JM Smucker

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company is taking proactive steps to reduce its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. It has established a time-bound target to achieve a 28% reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030, using 2019 as the baseline year. Furthermore, the company provides detailed emissions data. For instance, in 2021, it was able to lower their scope 1 and 2 emissions from 311,040 metric tonnes in the previous year to 257,416 metric tonnes.

Water withdrawal
The company reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas.

Food safety
The company provides evidence that 100% of its own operations are certified to a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-recognised food safety scheme.

Child labour
The company requires suppliers to prohibit child labour and verify the age of recruited workers.

Act ethically
The company has a policy on prohibiting bribery and corruption and includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its business relationships’ contracts, along with a grievance mechanism for stakeholder complaints. Additionally, it discloses a public commitment to protect personal data.

Provide and promote decent work
The company discloses a policy statement committing it to respect its operations and supply chain workers’ health and safety and provides evidence of monitoring suppliers’ compliance.

Additionally, it has established a target to increase women representation to 45% in its senior leadership roles by 2027 within its US salaried employee community. The company also reports the proportion of its total direct operations workforce for each employee category by gender and by race or ethnicity. Currently, women make up 33% of its Board of Directors.

Respect human rights
The company has policy statements committing it to respect human rights and expecting its business relationships to adhere to the International Labour Organization (ILO) fundamental rights at work. It also has established a human rights grievance mechanism accessible to all workers and all external stakeholders who may be adversely impacted by the company.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company discloses a remuneration policy related to sustainability performance but can further link this policy to enhancements in nature-related objectives and social issues. Moreover, the company has an opportunity to disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise with respect to the company’s most material sustainability topics.

Lobbying and advocacy
The company has an opportunity to disclose a list of trade associations of which it is a member. Furthermore, it could provide a clear and detailed framework for assessing the alignment of these trade associations with its sustainability targets and report any (potential) misalignments between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and its sustainability targets.

Stakeholder engagement
The company has an opportunity to disclose an overview of the issues raised by each stakeholder group during its stakeholder engagement activities and to describe its process, including frequencies and channels, for engaging with stakeholder groups beyond its materiality assessment.

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses some sustainability objectives/targets including climate and social inclusion but could establish group-wide targets for the most material parts of its value chain. While the company reports consistently against some targets including climate, it has an opportunity to report consistently against all its targets.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The company has the opportunity to align its scope 1 and 2 emissions targets with a 1.5-degree trajectory. While it reported its scope 3 emissions for FY2021 as 7,769,045 metric tonnes, it did not provide quantitative reductions in scope 3 emissions compared to the previous year due to the absence of recalculated FY2020 data. Although the company has disclosed an intensity-based target, aiming for a 22% reduction per unit of sold product by 2030 using a 2019 base year, there is no evidence of absolute scope 3 emissions reduction targets. It would be beneficial for the company to both report progress on these scope 3 targets and align them with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Ecosystem conversion
The company discloses some evidence of addressing conversion. However, this does not guarantee DCF-aligned practices. It could disclose time-bound targets to achieve conversion-free supply chains.

Food loss and waste
The company has an opportunity to disclose its FLW reduction targets and report progress against them. Moreover, it has an opportunity to align its FLW reduction goal with SDG12.3 (50% reduction by 2030).

Plastic use and packaging waste
The company has an opportunity to disclose quantitative evidence regarding plastic use reduction and use of sustainable packaging.

Water withdrawal
The company has the opportunity to provide quantitative evidence of reductions in water withdrawal within its own operations. Currently, the company discloses reduction targets for water consumption, absolute water use, and water intensity. However, it should also consider disclosing a target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations and report the progress made towards that target. Additionally, the company has the opportunity to collaborate with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal.

Accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods
The company has an opportunity to disclose its commitment and commercial activities to improve the accessibility and affordability of nutritious foods.

Availability of nutritious foods
The company has an opportunity to demonstrate how it is improving the nutritional quality of its products and to set targets to increase the share of more nutritious products in its portfolio.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company has an opportunity to adopt front-of-pack labels or any other consumer- facing nutrition labels that support consumers with making healthier food choices. Additionally, it can disclose the percentage of products for which its front-of-pack labelling schemes have been rolled out.

Food safety
The company has an opportunity to disclose the percentage of food suppliers certified to a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme.

Responsible marketing
The company can provide evidence of marketing activities to promote heathier and more nutritious food options (in accordance with a government-endorsed or externally validated nutritional guidelines). Moreover, it has an opportunity to disclose a responsible marketing policy specifically tailored to children that is aligned with international codes and guidelines and applicable across all media channels.

Child labour
The company has an opportunity to address instances of child labor within its operations by disclosing examples of its remediation programs. Additionally, it has implemented mandatory training for its coffee suppliers specifically focused on combating child labor. However, there is currently no additional evidence available regarding the effectiveness of this training in eradicating child labor and enhancing working conditions for young workers.

Farmer and fisher livelihoods
The company has set up initiatives to improve the sustainability and profitability of the farms but it has an opportunity to demonstrate how it improves farmers’ income resilience through its procurement practices and supply chain relationships. Also, it could demonstrate how it identifies living income benchmarks and assesses living income gaps for some regions or commodities.

Forced labour
For its operations, the company discloses that it is committed to the principle that no worker should pay for their job but could disclose similar commitments for its supply chain. While the company prohibits suppliers from retaining workers’ personal documents and restricting their freedom of movement, it could have in place related policy commitments for its operations. Moreover, it has an opportunity to indicate how it is building the capacity of its suppliers to prevent forced labour impacts.

Living wage
While the company expects its suppliers to comply with all applicable wage laws and encourages them to pay a living wage where the minimum wage requirements are not sufficient to meet basic needs, it has an opportunity to set a target for paying a living wage across its direct suppliers or extend the requirement to all locations. Also, it could describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it sources and disclose the percentage of workers across its own operations or direct suppliers that are paid a living wage.

Act ethically
The company has an opportunity to establish a process to identify risks and impacts related to bribery and corruption. Furthermore, the company could demonstrate ethical conduct by publishing a policy statement that outlines its approach to lobbying, emphasises its non-participation in political contributions, or alternatively, states the criteria of exceptions. It could also transparently disclose all lobbying expenditures in countries where it operates.

Provide and promote decent work
The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to its workers’ wellbeing by setting a time-bound target for ensuring all workers receive a living wage and detailing the living wage determination methodology in the regions where it operates. Furthermore, while it expects its suppliers to pay a living wage, it has an opportunity to disclose strategies to support them to make the payment.

Additionally, the company could translate its commitment statements on gender equality and women’s empowerment into a public policy document. It could also disclose the ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men.

Respect human rights
The company has a publicly available policy statement committing it to respect specific workers’ rights in its operations but has an opportunity to reference all the ILO fundamental rights at work. Additionally, while it has conducted an issues assessment, it has an opportunity to disclose how it identifies human rights risks and impacts in specific activities or locations, covering its operation and value chain.

Furthermore, it could disclose the process for assessing and identifying its salient human rights issues and disclose what it considers as salient human rights issues for the company. Moreover, the company could establish a global system to address these salient human rights issues by implementing preventive, mitigative, or remedial measures.