This page provides an overview of the actions we're taking on climate, with more in-depth news and information elsewhere on our website. Keep scrolling to learn more or navigate the page using the links below.
Advocating for widescale change
Helping our suppliers take climate action
Maintaining deforestation-free supply chains
A regenerative approach to farming
Rethinking our products and ingredients
Acting on packaging
Cutting transport emissions
Tackling ice cream freezer emissions
Cleaner, smarter energy in our operations
Climate reality – it’s time to deliver
To move our business towards net zero as part of our Climate Transition Action Plan, our immediate priority is clear: to make deep cuts in absolute Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
It won’t be easy, and progress won’t be linear. But we have a clear plan to tackle our biggest emissions sources while continuing to grow our business.
This includes pushing governments, regulators and industry to go further and faster in tackling climate change and create the enabling environments needed for us to meet our climate targets.
Building supplier climate capability
Over half of the emissions in scope of our net zero ambition come from raw materials and ingredients.
Our Supplier Climate Programme enables key suppliers to move towards climate leadership.
This includes sharing carbon footprint data for the materials we buy and working with us on decarbonisation opportunities.
290 suppliers in our Supplier Climate Programme by the end of 2024
Protecting forests
Around a quarter of our emissions in scope of our net zero ambition come from forests, land and agriculture.
By the end of 2023, 97.5% of our supply chains for palm oil, paper and board, tea, soy and cocoa were deforestation-free.
We’re using infrastructure and technology and working with suppliers and smallholder farmers to maintain our deforestation-free sourcing.
And we’re pushing for policies and regulations that conserve and restore forests.
€131 millioninvestment to directly source deforestation-free palm oil
Scaling regenerative agriculture
We’re investing in regenerative agriculture practices – a way of farming that can help reduce emissions, build resilience, and regenerate nature.
To help farmers adopt them more easily, we’re running capability building programmes, while calling for supportive regulations and financial incentives.
We also want to see an industry-wide approach to data handling and reporting on regenerative agriculture projects.
100,000 hectares of land covered by our regenerative agriculture projects
Where climate meets science
Using our expertise in science and innovation, we’re working with partners to reformulate products using lower-emission ingredients, without compromising on product performance.
One of our biggest priorities is developing alternatives to fossil-fuel-based chemical ingredients in our laundry and cleaning products.
This is our biggest challenge in reaching our net zero ambition, and we can’t do it alone. We’re working with suppliers to pilot solutions like synthetic soda ash.
We’re also pushing the chemicals industry to transform, supported by government policies that would unlock a transition to renewable and recycled feedstocks.
$120 millionjoint investment in biotechnology to develop an alternative plant-based ingredient to lather and lift dirt
Decarbonising our operations
Our deep cuts in Scope 1 and 2 emissions show what we can achieve with focus and urgency.
We’ve reduced operational emissions by prioritising renewable electricity and energy efficiency.
74% reduction since 2015
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Now, we’re moving to renewable heat sources – guided by our pioneering ‘WEF lighthouse’ factories.
And we’re part of a business movement calling on governments to accelerate the clean energy transition globally.
A business imperative
Climate change is a significant threat to people and our planet. And it’s a material risk to our business. We’ve set more ambitious climate targets and identified clearer actions to respond to this challenge.
There are no quick fixes, especially given the nature of our business and value chain. But we firmly believe that doing more, faster, will strengthen our business.
Our targets
We have three near-term science-based targets to reduce our emissions:
Our value chain: reduce absolute Scope 3 forest, land and agriculture (FLAG) GHG emissions[a] by 30.3% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline
Our value chain: reduce absolute Scope 3 energy and industrial GHG emissions[b] by 42% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline
Our operations: reduce absolute operational GHG emissions (Scope 1 & 2) by 100% by 2030 from a 2015 baseline
These targets are set out in our updated Climate Transition Action Plan (PDF 7.98 MB), which was supported by over 97% of shareholders at our 2024 AGM.
Read more about our progress in our Annual Report and Accounts (PDF 14.76 MB)
More ambitious near-term Scope 3 targets
With 99% of the emissions in scope of our net zero ambition arising outside our operations in 2023, we’re shifting our focus to our wider value chain. We’re in the early days of engaging with suppliers and partners to encourage climate action. And our focus now is on establishing a robust baseline from which to measure progress.
We know climate action this decade is critical. These two Scope 3 science-based targets, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, will guide us to reduce absolute emissions along our value chain over the next few years.
They distinguish between energy and industrial emissions and ones linked to forest, land and agriculture, which need different approaches. Together they represent a 39% absolute reduction in total targeted Scope 3 emissions.
Our Supplier Climate Programme
This programme brings tools and expert support to key suppliers of raw materials, ingredients and packaging, to accelerate their climate journeys. We’re focusing on around 300 suppliers whose materials contribute most to our climate impact – from chemicals and packaging to third-party manufacturers.
Progress through data
We’re working alongside other businesses in the Partnership for Carbon Transparency to standardise the collection of supplier data. This gives us a more accurate understanding of our combined impact. We’ll use the data to jointly track emissions reduction, and to develop additional decarbonisation partnerships.
Pushing for wider change
To help our suppliers reduce their emissions, we’re also pushing for a faster global transition to renewable energy, working with others through RE100 and Fossil to Clean.
Empowering, innovating, investing
We’re empowering suppliers and smallholder farmers to embrace deforestation-free practices. We’re using cutting-edge technology to increase traceability and transparency. And we‘ve invested €131 million in our oleochemicals plant in Indonesia to help us source palm oil more directly.
