General Mills, Inc. earned a place on the CDP’s (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project’s) ‘A List’ for both climate change and water security.
It was one of only 10 North American companies to receive a top score in both sustainability categories and the only food and beverage company to appear on both lists.
More than 525 investors with more than $96 trillion in assets requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts and initiatives through CDP’s platform last year.
The non-profit assessed companies based on how effectively they are tackling environmental risks and assigned scores of A to D-. Those that didn’t disclose or provided insufficient information were marked with an F.
“It’s a business imperative for us to be responsible stewards of natural resources within our walls while ensuring that same accountability across our value chain,” says Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and social impact officer at General Mills. “We are dependent upon the availability, health and quality of natural resources and while there will always be more work to do, we are honored to receive this recognition for our impact and progress thus far.”
Other North American companies singled out for their environmental initiatives include:
Mars Inc.; The Coca-Cola Co.; PepsiCo, Inc. and Ingredion Inc. Nestle, S.A.; Barry Callebaut; Coca-Cola European Partners and Danone were among the top ranked European companies.
“Climate change and water insecurity are undeniable business risks if unaddressed and we must transition to a low-carbon economy now to avoid the worst impacts,” says Bruno Sara, president of CDP North America. “A List companies know sustainability presents an exciting race to the top, an opportunity to innovate and rethink business as usual, proving that environmental responsibility simply makes good business sense.”
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., was among the lowest-ranking food and beverage companies, along with Mondelez International, Inc., which received a passing score for climate change but a D for water security.
Dean Foods and Monster Beverage Corp. both received an F for climate change and water security. No food and beverage company received top marks for deforestation initiatives.
