Ferrero Group has announced it’s on track to meet its key sustainability objectives and targets.
Ferrero’s progress is documented in the company’s 14th Sustainability Report, which highlights the steps taken during the 2021/22 financial year on four key pillars:
- Protecting the environment
- Sustainable sourcing
- Promoting responsible consumption
- Empowering people
“The financial year was particularly challenging – war broke out, supply chains were disrupted, energy costs surged, and inflation grew alongside the cost of raw materials,” says Ferrero Group Executive Chairman Giovanni Ferrero.
“In the face of these challenges, Ferrero has not only been able to grow, but to also make strong progress with a number of our sustainability targets – and, in some instances, exceed them.”
Local highlights
According to Ferrero, Australian highlights from the recent report include:
- Ferrero’s gold status membership being reaccredited in the NSW’s government’s Sustainability Advantage Recognition Scheme for the tenth consecutive year.
- Ferrero becoming a supporter of the National Packaging & Recycling Scheme.
- Ferrero’s Lithgow-based factory, producing Nutella and Tic Tac, making progress towards its ambitious sustainability goals. The factory has now completed stage 2 of its solar panel installation, with panels across 75% of its roof, and generates around 20% of the factory’s overall energy consumption.
- The Lithgow factory also minimising water usage and aiming to purify and reuse 100% of water used in the industrial process over the next seven years. Since 2021, water consumption has been reduced by 30%.
- The company aiming to reduce CO₂ emissions by 1.5% year on year by utilising green energy from the grid and electrifying equipment which is aimed to cut gas consumption by 50%.
Global highlights
Globally, Ferrero says highlights include:
- 92% of the company’s global electricity now coming from renewables – up from 84% last year.
- 100% of palm oil being RSPO certified segregated, with 99.95% traceable to 146 palm oil mills and 722 plantations.
- The publishing of the company’s first Human Rights Report at the end of 2021.
- The completion of Ferrero’s first four-year Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI) action plan, achieving or even surpassing the majority of targets set in 2018.
- The Ferrero Farming Values program helping to deliver one-to-one coaching to 32% of cocoa farmers on farm and business planning, while 155,000 cocoa farmers took part in group training.
- The Group having reached traceability back to farm level across more than 96% of its cocoa supply volume.
- Continued working on Ferrero’s target of designing 100% of its packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable, across four main areas of action: R&D and open innovation, existing packaging development and design, working with recyclers and national waste-management systems, and educating consumers.