On the Social K blog of the Kellogg Company, Chief Sustainability Officer Janelle Meyers discusses how Kellogg is promoting environmental sustainability.

Janelle Meyers, Kellogg Company's Chief Sustainability Officer

One of the reasons I enjoy my job is that I get to contribute to real change that has a positive impact on our planet and its people.

W.K., the founder of our company, Kellogg believed that doing good for society was an important part of running a successful business. For over a century, this promise has guided our company.

Today, Kellogg is guided by our Better Days® environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, which aims to improve the lives of 3 billion people by the end of 2030. We aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain, as well as source and protect the ingredients we use in our foods in a sustainable manner, while also supporting 1 million farmers and workers who help to nurture the planet.

This is significant to us because, according to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas emissions reached their highest levels in human history in the last decade.

The time has come to act.

Kellogg has pledged to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 45% and Scope 3 emissions by 15% by 2030. (against a 2015 baseline). We've also committed to using only renewable energy in our facilities by 2050. We will also continue to respect our planet's natural limits by conserving natural resources throughout our value chain by meeting our science-based climate targets, responsibly sourcing our ingredients, reducing organic waste, and providing reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging.

What we're currently doing
We recently completed a three-year collaboration with The Nature Conservancy in which we assisted farmers in Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, and Arkansas in obtaining conservation funding and technical assistance.

Our company worked with over 245 farmers, resulting in over 109,000 acres of farmland being positively impacted. The installation of 180 irrigation pump timers on Arkansas rice farms saved more than 8 billion gallons of water. As the timers continue to run, even more water will be saved in the coming years.

The farmers also saved 2,800 tonnes of CO2 by using regenerative agriculture practices like interseeding cover crops and conservation tillage - the equivalent of taking 600 gas-powered vehicles off the road for a year1. Consider the cumulative effect this will have in two, five, or even ten years! I am honored to lead a team that carries on Mr. Kellogg's legacy by assisting farmers and ensuring that the land is nurtured for future generations.

In addition, thanks to a collaboration with Enel Green Power, a Texas wind farm now supplies 50% of Kellogg's electricity needs in North America. Last year, we announced the virtual power purchase agreement.

Kellogg purchased 100 megawatts of electricity from Enel Green Power's Azure Sky wind farm, which we will do each year. We have committed to using only renewable energy in our facilities by 2050.

The main takeaway I hope you have is that Kellogg is full of real people who care about the environment and people and are working to protect the planet. Not just on Earth Day or World Environment Day, but on a daily basis.

We are a global corporation that is betting on our collective future. Despite our small size, we are adaptable and can assist farmers and other suppliers in implementing new conservation practices.

We're in for the long haul. Our company's vision and purpose are intertwined with making better days for our planet and people. Best of all, our employees are dedicated and enthusiastic.

Source: kelloggcompany newsroom