American beverage company Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has achieved two of its long-term supply chain goals, according to its third annual ‘Drink Well. Do Good’ corporate responsibility progress report.
The report, released at the start of July, highlights the progress the company has made in its quest to drive positive impact across the supply chain. This includes natural resource and ecosystem protection, human rights and worker wellbeing, and farmer profitability.
The first 2020 milestone reached was to engage one million individuals in the supply chain and significantly improve their lives. The second was to source 100 per cent of its KDP’s coffee responsibly.
Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer at KDP says, “Following the unprecedented challenges of 2020, we recognise that accelerating action across our key areas of impact has never been more important.”
Other achievements saw KDP producing 100 per cent of its L-Cup Pods from recyclable plastic. This is part of KDP’s goal to make all of its packaging recyclable or compostable by 2025, with the company currently sitting at 90 per cent with this new achievement.
The report further stated that four million coffee cups, beverages, and brewers were donated to more than 500 hospitals across United States and Canada to support healthcare workers during the pandemic.
“We’re proud of the goals we achieved in 2020 and the existing and new commitments we’ve made to drive an even greater positive impact, individually and together with our partners,” says Oxender.
The report also outlines new commitments for the company including to expand its responsible sourcing beyond coffee to include cocoa, corn, and apples. In line with the KDP sustainability goals, the company released a goal earlier this year to support regenerative agriculture and conservation on 101,171 hectares of land.
This land accounts for 50 per cent of the area that KDP uses to grow coffee, corn, and apple for its products.
KDP has also widened its new goals to include health and well-being, diversity and inclusion and environmental stewardship.
These goals seek to address entry barriers that limit “prosperity in the supply chain,” improving livelihoods alongside increasing nutritional products that meet consumer’s needs. KDP has further set a goal to have 60 per cent of its portfolio offering positive hydration by 2025.
In a move to increase diversity within KDP, a goal has been to set to have a 25 per cent representation of women and people of colour in Director roles and upwards by 2025.
KDP’s 2020 ‘Drink Well. Do Good.’ report was drafted in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, which are a sustainability reporting standard. This report was also published along with its Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Index and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
For more information on the full report, click here.