Posted on 8 Comments

The Importance Of Brand Support And Your Dollars

The trouble with consumerism is it’s superficial. We’re not really educated on brand support. We’re totally spoiled since we can buy anything, from anywhere, by just a click of a button. The shopping revolution has grown and evolved. Our generation thrives on it. The rise of population, production, and propulsion has interconnected people and products. So, this post is for the shoppers that want to shop consciously too make a difference in the world. Not just consume.

Brand support creates Iconic Brands

If you haven’t heard the name Mondelez International here’s your chance. Why would you want to learn about this company? Maybe because it has some of the most powerful and iconic brands in the world. Or maybe because it helps to know how large corporations are conducting business.

Either way who really has the time to do research on what these companies are up too? Not many people would put the time in when life is busy and time is so precious. I want to make it easier for readers to stop in, read a good post, and take whatever tidbit with you!

Who Is Mondelez International?

Founded in 1923, and formally known as the National Dairy Products Corporation. An entrepreneur named Thomas McInnereny went to the banks for financing his vision. His plan was to consolidate the fragmented ice cream industry. Therefore, he joined his company with Edward Rieck’s dairy company. Together they convinced the banks to invest in a roll-up strategy. In order to monopolize the ice cream industry, they quickly acquired 55 dairy businesses.

Mondelez International is now an American multinational confectionery company. Its sole responsibility has been to feed generations delicious snacks! They’re sweet and salty treats are brands that we’ve all grown up eating. From Oreos to Ritz crackers, they operate making 26 billion dollars a year in 160 countries. We’ve voted with our dollars and have offered this company 100% brand support!

Corporate responsibility

I’ve chosen to highlight this company because they monitor their carbon footprint. According to their website, they’re working to set achievable goals for 2020.

These science-based goals help to limit climate change to less than 2 degrees. Included in this plan is the reduction of CO2 emissions by 15% equalling the amount of 240,000 tonnes a year. They’re not doing this alone. They hired a group of people dedicated to keeping them on track!

CDP Disclosure Insight Action is a non-profit group working with investors, companies, and cities. They understand the need for urgent action to build a sustainable economy. Given that I’m glad to see there’s a third party looking out for the general public. It would be too easy for a company to sugarcoat the truth. Don’t mind the pun!

Furthermore, the short term plan is to reduce packaging by 65,000 tonnes. Plus, the paper sourced will come from recyclable paper found from sustainable sources. Although this may be true they’ve also said they no longer want to support verified non-deforested sources in their packaging.

Deforestation in the Industry

However, they`re part of a pool of 1050 corporations deemed to have a significant impact on forests. In 2018 they did not disclose or remain transparent when it came to the deforestation of forests around the world. In fact, they`ve declined to disclose their impacts in the past three years.

Global forests are losing 5 million hectares a year which is 15 football fields a minute. Companies like Mondolez use commodities such as palm oil that drive the deforestation.

The problem with deforestation is that it if we lose our trees then less CO2 can be absorbed. CDP data shows that 83% of corporate targets regarding deforestation are until 2020. Only 14% of deforestation targets have been extended beyond the year 2020.

Moreover, companies reported 30 billion dollars in losses due to the destruction of forests. Between crop failures, forest fires, and regulatory change it’s all taking a toll on business as usual. It’s crazy to think that the problem, which can be solved, is mostly ignored.

Delivering Results

In spite of, Mondolez has created the Harmony program, which involves 1,700 farmers, 13 Millers, and cooperatives across 6 markets. The program promotes biodiversity, conserves water and cares for the soil. For ten years, the program has reduced the use of pesticides in fields and farmers have planted 1026 Hectares of flowers. The flowers are responsible for maintaining bee populations. They also support 30 species of butterflies.

Below are the brands that Mondolez controls. By purchasing these items you are supporting their programs and policies that offer both positive and negative impacts on the environment. The question is do you think the positives outweigh the negative? If the negatives are too much to take then what will you do to make a change?

  • Belvita Breakfast,
  • Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate,
  • Chips Ahoy cookies,
  • Dentyne Gum
  • Enjoy Life Foods.
  • Halls,
  • Milka,
  • Nabisco Newtons,
  • Nilla,
  • Nutter Butter,
  • Oreo,
  • Premium Ritz Crackers.
  • Sour Patch kids,
  • Stride Gum,
  • Toblerone,
  • Tang,
  • Triscuits, and
  • Wheat Thins.
  • Kraft

Even though, their website paints a rosy picture telling us their story of corporate responsibility. Their efforts, through CPD, show us some kind of transparency. It seems their old ways and habits have been hard to break.

How you can make a change

We have the best chances now to make a large impact. With all the tools and education on the world wide web, we can use it to make a difference. Use my website as a bulletin for your conscious shopping needs because my goal is to make your job easier as a consumer.

