(BPT) – While most Americans recognize the iconic breakfast cereals bearing his name, they may not know much about the founder of the company that created those cereals: W.K. Kellogg. When starting his company 117 years ago, Kellogg believed the business would do well when it was doing good. His strongly held convictions made him a success — and also a visionary, philanthropist and pioneer conservationist — leaving a legacy that lives on today.
Kellogg Company expanded its product offerings over the years, and its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals have also exceeded the original vision of simply “doing good.” Kellogg’s Better Days® Promise has created Better Days for over 1.8 billion people since 2015, and aims to create Better Days for 3 billion people by 2030 — focusing on hunger and wellbeing, improving sustainability, and increasing equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I).
Here’s a snapshot of how these efforts are making a difference.
Reducing hunger, enhancing well-being
Because food is such a crucial component of well-being, addressing hunger is a huge part of the company’s mission. Between 2017 and 2022, Kellogg has achieved:
- Over 989 million people nourished through delicious, accessible foods that deliver necessary nutrients.
- More than 252 million people facing hunger being fed through the company’s food donations and child feeding programs
- Over 5 million kids reached through feeding programs.
- 1 billion people engaged in advocating for sustainable and equitable access to food.
To help reach these goals, the company partners with organizations that work toward addressing food insecurity across the world. For example, in the aftermath of devastating flooding in Kentucky and Missouri in July 2022, Kellogg sent nearly 450,000 servings of food to partner Feeding America to support those affected and help food banks with their long-term recovery efforts. It also collaborated with long-time partner United Way to host the United to Feed Innovation Challenge to support creative hunger relief programs, with winners across the U.S. and Europe. And to honor World Food Day 2022, Kellogg employees around the world volunteered over 2,400 hours of their time to help fight hunger.
Initiatives aiming to improve well-being include Mission Tiger, which has funded better access to sports for over 1 million students since the program launched in 2019, and the Pringles “Movember” campaign in the U.S. and Europe, which engaged employees and consumers to raise donations for men’s health. Other efforts include developing new foods that deliver nutrients of need, including Extra™ Maple Flavored Cereal with Bananas and Special K® High Protein Chocolate Almond.
Making strides toward sustainability
Ensuring that the company creates and follows sustainability practices to help the planet is also a major focus of the Better Days effort. Since 2015, Kellogg Company has accomplished:
- 33% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
- 40.3% electricity used in 2022 from renewable sources.
- 76% of packaging being recyclable at scale (in 2021).
To help implement these vital changes, the company launched a partnership with Enel Green Power, using a wind farm to power 50% of its North American electricity needs. Kellogg Company also conducted a pilot year of their InGrained™ program, helping U.S. rice farmers implement practices that reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1,600 metric tonnes — the equivalent of taking more than 345 gasoline-powered cars off the road.
Taking positive steps toward Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
To ensure better representation in its workforce, the company is working toward aspirational goals for gender and People of Color at the management level by 2025. As of the end of 2022, Kellogg has achieved:
- 45.7% of all manager roles and above globally filled by women.
- Kellogg Europe has actually already achieved their goal of having 50% male and female representation in all manager roles and above.
- 22.7% of all manager roles and above in the U.S. were filled by people of color.
The company also creates programs and practices to become more inclusive of its consumers. For example, to help those with vision impairment, NaviLens technology on the packaging of some U.S. cereals now helps blind and low-vision shoppers find their products. Kellogg also launched limited-edition Pop-Tarts packaging and donated $100,000 in the U.S. to support GLAAD’s Spirit Day stand against bullying LGBTQ youth. And to acknowledge the connection their products have had with Latina moms in the U.S. and Mexico for generations, Kellogg Company launched a campaign called “On Moms’ Tables Aqui y Alla” (On Moms’ Tables Here and There) to capture the emotional relationship bicultural Latina moms have had with their products throughout their lives.
A legacy looking toward the future
The commitment to doing good expressed in Kellogg’s Better Days® Promise continues, even as the company separates into two independent companies by the end of 2023. The global snacking business will be named Kellanova, and the North American cereal business will be named WK Kellogg Co. While both companies will pursue their ESG strategies separately, they’ll continue building on the powerful legacy of W.K. Kellogg, creating a place at the table for everyone.
Learn more about how Kellogg Company is creating #BetterDays and living the promise of its founder at betterdays.kelloggcompany.com.