Ferrero Group says it's on track to meet its ambitious sustainability goals, which includes progress towards targets on sourcing and packaging, as well as a switch to renewable energy across its manufacturing plants.
The Group highlighted its progress in its 13th Sustainability Report, which documented the steps taken towards environmental and social targets during 2021, which aligned to four key areas of focus: protecting the environment; sourcing ingredients sustainably; promoting responsible consumption; and empowering people.
The Sustainability Report follows the publication of the Group’s first Human Rights Report, which addressed work on the most salient human rights issues across the value chain.
“The pandemic created global social and economic disruption that varied from country to country,” explained Giovanni Ferrero, executive chairman of the Ferrero Group.
“However, as a business, we were able to demonstrate resilience and the solid progress of our sustainability plans has not been affected. In addition, our business continues to expand, both through new acquisitions and through organic growth.”
Highlights from the 2021 Sustainability Progress Report include:
- Ferrero is on track to meet its 2025 target of 100 per cent of packaging being reusable, recyclable or compostable, reaching a high of 83 per cent over the last year;
- The Group sets out further ambitious packaging sustainability targets, including the reduction of virgin plastic by 10 per cent, and the increase of recycled content in plastic packaging to 12 per cent by 2025;
- Renewable energy sourcing is transitioning rapidly, with 84 per cent of the electricity purchased for manufacturing plants now coming from renewable sources, and 16 of the firm’s plants running on 100 per cent renewable energy;
- Ferrero has reached its sourcing target of 100 per cent of cane sugar certified by Bonsucro;
- Ferrero also reports traceability back to farm level across more than 95 per cent of its cocoa supply volume; and
- The Group delivered training to over 134,000 farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, with the aim of promoting responsible agricultural practices in key cocoa growing regions, as part of Ferrero’s on-the-ground engagement with partner farmers.
“We have substantially advanced many aspects of our sustainability strategy towards the objectives we set ourselves,” said Lapo Civiletti, CEO of the Ferrero Group.
“We increased our energy efficiency and confirmed a central capital expenditure programme aimed at reducing our carbon footprint, and achieved many improvements in our packaging portfolio, in line with our sustainability roadmap to 2025.”
