Ferrero Group (“Ferrero”), a global company that manufactures sweet packaged foods, has just released their 12th Sustainability Report which reports on their progress toward their sustainability goals.
The company said that despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, they successfully adapted, placing the health and safety of its employees and consumers first.
In its agricultural supply chain, it has focused on protecting workers and farmers, especially in less developed markets. Ferrero has also provided preventative measures and hygiene and protective supplies in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
The impacts of Covid-19 have changed our business and our industry, and they continue to be felt globally. Despite these challenges, the Ferrero Group successfully adapted, and prioritised consumer and employee health and safety… said Giovanni Ferrero, Executive Chairman of the Ferrero Group.
Summary of Progress
Ferrero’s plans to achieve its carbon reduction goals hinge on the use of sustainable energy. Based on this it purchased 100% green electricity for its European manufacturing plants in the Fiscal Year 2019/2020. Of its electricity purchases globally, 71.5% were generated by renewable sources.
Among Ferrero’s commitments to the circular economy for 2019, Ferrero announced that all of its packaging was going to be recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2025. The report stated that they are on track with 82.9% being achieved as of 2020.
The company claims to have achieved several of its 2020 goals, for example, sourcing 100% sustainable cocoa beans from independently managed programs
On the subject of Human Rights, the report was a little vaguer. The company says they have been working to improve its human rights approach for over a decade.
The process of identifying and managing human rights risks has been done with the support of leading experts, and the due diligence approach has been developed through partnerships with Save the Children which, they say, has scaled the positive impact.
As we close out our 2020 goals, we are proud to have met our target to source 100% sustainable cocoa through independently managed standards. We have now extended the target to include outsourced chocolate to provide full transparency of our cocoa supply chain.
Key Takeaways from the 2020 sustainability report
Ferrero Group’s sustainability goals align with their four key pillars:
protection of the environment
using sustainable ingredients
promoting responsible consumption, an
empowering people
The organisation has already begun making commitments and setting targets that will drive its progress in the year 2030 and beyond.
By 2030, it plans to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Those targets will be validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in December 2020. They include the following commitments:
Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% globally by 2030, using 2018 as the base year
Reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions intensity by 43% per tonne of product produced at a global level, using 2018 as the base year
