Hershey unveils raft of new sustainability targets and practices

The Hershey Company has set new sustainability goals for 2030, as it aims to reduce its global emissions through investing in renewable energy, packaging innovations and sustainable land-use policies.

The company has set new science-based targets to reduce its emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Building on its 2019 commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative, Hershey has announced its goal to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by more than 50% and its absolute Scope 3 emissions by 25% by 2030, compared to a 2018 baseline.

In order to meet these commitments, Hershey is aiming for 100% of its plastic packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2030 and has announced a no-deforestation policy.

As part of its renewable energy investment, the company has signed two power purchase agreements (PPAs) that will enable the construction of two new utility-scale solar farms. Combined with additional energy efficiency projects, these efforts are expected to reduce Hershey’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% by 2024.

The company has achieved its goal of reducing its packaging weight by 25 million pounds by 2025, five years ahead of schedule. Hershey has now set a new target to reduce an additional 25 million pounds by 2030.

As part of land-use, Hershey has committed to end deforestation across its supply chain by 2030 with a new company-wide deforestation policy. This applies to all suppliers across its raw material supply chains and it plans to prioritise commodities that present the greatest risk such as cocoa, palm oil, pulp, paper and soy.

Hershey says it will take action regarding any supplier that is not in compliance with the policy, including potential suspension or removal from its supply chain.

“These environmental commitments are critical to the long-term sustainability of our business,” said Jeff King, senior director of global sustainability and social impact, The Hershey Company.

“The work is interconnected across our business and requires us to bring together all efforts across the company, from manufacturing, energy buying and packaging to make it work seamlessly to reach our goals.”