MONDELĒZ International commits to reduction in Virgin plastic use to combat plastic pollution

Mondelēz International (Nasdaq: MDLZ) has announced an increased commitment to reduce its use of virgin plastics in its packaging, as part of its ongoing efforts to eliminate, reduce, replace and recycle plastic packaging across its portfolio.

The company also said it supported the introduction of a U.S. Federal recycling scheme that takes into account the various types of plastic packaging used across the industry today.

While it already has a significantly below-sector-average use of plastics in its portfolio by weight, Mondelēz International is demonstrating its resolve to continue to reduce plastic packaging. By 2025, the company aims for an at least 25% reduction in virgin plastic use in its rigid plastic packaging or a 5% reduction in virgin plastic use in its overall plastic packaging portfolio, assuming constant portfolio mix.

The virgin plastic use reduction target will be achieved through a combination of measures including elimination of plastic material, increased use of recycled content and the adoption of reuse models for the company’s portfolio where it makes sense to do so.

“Our support for a more sustainable future for plastics is clear,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for Mondelēz International. “We’re already one of the most efficient users of plastic packaging in the consumer goods space and we’ve made significant strides to reduce plastic packaging use, substitute plastics for other materials and design for recyclability.”

“Given the strong progress we’ve made in packaging, and our focus on leading a sustainable future for snacking, we’re committing to reductions in virgin plastics use and investments in innovation to remove packaging or switch to more easily recyclable materials.”

These commitments build on the company’s existing 2025 goals to use 5% recycled content by weight across its plastic packaging and to design all packaging for recyclability, a goal the company is on track to achieve with 94% of packaging already designed to be recycled.

The company currently invests over $30 million a year in technology, resources and recycling infrastructure and anticipates an acceleration in this investment over time. In total, between 2019 and 2025, Mondelēz International anticipates spending approximately $300 million in creating a sustainable future for plastics.

Supporting Nationwide Recycling Scheme in U.S.

Mondelēz International’s portfolio of snacks uses lightweight plastic packaging, or so-called flexible films, to protect food, which reduces the company’s plastic packaging footprint by weight and brings some clear environmental benefits such as helping reduce transportation emissions and prolonging food shelf-life. This is meaningful as food waste can have a significantly greater environmental impact than plastics.

While packaging can be increasingly designed for recyclability, recycling infrastructure improvements, such as those proposed under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, are needed globally, particularly for flexible films. The company today is lending its support for a reasonable, Federal EPR scheme in the United States that caters to flexible films, as well as other plastics.

“Increasing recyclability of materials is a great start, but we need actual recycling rates of various materials to increase,” said Christine Montenegro McGrath, Vice President and Chief of Impact. “Compared to rigid plastics like PET, flexible plastic films, like the flow wraps we use on our snacks, are still difficult to collect, sort and reprocess economically, because the infrastructure doesn’t exist yet for this to be done at scale. We are committed to playing our part to improve this, including partnering with stakeholders across sectors to drive action to combat plastics pollution.”

Mondelēz International is an active participant in the Consumer Goods Forum Plastic Coalition of Action; the Business Call for a Global UN Treaty on Plastics Pollution; the U.S. Plastics Pact; the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment; the New Plastics Economy Initiative; the European CEFLEX initiative; the UK Plastics Pact and the UK Flexible Plastic Fund (formerly known as EPPIC); and the Australia/New Zealand Plastics Pact, among others.

Mondelēz International reports transparently on the progress it is making against its Environment, Social Sustainability and Governance commitments, strategies and goals in the Snacking Made Right Report, published annually in early May. For more information, visit www.mondelezinternational.com.

About Mondelēz International

Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2020 net revenues of approximately $27 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as OREO, belVita and LU biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate; Sour Patch Kids candy and Trident gum. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL announces Multi-year Commitment to Advance Racial Equity

Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) announced on Tuesday a multi-year commitment focused on elevating its existing diversity and inclusion initiatives to make meaningful impacts in the area of racial equity economic empowerment around the world.

The plan is designed to accelerate the company’s existing D&I efforts following extensive consultations between company leaders, colleagues and experts through listening forums and educational sessions focused on diversity, inclusion and belonging.

