Sustainable Consumption Institute

Although always interested in international development and environmental issues, Judith started life studying and working in translating and interpreting before completing an MSc in Environment and Development. Having worked in the Mediterranean, South Africa and Kenya with NGOs, governmental and multilateral organisations, she has a keen interest in all things development and aspires to implement 'sustainability' also in her own life choices, one example being cycling to work even where it is not considered particularly ladylike to do so.

She now hopes to bring all her past experiences to bear on her current project: understanding the partly conflicting, partly complementary motivations of stakeholders engaging in conservation and climate mitigation activities in the context of cocoa sustainability initiatives. For this purpose, she aims to follow the cocoa bean from its origin in the cocoa-growing areas near the Equator through the production network to the final consumer purchasing certified chocolate, analysing the involvement, interventions and implications for cocoa growers, brand manufacturers, certifiers, development agencies and finally consumers along the way.