General Mills Pledges To Cut Emissions In Operations And Supply Chain

By Sam Lewis

The food-manufacturing giant has become the first major food company to make commitments to reduce emissions across its operations, supply chain, and push for climate change action

Following an Oxfam campaign pushing food and beverage makers to take stronger stances in the fight against climate change, General Mills has vowed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and in its agricultural supply chain. The food maker also promised to become a supporter of government climate policies. On Monday, July 28, General Mills described its new climate policy, saying, “The imperative is clear: Business, together with governments, NGOs, and individuals, needs to act to reduce the human impact on climate change.”

Following General Mills’ release, Oxfam released a statement praising the company as “In a news release, Oxfam praised General Mills as “the first major food and beverage company to promise to implement long-term science-based targets to cut emissions from across all of its operations and supply chains that are responsive to the goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.”

The most significant aspects of General Mills’ new stance are its all-encompassing characteristic and it shows the company is prepared to take a political stance on the issue of climate change. This is in contrast to most companies’ beginnings of sustainability initiatives. Where most companies begin with facilities within the company, General Mills is taking responsibility outside of its plants and moving its focus to agriculture and the supply chain. According to the company’s executive vice president of supply chain operations, John Church, “nearly two-thirds of General Mills’ GHG emissions and 99 percent of water use throughout our value chain occur upstream of our direct operations, primarily in agriculture.”

While General Mills has engaged in sustainability efforts for years — sourcing efforts in palm oil, vanilla, cocoa, and oats — the company says it will now force “key ingredient suppliers to demonstrate environmental, social, and economic improvements in supply chains.” Additionally, the company will require its suppliers to commit to achieving “zero net deforestation in high-risk supply chains by 2020.” These pledges will likely influence other food makers to reduce environmental impacts.