Cereal Partners Worldwide commits to 2050 net zero target

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), the joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé, has on Thursday announced the release of its 2050 Net Zero Roadmap, which sets out its aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

The data-driven roadmap outlines the initiatives CPW is taking throughout its value chain to reach its target, from sourcing ingredients to making and shipping its products.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. As a company, we have a responsibility not only to our consumers but also to the communities in which we operate and to the planet,” David Clark, president and chief executive at Cereal Partners Worldwide, commented.

“We want to make breakfast better, while creating a positive impact on the world around us. We have paid close attention to how we source ingredients and make our products for many years – so this is not the start of our journey to contribute to a better planet. The development of our 2050 Net Zero Roadmap is an important next step, and we are pleased to be setting ourselves clear actions to ensure we meet our targets.”

The roadmap is the result of a large-scale audit with external consultancy, Quantis, of emissions across CPW’s business, a process that involved working with other stakeholders such as farmers and logistics providers. The audit found that CPW emitted 1.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, which will serve as the baseline for measuring progress.

“With more than half of our emissions coming from the ingredients for our products, 35 per cent of them are connected with cereals and grains. It is clear we need to work together with our suppliers, farmers, and parent companies as we tackle these emissions as a focus on our journey to net zero,” Christine Truppe, global head of sustainability at Cereal Partners Worldwide, said.

“Our commitment on regenerative agriculture shows the potential to positively impact a wide range of interconnected issues, while remaining firmly grounded in an outcome-focused approach. As part of our Net Zero roadmap, CPW is working towards sourcing key ingredients (specifically cereals and grains) produced using regenerative agriculture methods (13% by 2025 and 50% by 2030).”