Airbus to Support Barry Callebaut with Satellite-Based Deforestation Monitoring

Our Bureau - : Dec 10, 2025 - : 5:31 pm

Airbus Defence and Space has entered into a new collaboration with global chocolate producer Barry Callebaut to provide satellite-based monitoring of deforestation risks across the company’s cocoa supply chain. Announced on 9 December, the agreement covers the use of Airbus’s...

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Announced on 9 December, the agreement covers the use of Airbus’s Starling remote-sensing solution for global oversight of cocoa farms and surrounding forest areas. The system combines high-resolution commercial satellite data with open-source imagery to track vegetation changes and alert companies to potential non-compliance with forest conservation requirements.

Barry Callebaut is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa products, supplying major consumer brands and food companies worldwide. The firm has pledged to establish a deforestation-free supply chain under its long-running “Forever Chocolate” sustainability programme.

Satellite monitoring is becoming increasingly important as food and commodity companies adjust to tightening environmental due-diligence regulations in the European Union and other markets. New EU rules require importers of commodities such as cocoa, coffee, and palm oil to demonstrate that production has not contributed to forest loss after 2020.

Juliette Cody, Director for Global Sustainability Programmes at Barry Callebaut, said the data provided through the satellite system has become “a cornerstone of our strategy to advance our forest-positive commitments.”

The Starling service will be used to generate detailed land-cover maps for cocoa-growing regions, distinguishing between natural forest, plantation farming, agroforestry and other land categories. Airbus says the technology aims to reduce false-positive alerts by automatically analysing all mapped plots and assessing forest conversion only where it poses a risk to compliance.

Where deforestation alerts are triggered, Starling allows verification at the level of individual plots using very high-resolution imagery from Airbus satellites,

including Pléiades Neo, which provides 30 cm spatial definition. This is intended to reduce the amount of field inspection work required and help companies respond quickly to issues raised in their supply chains.

In addition to current monitoring, the tool offers risk modelling to indicate areas where future land-use change is more likely. This is based on historical patterns of clearing and regional practices. Barry Callebaut plans to use the insights to engage directly with suppliers and support mitigation measures where risks are identified.

Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space, said satellite-derived evidence will support “informed decisions and transparency across global supply chains.”

Airbus and sustainability non-profit Earthworm Foundation first launched Starling in 2016 to assist commodity producers and traders in meeting anti-deforestation commitments. It has since been adopted by organisations operating in palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and other agricultural value chains. The system draws on Airbus’s optical imagery capabilities covering resolutions from 10 metres down to 30 centimetres.

Barry Callebaut sources cocoa from multiple origins including West Africa, Latin America and Asia, where pressures on forests vary significantly by region. The company has reported progress in traceability and sustainability certification in recent years but continues to face scrutiny from customers, regulators, and civil-society groups over labour rights and environmental impacts in cocoa production.

The latest agreement reflects a wider shift toward space-enabled environmental monitoring as global companies look to strengthen compliance and reporting systems relating to climate and biodiversity pressures.

Airbus / Barry-callebaut / Satellite-monitoring /

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