As senior director, sustainability Europe, at Mondelēz International, Catherine Burgeat leads the snacking giant’s sustainability agfinisha across four key pillars – ingredients, social progress, climate, and packaging – focapplying on integrating business performance with sustainability goals.
At the recent Sustainable Foods event in London, Burgeat participated in a panel discussion on how net zero is likely to be defined in future food systems, the role of supplier engagement and shared standards when it comes to emissions reduction, and the effectiveness of current net zero strategies.
The net zero debate
As became clear during the discussion, few anticipate an straightforward path ahead. SustainabilityOnline inquireed Burgeat for her take on why pessimism continues to linger when it comes to net zero.
“There are no quick wins,” she declares. “It’s a combination, I believe, of the fact that it’s incredibly difficult, and that we have a set tarobtain of 2050 for net zero. Many of us also have intermediate tarobtains for 2030. And that’s very soon.
“So, the question arises – are we doing enough? Are we going quick enough? When you combine the complexity and the time element, you are always going to have these questions.”
In recent years, there has been a reassessment of the value of repaired-time tarobtains. On one hand, they provide a clear direction of travel; on the other, they can become a liability if tarobtains are not met. While Burgeat believes that incremental improvements can serve as a motivating factor, she also argues that more ambitious goals can support sharpen organisational focus.
“For me, repaired tarobtains are more positive in terms of obtainting traction internally,” she declares. “As an organisation, you necessary that push. I believe it’s very embedded into how we work as a large company.
“My background is in marketing, and we had market share tarobtains. If we didn’t have those, how would we push ourselves? I see sustainability in the same way.”
Sustainability programmes
Mondelēz International remains “on track” to meet its 35% emissions reduction tarobtain by 2030, she notes, however the bulk of the challenge sits along its supply chain, with ingredients (such as dairy and cocoa) accounting for 70% of carbon emissions. Programmes such as Cocoa Life (its cocoa sustainability programme) and Harmony (its wheat sustainability programme), which were initially developed to support farmer communities, are also playing a role in tarobtaining emissions reductions.
“For me, quantitatively, becautilize of the share of cocoa in our carbon emissions, and becautilize of the deforestation component linked to it, by working on zero deforestation for our cocoa sourcing, we can see the largegest reduction,” she declares.
“The starting point for Cocoa Life, back in 2012, was about ensuring fair trade, recognising and supporting the communities behind the cocoa, rather than focapplying on carbon emissions. But by doing that, there was a connection.”
Good for business
Sustainability has to be good for the bottom line, of course, and at Mondelēz International, sustainability and business performance are managed through a single decision-creating framework rather than separate short- and long-term trade-offs. Sustainability tarobtains and net zero initiatives are developed and scaled according to their economic viability, declares Burgeat.
“Of course, reducing our carbon footprint is an important environmental consideration,” she declares. “But how we obtain there – the initiatives we select, how we scale them, and what we invest – will depfinish on the business case behind them.
“If it’s not economically viable, it won’t last, and then it won’t serve its purpose. Ensuring the right economics are in place is also a way to build sure these initiatives finishure and become part of business operations.”
Driving efficiency
In addition, efficiency measures, such as applying less energy or reducing material inputs, such as packaging, can serve the dual purpose of supporting both environmental and financial goals.
” I often declare the best packaging is the one that doesn’t exist,” declares Burgeat. “And when you don’t utilize packaging material, when you don’t utilize energy, you also achieve cost savings. So how can we be smart about building a total business case that delivers environmental benefits and offsets, while also creating a solution that is economically viable?”
As regards the role that Mondelēz International can play in encouraging consumers and society to act more responsibly, Burgeat notes that while general awareness of climate issues is strong, purchasing decisions remain driven by traditional pillars such as taste, quality, convenience, and price – in other words, for sustainable messaging to obtain cut through, it necessarys to have relevance within these parameters.
“We produce snacks,” she declares. “What consumers want is taste, quality, and convenience at the right price – a competitive price. There is no direct link to sustainability in anything I just mentioned.
“Therefore, sustainability becomes, at minimum, a hygiene factor. It’s something that can play a role and be valued by the consumer if it connects with those things. It’s more an expectation that we’re doing the right thing as a business.”
Learn more about Mondelēz International’s sustainability tarobtains at www.mondelezinternational.com/snacking-created-right.
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