Understanding our Impacts

Climate Change

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We accept the scientific consensus that human activities have contributed to a rise in the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and that this rise is changing the climate. The current and long-term consequences of climate change, such as changing temperatures and rainfall patterns, floods, droughts, and the spread of pests and diseases, are putting whole habitats and communities at risk.

We are committed to reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions both to help mitigate the impacts of climate change on communities around the world and because of the implications for our supply chain and operations. The diagram below shows how climate science informs our sustainability strategies and targets.

Meaningful emissions-reduction strategies and targets must address GHGs across the value chain. Using current estimates, we have calculated our GHG emissions as follows:

  • 2 million tonnes: scope 1 and 2 emissions from energy and fuel use in our factories and offices
  • 13 million tonnes: scope 3 emissions from raw material sourcing and other aspects of our value chain, such as packaging materials, raw material and product distribution, business travel, product use and waste.

To date, we have set firm reduction targets for our factories and offices, which account for roughly 13 percent of our total GHG emissions. We will reduce total operational GHG emissions by 25 percent by 2015, from a 2007 baseline, and 100 percent by 2040. This target is based on a commonly referenced estimate of the GHG emissions reductions needed to keep global warming within 2°C of preindustrial levels. See Our Operations for a progress update.

Our GHG emissions occur primarily in the agricultural systems that produce many of our raw materials. Agriculture creates GHG emissions in many ways, including energy used during farming and the production of pesticides, fertilizers and animal feeds, methane and/or nitrous oxide from livestock and crops, and land use changes, such as forest clearance. We are working on targets that are both scientifically credible and achievable for these and other emissions in our value chain. See the Supply Chain section for more information.

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