“Mondelēz International is committed to building a more diverse, inclusive and equitable world, both socially and economically,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International. “As a global company, we know that diversity in all its forms is a driver of innovation and growth and we must reflect the diversity of our consumers to deliver stronger business performance as we lead the future of snacking.”

Over the next three years, the company will address local and global opportunities to advance racial equity and economic empowerment by expanding its D&I initiative across three key areas: Colleagues, Culture and Communities.

To ensure the diversity of its colleagues at all levels represent the communities, customers and consumers Mondelēz International serves, the company has committed to double Black representation in U.S. management by 2024. To enable this goal, it has implemented a series of actions across its business, including increasing the presence of underrepresented candidates on interview slates, doubling investment in early career programs, including with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and establishing new mentoring and leadership development programs for people of color.

These initiatives will complement the company’s efforts to continue to maintain appropriate pay equity for Black colleagues. In addition, the company will increase the strategic impact of diversity and inclusion within the organization by appointing a Global D&I Officer who will be accountable to the CHRO, CEO and Board of Directors for advancing this important agenda. 

MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL Advances Sustainable Palm Oil sourcing with Advance traceability

Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) announced on Thursday significant progress in advancing requirements for traceable, forest-monitored palm oil and confirms strong progress against sustainable sourcing goals.

The new requirements include traceability to plantation and satellite monitoring covering all palm oil concessions* supplying mills attributed to the company, against the deforestation criteria set out in its Palm Oil Action Plan. All mills must be identified on Global Forest Watch, with no active grievances against concessions in their direct supply, or operated by the same producer groups elsewhere. In addition, suppliers must have third-party assurance of their monitoring process and systems used and be subject to cross-check by Mondelēz International.

From Q1 2021, the company expects 80% of its palm oil to meet these enhanced expectations with strong supplier partnership, working to increase coverage as quickly as possible.

The enhanced sourcing requirements will improve transparency across the sector by requiring suppliers to confirm sustainable sourcing practices across their entire supply chain by 2025, not just the portion supplied to Mondelēz International. They form part of Mondelēz International long-term ambition to eliminate deforestation and forced labor in the palm oil supply chain and support the aims of the Consumer Goods Forum #Forestpositive Coalition.

“We have a unique opportunity to help create a future where sustainable practices are universal across the palm oil sector,” said Quentin Roach, Chief Procurement Officer at Mondelēz International. “As a company we are continuing to pioneer partnership and action with our suppliers to ensure they share and actively support not only our commitment, but the larger collective commitment to realize a forest positive future where a highly efficient ingredient like palm oil is sustainably sourced across the sector.”

“AAK is delighted that Mondelēz International has enhanced its commitment to sustainable palm oil, and is committed to working with Mondelēz International to achieve its goals. Sustainability is key to AAK’s future, including palm oil sustainability in particular. It is critical that representatives along the supply chain join forces to continue the momentum towards a fully sustainable palm oil industry. As one of the key leaders in the market, Mondelēz International sends a strong message with its new announcement, joining AAK as a catalyst for change,” said Jan Lenferink, Vice President AAK AB.

“We are supplying traceable palm oil from areas covered by our in-house land use change monitoring program to Mondelēz International and have always been impressed with their passion and sense of urgency for sustainability. We have appreciated their collaborative approach in setting high standards and utilizing industry frameworks that can be leveraged by all suppliers. We share the belief that close engagement with our customers and suppliers is key, as our sustainability goals can only be achieved through the commitment and collaboration of all stakeholders. We are proud to be able to support Mondelēz International in advancing their sustainable palm oil sourcing and deliver a positive impact together,” said Ben Vreeburg, Sr. Director Sustainability for Tropical Oils, Bunge Loders Croklaan.

Despite representing around 0.5% of demand for palm oil, Mondelēz International has taken a leadership position on palm oil sustainability and recognizes that all actors have a role to play in achieving a solution to this complex problem.  The company has maintained 100% RSPO palm oil coverage since 2018, 98% of the company’s palm oil comes from suppliers with aligned-to policies across their entire supply chain and the company takes action against groups who don’t comply, including the suspension of 89 mills in 2019.

