General Mills is a company that is committed to addressing deforestation and its impacts on biodiversity, endangered species, farmer livelihoods, and climate change. Although the company has minimal sourcing exposure to deforestation risks, it actively seeks to eliminate these risks. The company particularly focus on high-risk ingredients like palm oil, cocoa, and fiber packaging. As a founding member of the Consumer Goods Forum or (CGF) and being apart of the Forest Positive Coalition of Action, General Mills collaborates with other companies to promote deforestation-free production practices.
In terms of palm oil, General Mills only accounts for less than 0.5% of the global supply. They only use palm oil in baking mixes and snacks. However, the company aims to enhance its purchasing practices to support deforestation-free palm oil.
For cocoa, over 90% of General Mills’ supply originates from West Africa. The company works with NGOs and suppliers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to implement sustainable sourcing programs. These program then strengthen farmer livelihoods, protect the land, and enhance ingredient quality.
Regarding fiber packaging, General Mills utilizes predominantly recycled materials, with 61% of its packaging being recycled. Of the other 39% of materials used, 98.4% are traceable to low-risk deforestation countries. Only 1.6% of the volume consists of non-certified materials which General Mills is prompting engagement with suppliers to support certification and monitor progress to get this number down to zero.
In the dairy sector, General Mills adheres to the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment. These rules ensuring that all fluid milk sourced for Yoplait comes from co-ops compliant with responsible animal care standards set by the National Milk Producers Federation.
General Mills does this to make a meaningful impact on sustainability and responsible sourcing across its supply chains and help others in the process.
Comments
I think this is a very good thing for general mills to do. If bigger companies make sustainable practices the norm, other companies will be forced to follow suit. I saw something similar in Japan with KEWPIE. They wanted to set an example for everyone else and only collaborate with other companies that have sustainable practices.
Hearing of a company as large and prominent as General Mills doing so much towards sustainability is very uplifting to me. The bigger companies doing so much to combat what has been done to the world and reverse the environmental impact brings hope into a field where there isn’t much to begin with.