Chocolate that the wind blew in

Do you know where your chocolate comes from? Mostly it comes from Central and South America or from Africa. Cocoa beans are harvested there and then usually sent by ship to Europe and other countries to be made into our sweet treat. That transport is part of the 90% of global trade that is carried by sea. It contributes 3% of the CO2 people are adding to the atmosphere every year - and that number is still growing as we trade more and more.

That bothers Jacques and Olivier Barreau, who run a business preparing and selling chocolate and coffee in Brittany, on the west coast of France. To look forward to a cleaner future, they've looked backwards to the way we used to trade, well over a century ago.

A planet-friendly freighter

The twins built a sailing ship to bring their cocoa and coffee beans from South America and the Caribbean. It travels back and forth across the Atlantic. When it leaves Europe heading west, so as not to waste the trip by travelling empty, they fill the hold with French wine which they deliver to New York.

"Even in 2022, we've still to find anything better than sails to push a ship along without burning oil!" Jacques Barreau told WoW! News.

It's far from old-fashioned, however. It's a very modern ship, built in aluminium, with lots of electronic aids and high-tech sails that have been perfected in the world of sport ocean sailing.

Of course, it's still tiny compared to the vast container ships that carry most world trade. But the "Grain de Sail" is part of a growing movement to develop ways to reduce CO2 emissions from shipping by again harnessing the power of the wind.