A Sustainable economy is a thoughtful process developed and planned to change the world. It must be remembered that we’ve got to take the time out to plan for the future. It could be something as simple as baking your own cookies. Since baking reduces the amount of packaging used, plus it reduces the reliance on palm oil. This is a classic solution instead of offering brand support.

Every one of us has an obligation to make the world better off than we left it. Many people pour themselves into their family, work or volunteer life. But, sustainable lives requires the same thoughtful mindfulness each day. What are you going to do to minimize the impact of your carbon footprint?

To learn more about this topic please click the links below:

Posted on Leave a comment

Which Soup Companies make a difference in the world

Is it possible for a company to become environmentally responsible and profitable at the same time? The answer to that question is a resounding YES! It’s entirely possible. These four companies provide nourishing food and also can make a difference to the greater good! They`re providing customers quality nutritious ingredients by sourcing them from local organic farms which support local producers.

Pacific Foods

This company has taken corporate responsibility to another level. Their goal is to deliver a product without creating waste! An American company with a mission and a vision to be energy efficient, and they’re using profits to support projects that facilitate alternative energy.

For the past thirty years Pacific Foods an Oregan based company has taken customer service to the next level. They’ve introduced a forthcoming business model that could make a difference in the world. It’s a straightforward approach to business that won’t compromise the environment. They mean business and if it means eliminating the trash compactor then so be it!

The process starts at the beginning of production. First, the discarded fats and solids are sent to the manufacturing plant to break them down by using bacteria. Then the energy is harnessed to generate electricity. The farm animals eat one hundred percent of the food scraps and the leftovers are sent to compost. Lastly, the waste from the Farm animals fertilizes the farmer`s crops. Simple!

The goal to be energy efficient is a priority and it turns out not surprisingly the result is profitable! They supply the North West with products like plant-based beverages such as Hemp Milk, Oat Milk, and Almond Milk. They`re serving up beans, soups, and sauces and kicking their carbon foot print’s butt!

Within five years they’ve realized the energy savings equal to the annual electrical consumption of three hundred and thirty homes or the gas emissions of five hundred cars. If this one company can make it happen then what about a huge company that has been around for years. Do they get it?

Campbells Company

Campbells Company soup has been around for one hundred and fifty years and they`re the king of the soup aisle! They’ve taken corporate responsibility public by dedicating a portion of their web page to show how they make a difference in the world. Statistics show the progress of set goals such as responsible sourcing, reduction of greenhouse gases, and reduction of landfill waste.

Their goal is not necessarily to become a zero-waste facility but to decrease waste in the percentile. They’re dedicated to sourcing farm animals that are cage or pen free. However, they still have a long way to go before they reach this goal. In their report, they’ve given themselves five to ten years to reduce water, greenhouse gases, and waste between twenty to twenty-five percent. The results so far are a long ways off from achieving their target and it makes me wonder if its a priority.

There are a few wins! Number one they have shown that they’re plants are safe. Secondly, fifty percent of their tomatoes are from a sustainable agricultural program. Lastly, they’ve reduced their water consumption by twenty percent from 2012 levels.

Knorr Foods

Knorr foods have been around for over sixty years and this company has developed a standard that other companies can model! The name of this standard practice is the Unilever Sustainable Agriculture Code. It has funded over seventy projects to support farmers and they pride themselves on their class of farmers.

Knorr farmers use environmentally friendly techniques to take care of pests, save water, encourage biodiversity and healthy soils. Their pest management system includes ladybugs, camera monitors and insect attracting perfumes. Furthermore, they`re taught to manage beehives and drip irrigation installations which save thousands of Liters of water a year. They’re working to make a difference in the world.

The goal of the Unilever agricultural code is to source one hundred percent of their ingredients from sustainable sources by 2020. If you see a sustainable partnership logo on any canned soup it means the soup ingredients have fifty percent sustainably sourced food.

The Unilever agricultural code reduces environmental impact by using organic ingredients, products from the rainforest alliance certification and Palm oil from Roundtable. It also has one hundred different companies that feed over two and a half billion people every day!

Imagine Foods

Imagine Foods has been doing business in California for almost forty years. This food company has taken a commitment to the environment seriously. They not only support Organic ingredients but also makes recyclable packaging.

Their soups, sauces, and broths are free from artificial ingredients, synthetic pesticides, preservatives,  and Genetically modified organisms. The packages are environmentally friendly because they use less material than other aseptic cartons. (glossy plastic-coated cartons) Minimizing conventional packaging reduces the overall carbon footprint for Imagine Foods. These are the facts that set this Brand apart from traditional soup manufacturers.

We live in a time where there are so many options and the choices can be overwhelming. Consumers find it difficult to make a choice that involves ethical standards and corporate environmental responsibility. The packaging and marketing often do not go into depth in regards to these matters. Overall, I studied 11 different companies and found four common brands which make a difference in the world. So the next time you buy Soup the decision to shop ethically will be easier!

Aseptic cartons can be recycled in the blue bins in Vancouver B.C.

www.pacificfoods.com

www.imaginefoods.com