“Many corporations are working hard to address deforestation and achieve better transparency in their supply chains. We are proud to work together with MDLZ to further reduce the environmental impact of the palm oil sector, and make meaningful progress more visible using the combination of daily satellite analytics and granular supply chain data,” said Niels Wielaard CEO of Satelligence.

MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL Joins U.S. Plastic Pact, Committing to meet ambitious circular economy goals by 2025

Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) has joined the U.S. Plastics Pact, a collaborative, solutions-driven initiative rooted in four ambitious goals intended to drive systemic change by bringing together a diverse group of participants from different sectors to work together on creating scalable solutions that can pave the way for a circular economy for plastics in the United States by 2025.

The first North American Pact of its kind, the U.S. Pact is a collaboration led by The Recycling Partnership, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

As part of the U.S. Pact, activators like Mondelēz International recognize that significant, systemwide change is imperative to realize a circular economy for plastics. As such, the U.S. Pact will convene more than 70 brands, retailers, NGOs, and government agencies across the plastics value chain to bring one voice to U.S. packaging through coordinated initiatives and innovative solutions for rethinking products, packaging, and business models.

“We believe that sector-wide initiatives, in collaboration with government, are key to reducing the impact of packaging on our planet,” said Christine Montenegro McGrath, Vice President and Chief of Sustainability and Global Impact at Mondelēz International. “In joining The U.S. Plastics Pact, we are proud to continue to be a part of collectively advancing a unified approach to creating scalable solutions for a circular economy for plastics in the United States.”

As a founding Activator of the U.S. Plastics Pact, Mondelēz International has agreed to collectively deliver against these four ambitious goals:

1. Define a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025. ​
2. By 2025, all plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable. ​
3. By 2025, undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging.
4. By 2025, the average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging will be 30%. ​

While the U.S. Pact is complementary to, and follows the ambitious precedents set by the existing global network of Plastic Pacts, it will be tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of the U.S. market. The Pact will reflect national priorities and realities, while still propelling the nation closer to other developed nations in its management of plastic waste.

“Together through the U.S. Plastics Pact, we will ignite system change to accelerate progress toward a circular economy,” says Sarah Dearman, Vice President of Circular Ventures for The Recycling Partnership. “The U.S. Pact will accelerate systemwide change by inspiring and supporting upstream innovation through a coordinated national strategy, creating a unified framework and enabling members to accelerate progress toward our ambitious 2025 sustainability goals. Members’ full participation will be vital to reaching our shared goals.”

Achieving this vision will require new levels of accountability from all facets of the plastics supply chain. The U.S. Pact emphasizes measurable change and as such, Mondelēz International is committed to transparent, annual reporting, guided by WWF’s ReSource: Plastic Footprint Tracker, which will be used to document annual progress against our four goals. The first task of the founding members of the U.S. Plastics Pact will be to establish a “roadmap” in Q1 2021 to identify key milestones and national solutions to achieving the U.S. targets and realize a circular economy in which plastic never becomes waste.

The announcement marks an important step forward in Mondelēz International’s ambition to create positive impact for people and planet and achieve zero-net waste packaging. As part of a long-term commitment to reduce environmental impact, the company set 2025 packaging innovation targets to ensure 100% of packaging is designed to be recycled, contains on-pack recycling information and contributes to the company’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions. Today, 93% of the company’s total packaging, both plastic and non-plastic, including packaging of iconic snack brands Toblerone and belVita, are designed to be recycled. And beyond this significant progress the announcement advances the company’s leadership role in calling for and participating in sector-wide collaboration to identify and scale up innovation, harmonize packaging formats to make recycling easier and improve waste management infrastructure. 

Mondelez International supports communities during COVID-19 crisis

Mondelēz International, Inc. on Monday announced it will donate $15 million in financial and in-kind support to community partners advancing critical food stability and emergency relief efforts across the world in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. 

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“Managing through and recovering from this global crisis will take everyone’s support and I am pleased we’re standing up to advance relief efforts around the world,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our purpose and values as a company are rooted in doing what’s right for our people and our communities and this $15 million global commitment will help further the impactful work of local community partners providing safety, security and assistance for the people who need it most.”

