Kellogg’s

Lobbying
Kellogg’s discloses some membership associations. It has however an opportunity to further show leadership by disclosing a full list of its trade associations for all jurisdictions where it operates.

Stakeholder engagement
Kellogg’s discloses the channels it uses to engage with its stakeholder groups.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
Kellogg’s 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. Also, it has group-wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain and reports consistently against all its targets.

GHG emissions
Kellogg’s has set time-bound targets to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
Kellogg’s openly shares its efforts to enhance soil health and promote agrobiodiversity through its production and sourcing practices.

Solid and air pollution
Kellogg’s demonstrates commitment to plastic use reduction and transitioning towards sustainable packaging. The company has also set targets regarding the reduction of virgin plastic use, and reports progress against it.

Water
Kellogg’s reports how much water is withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
Kellogg’s has a requirement for its business relationships to identify and acknowledge Indigenous Peoples who may be affected by its projects. It also emphasises the importance of obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of these Indigenous Peoples in determining whether and how to proceed with the projects.

Additionally, the company mandates that its business relationships establish a process for identifying legitimate tenure rights holders. Special attention should be given to those who may be vulnerable or marginalised in society. It is also expected that negotiations will take place with these tenure rights holders to ensure they receive appropriate compensation for their involvement in the projects.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
Kellogg’s is committed to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Act ethically
Kellogg’s has a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption and includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. Moreover, it has a grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise concerns and complaints regarding bribery and corruption. Additionally, it also discloses its approach to lobbying and political engagement in a policy statement. The company also discloses a global tax strategy.

Provide and promote decent work
Kellogg’s discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements and the proportion of each employee category by race or ethnicity. Moreover, the company publicly commits to respecting the health and safety of workers and expects its business relationships to do so. Additionally, it publicly states that all overtime work must be consensual and be paid at a premium rate.

Further, the company publicly commits to gender equality and women’s empowerment and discloses the proportion of women in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category. It has 41.67% women on the board and has an aspirational goal of 50/50 gender parity by the end of 2025.

Respect human rights
Kellogg’s has a publicly available policy statement expecting suppliers to respect the International Labour Organization (ILO) core labour rights. Moreover, the company carries out human rights due diligence and describes processes for identifying risks and impacts in specific locations or activities, covering its own operations and supply chain. Furthermore, the company describes its process for assessing human rights risks and discloses its salient human rights issues. It has a publicly available policy statement committing to respect human rights. It also outlines its global system to prevent, mitigate, or address these issues.

In addition, the company engages with stakeholders who may be affected by its activities and has a human rights grievance mechanism accessible to all workers and external stakeholders impacted negatively by the company.

Lobbying
The company has an opportunity to disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with its sustainability targets and to report (potential) misalignments.

Stakeholder engagement
The company has an opportunity to disclose an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities.

Sustainability strategy and accountability
While the company discloses a remuneration policy related to sustainability, it has an opportunity to link this policy to improvement in nature-related objectives and social issues. Also, although the company states that the board of directors has expertise in nutrition, it could disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise with respect to the company’s most material sustainability topics.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration
No evidence was found regarding the company’s efforts to avoid ecosystem conversion, including deforestation, or promote restoration. The company has an opportunity to develop a strategy and publicly report on specific, time-bound targets.

GHG emissions
The company needs to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and report progress against its targets. Crucially, its targets need to align with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Impact and dependencies assessment
The company has an opportunity to disclose assessments of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, within its own operations and in its supply chain. It could also disclose its dependencies on nature within its own operations and upstream business relationships.

Invasive species
The company has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive alien species in its own operations.

Key areas and species
The company has an opportunity to disclose locations within or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity, both in its own operations and its supplier locations. It could also disclose existing species populations existing in or adjacent to both its own and its suppliers’ locations, as well as the conservation status of species identified at its own sites according to national and international lists.

Resource exploitation and circularity performance
The company has an opportunity to disclose its inputs according to an international standard, and to report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. It could also disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices and report progress against it.

Solid and air pollution
While the company describes its commitments to reduce plastic use and transition towards sustainable packaging, it has an opportunity to disclose the associated quantitative data.

Water
The company has an opportunity to further improve water withdrawal by setting a time-bound target, showing year-on-year reductions in water withdrawal, and engaging with suppliers. It does not disclose relevant information on water pollution or rights to water in its operations or supply chains.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights
The company does not show if it is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights or land rights of local communities.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The company has an opportunity to commit to respecting local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Moreover, it should track its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities.

Act ethically
The company claims that its leaders and managers participate in annual enterprise risk assessments, which cover fraud, anti-corruption compliance, and the management of third-party intermediaries. However, it could describe how it identifies bribery and corruption risks in specific locations or activities within its own operations.

Although the company has a policy statement that allows political contributions, it is unclear if the company strictly permits political contributions by exception and clearly defines the criteria for making them. Additionally, the company could consider disclosing its lobbying activity expenditures. Moreover, it could specify that it mandates third-party lobbyists to comply with its lobbying and political engagement policy.

Provide and promote decent work
The company could disclose not only that it monitors the health and safety performance of its business relationships but also the ways to do so. Additionally, it has an opportunity to disclose either a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or if it has successfully achieved this goal. Furthermore, the company could disclose its process for determining a living wage in the regions where it operates. It could also disclose the ways in which it actively supports its suppliers in paying a living wage. Lastly, the company could disclose the ratio of women’s basic salary and remuneration to that of men in its total direct operations workforce for each employee category, specifying the significant locations of operation.

Respect human rights
The company currently discloses statements that commit it to respecting the fundamental rights at work as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO). However, there is room for improvement in the language used to transform the statement into a more formal and binding commitment. This could be accomplished by incorporating the statements into a formal policy document.