Dive Brief:
- General Mills is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2025 in not only the company's internal operations but from "farm to fork to landfill," according to Associated Press.
- The company's investment includes $100 million in energy efficiency and clean energy for General Mills facilities across the globe. The company also plans to partner with suppliers dedicated to sustainable agricultural practices and source products from an additional 250,000 acres of organic farms worldwide by 2020.
- CEO Ken Powell told Associated Press that the company is being proactive because "We think that human-caused greenhouse gas causes climate change and climate volatility and that's going to stress the agricultural supply chain, which is very important to us,"
Dive Insight:
General Mills is also being driven to enact more sustainable policies in its supply chains because it is what consumers have come to expect from food and beverage companies large and small.
As a large and influential company, General Mills may hold sway over suppliers to inspire them to institute more sustainable practices as well. General Mills could also serve as an example to other companies in terms of not just implementing internal changes but encouraging the entire supply chain to be more sustainable.
For Oxfam International's March 2015 Behind the Brands campaign, General Mills tied with Danone SA for the No. 8 ranking for sustainability among the largest food and beverage companies, lagging behind competitors like Kellogg, Mondelez, Unilver, and Nestle. But now with this most recent campaign, General Mills may be able to climb the ranks in time for future Oxfam campaigns.