General Mills steps up

General Mills has announced some bold new measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chains and says it will also press for political action to address climate change.

The measures General Mills, maker of Old El Paso, Latina Pasta and Haagen-Dazs, has committed to include defining and disclosing a total supply chain greenhouse gas reduction target by August 2015, seeking to achieve zero net deforestation in high-risk supply chains by 2020; and disclosing the top three suppliers of palm oil and sugar cane.

General Mills’ new policy states that “business, together with government, NGOs and individuals, needs to act to reduce the human impact of climate change,” and that “government policies that provide proportionate and clear guidance on mitigation and adaptation are essential for large-scale progress.”

Oxfam Australia’s climate change policy advisor Simon Bradshaw said the commitments would make General Mills the first major food and beverage company to promise to implement long-term, science-based targets to cut emissions from across all of its operations and supply chains.

“The commitment by General Mills throws the inaction of the Australian Government into sharp relief, and is a sign that it will come under greater pressure from business and the international community to legislate an ambitious, long-term plan of action to tackle climate change,” Bradshaw said.

Oxfam said the announcement followed its recent campaign to urge food and beverage companies to help stop climate change.

Oxfam’s report, Standing on the Sidelines, released on 20 May, revealed that the 10 biggest food and beverage companies together emit so much greenhouse gas that, if they were a single country, they would be the 25th most polluting in the world.

The report also highlighted cases in Liberia and Indonesia where suppliers of palm oil to General Mills and Kellogg are accused of clearing land and burning forests.