Kellogg takes action to help nurture the planet

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kellogg Company Chief Sustainability Officer, Janelle Meyers, shares ways that Kellogg is helping to nurture our planet on Kellogg Company's Social K blog.  

Kellogg takes action to help nurture the planet

By Janelle Meyers, Chief Sustainability Officer, Kellogg Company

One of the reasons I love my job is because I get to help create real change that can make a positive impact on our planet and its people.

Our company's founder, W.K. Kellogg, believed that part of running a good business was doing good for society. This promise has guided our company for over a century.

Today, Kellogg is driven by our Better Days® environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy to create better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030. We aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain, and sustainably source and protect the ingredients we use for our foods, while supporting 1 million farmers and workers who help to nurture the planet

This is important to us, because according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the mitigation of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest levels in human history in the last decade.

The time to act is now.

Kellogg has committed to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 45%, and lessen Scope 3 emissions by 15% by the end of 2030 (against a 2015 baseline). We've also committed to 100% renewable electricity in our facilities by 2050. We'll also continue respecting the natural limits of our planet by conserving natural resources all along our value chain by meeting our science-based climate targets, responsibly sourcing our ingredients, reducing organic waste and providing sustainable packaging that is reusable, recyclable or compostable.

What we're doing right now
We recently completed a three-year collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, which helped farmers in Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska and Arkansas secure funding and technical assistance to adopt conservation practices. 

Our company engaged with more than 245 farmers, which represents over 109,000 acres of farmland that was positively impacted. More than 8 billion gallons of water were saved through the installation of 180 irrigation pump timers on Arkansas rice farms. As the timers continue to operate, this will lead to even higher water savings in the coming years.

The farmers also reduced 2,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide through implementing regenerative agriculture practices, such as interseeding cover crops and conservation tillage – the equivalent of removing 600 gas-powered vehicles from the road for one year¹. Think about the compounding impact this will have two, five… even 10 years from now! I am proud to lead a team that lives Mr. Kellogg's legacy by helping supporting farmers, ensuring the land will be nurtured for generations to come.

 Also, we were proud to recently announce that a Texas wind farm is now powering 50% of Kellogg's electricity needs in North America, thanks to a partnership with Enel Green Power. We announced the virtual power purchase agreement last year.

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

The big takeaway I hope you have is that Kellogg is full of real people who care about the environment and people and are using our capabilities to protect the planet. And not just during Earth Day or World Environment Day – but every day.

We are a global company that's making bets on our collective future. Despite our company's size, we are agile and can help farmers and other suppliers when trying to implement new conservation practices.

We are in this for the long haul. Creating better days for our planet and people is woven into our company's vision and purpose. Best of all, our people across the company are committed and passionate.  

We look forward to sharing more updates with you soon!

^{1 https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator}

SOURCE Kellogg Company