
“In addition to only sourcing premium, more sustainable cocoa, we ensure our packaging is as plastic-free as possible. This includes using FSC-certified wood for our lollipop sticks and hot chocolate spoons, as well as recyclable foil and cardboard for our chocolate and Easter egg packaging, ” Oldbury said.