Our programme
"Sustainable development is about people. Of course it is also about protecting nature, and it is about economic growth. But most importantly it is about people. Sustainable development creates opportunities and removes obstacles; it allows people to take control over their lives and to live up to their potential - it's about vitality!" ~
Jan Kees Vis, Sustainable Agriculture Programme Director
Agricultural crops make up over half the volume of our raw materials, so our business is linked to a complex network of thousands of smallholder farmers, large agri-businesses and third-party suppliers.
Security of supply is therefore a core business issue, especially when agricultural production is under threat from changing weather patterns, water scarcity and unsustainable farming practices.
We established our Sustainable Agriculture Programme over ten years ago, in 1998. In that time we have developed detailed guidelines on what sustainable agriculture means for our key crops - what we call Good Agricultural Practice Guidelines.
Working in partnership with an external advisory board and expert agronomists, we based these Guidelines on 11 indicators including water, energy, pesticide use, biodiversity, social capital and animal welfare. We engage with our growers and third-party suppliers on implementing these Guidelines and connect these to our brands and communication with shoppers and consumers.
As a result of this work our reputation in this area is highly regarded by opinion formers. For example, we are the Food Category leaders in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, for the 11th year running.
We have an important role to play. A lack of action on these issues will have serious repercussions on the environment and in grower communities.