Pushing for wider change
We’re also working with governments to create fairer market conditions for buying certified commodities from accredited sources. And we’re calling for consensus around forest-risk commodity management.
Scaling our projects
We’re aiming to implement regenerative agriculture projects on 1 million hectares of agricultural land by 2030. To date, we have 20 regenerative agriculture projects operating across 100,000 hectares, with agreements in place to scale up to 350,000 hectares. And we’re already seeing the climate impact of some of these:
- 37% drop in greenhouse gas emissions in Spain
- 76% drop in methane and 48% less greenhouse gas emissions in Arkansas, USA
- 6% drop in greenhouse gas emissions in Iowa, USA
More action on the ground
We’re helping farmers build their capabilities, and pooling resources with other businesses who share our supply chains. We’re collecting data on soil carbon and farming practices to better manage our projects. And we’re calling on governments to support farmers through better access to finance, while working with others to grow the regenerative agriculture movement.
Innovating at scale
We’re partnering with innovators and suppliers to find alternatives to fossil-fuel-based chemicals in our laundry and cleaning products.
- We’re using biotechnology to develop plant-based ingredients
- We’re partnering with a tech start-up to explore renewable carbon
- We’re working with chemical suppliers to produce and scale synthetic soda ash
Collaborating for change
So that we can move faster on alternatives to chemical ingredients, we’re pushing governments for more integrated national policies that support climate-focused solutions, such as surfactants made from renewable feedstocks. At the same time, synthetic soda ash can only be produced with cooperation between end-users, manufacturers and the fertiliser industry. That’s why, in India, we’re leading a working group aiming to move the chemical industry towards net zero.
Changing throughout our value chain
We’re taking steps to reduce the emissions created both when plastic is made and when it goes to landfills and incinerators.
- We're finding ways to remove plastic from our packaging by designing new product formats
- We're moving from virgin, fossil-fuel-derived materials to recycled and renewable feedstocks
- We're working with others to push for better recycling and collection infrastructure
Advocating for a Global Plastics Treaty
We need the rest of industry to move with us on this. That’s why we’re working to shape much-needed policies and regulations, and we're a leading voice in the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which will change the world’s relationship with plastic.
The start of our journey
Over the long term, we’ll be moving to electric or hydrogen-fuelled trucks. We’re already using electric vans in some places, but vehicles and charging infrastructure aren’t yet available at scale. That’s why we’ve focused our efforts on maximising efficiency, filling containers and reducing journeys travelled.
Alternative fuels
We’ve started transitioning some of our fleets to sustainable biofuels in some of our biggest markets, including the US, UK and Netherlands. This can create a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to fossil fuels. At some sites, we’ve also been testing hydrogenated vegetable oil derived from cooking waste.
Cleaner energy in our operations
How we power and heat our business is in our direct control. We’ve successfully transitioned to renewable sources for much of the electricity used at our sites. Alongside our transition to biofuels and energy efficiency, this has been our biggest driver in reducing our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 74% since 2015.
As we work towards our near-term Scope 1 and 2 target, our focus is to eliminate the fossil fuels burned to generate heat and electricity at our sites.
Transitioning to renewable thermal energy
To continue to transition to renewable energy sources, we’re focusing on the heat used in our production processes. Given the scale and diversity of our manufacturing network and various market complexities, this isn’t an easy task.
We’re continuing to drive energy efficiency, for example by using heat exchangers to recover heat. And we're electrifying some of our thermal processes using equipment such as heat pumps and electric boilers.
We're also using biofuels at some of our sites, where this is the case we source in line with our position on sourcing sustainable biofuels. (PDF 110.51 KB)
Powering our factories with renewable electricity
In 2023, 92% of the electricity in our offices, factories, R&D centres, and warehouses was renewable. To reach 100%, we’re focusing our efforts where renewable electricity isn’t yet available from local suppliers. In these locations we’re buying certificates for renewable electricity generated in neighbouring countries.
Another one of our biggest challenges is finding alternatives to the combined heat and power units – which generate electrical and thermal energy – in our factories that run on natural gas. For these we’re starting to use more renewable sources of energy such as biomethane and continue to drive energy efficiency and electrification.
Working together to speed the transition
As an early mover on renewable energy, we were one of the first companies to join RE100 and signal our commitment to 100% renewable electricity. Now, at international climate negotiations, and as part of We Mean Business’ Fossil to Clean campaign, we’re calling on governments to speed up the clean energy transition and to phase out fossil fuels globally.
Our other sustainability priorities
Nature
The world – and our business – needs resilient natural and agricultural ecosystems to thrive. We’re committed to contributing to the protection and regeneration of nature, within and beyond our value chain.
Plastics
We’ve been working hard to create a circular economy for plastic packaging for a number of years. We’ve learnt that transformation takes time. Given the size of this challenge, we’re using our innovation capabilities to find new, scalable solutions.
Livelihoods
The impacts of inequality go far beyond income – to health, human rights and economic growth. So we’re working to improve the livelihoods of people in our global value chain.
[a]
FLAG emissions from purchased goods and services (associated with ingredients).
[b]
Energy and industrial emissions from purchased goods and services (associated with ingredients, packaging), upstream transport and distribution, energy and fuel-related activities, direct emissions from use of sold products (associated with HFC propellants), end-of-life treatment of sold products, and downstream leased assets (associated with ice cream retail cabinets).