The company says support for this program will come from the Mondelēz International Foundation as well as global and local brand initiatives, adding that Mondelēz China has already donated approximately $1 million in cash and in-kind donation value to support relief efforts in the region, including the China Youth Development Foundation. Other local business unit efforts will follow.

The Mondelēz International Foundation connects with at-risk communities around the world to promote healthy lifestyles, working closely with public health and community partners by:Investing in community programs that promote active, healthy lifestyles to improve the lives of children and their families around the world.

Mondelēz International sets GUINESS WORLD RECORDS Title

Mondelēz International today announced the company set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the most people dunking cookies across multiple venues.

 The fun record attempt was coordinated to celebrate the OREO cookie brand reaching a major milestone of $3.1 billion in annual net revenues by end of 2019.  

The record attempt began January 30 at 8:30AM CST when the Mondelēz International team across the world was invited to twist, lick and dunk OREO cookies simultaneously as part of a live streaming event. Employees from 55 locations representing 32 countries around the globe participated in the attempt, setting a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title with 5,066 people dunking cookies.

“We’re incredibly proud to be celebrating this sales milestone with the OREO brand, and taking a playful moment to recognize this achievement with the full Mondelēz International family around the world,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO, Mondelēz International. “We’re looking forward to the continued growth of the brand, and hopefully to many more records to come!”

OREO is the world’s favorite cookie, available in more than 100 countries around the globe. Approximately 34 billion OREO cookies are sold each year – 92 million cookies per day – with 10 billion of those cookies sold in the U.S. annually. An estimated 500 billion OREO cookies have been sold since the first OREO biscuit was developed in 1912.

OREO most recently announced the limited edition return of OREO “Most Stuf” cookies in the U.S., as well as new limited-edition flavors Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Tiramisu.  

OREO is the largest brand owned by Mondelēz International, and one of six billion-dollar brands owned by the company, including Milka, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Ritz, Trident, and Halls

Mondelēz International launches global consumer trends study

Mondelēz International announced the launch of its first-ever State of Snacking™ report, a global consumer trends study examining the role snacking plays across the world in meeting consumers’ evolving needs: busy modern lifestyles, the growing desire for community connection and a more holistic sense of wellbeing.

The study reveals the rise of global snacking, underscored by regional parallels demonstrating how snacks are helping lead the future of food by delivering on the spectrum of needs that exists in our day-to-day lives.

The State of Snacking report, developed in partnership with consumer polling specialist, The Harris Poll, complements Mondelēz International’s global snacking knowledge estate with new research conducted among thousands of consumers across twelve countries.

The report sheds light on snacking as a growing behavior worldwide. Notably 6 in 10 adults worldwide (59%) say they prefer to eat many small meals throughout the day, as opposed to a few larger ones, with younger consumers especially leaning into snacks over meals as that number rises to 7 in 10 among Millennials (70%).

“As the snacking market continues to grow globally, we’re living our purpose to empower people to snack right by constantly learning about the many different ways consumers around the world are snacking and evolving their relationship with food,” said Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International. “We see that the average global adult now eats more snacks than meals on a given day, driven by a number of evolving demands largely associated with how we live today, including a growing need for convenience, yearning to share nostalgic and cultural experiences, expanded wellbeing preferences and the desire for choices that range from wholesome to indulgent.”  

Mondelēz International launches the State of Snacking report a year after it announced a new business strategy and purpose. Over the last year, the company made strong progress on its mission to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. This includes developing an ever-deeper knowledge estate of the demands that motivate people to reach for snacks while continuing to meet people’s more holistic understanding of wellbeing by focusing on sustainably sourced essential ingredients, evolving its product portfolio to a broader range of options and inspiring mindful snacking habits.

“We embrace the fact that snacking habits around the world are as diverse as the consumers who enjoy them,” continued Van de Put. “However people snack, they should not have to choose between snacking and eating right, or to worry about the impact their choices have on the world and their communities. That’s why we’re committed to empowering people to snack right.”