Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  June 4, 2024

Hershey's Emissions Fall by 43%

Hershey, a food manufacturer, announced it achieved a 43% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions against a 2018 baseline and that it is on track to achieve a 50% absolute reduction by 2030.

As released in its 2023 ESG Report, the company completed this reduction via several programs.  

The Sustainable Dairy PA program is growing from a pilot to a two-year scale-up phase, co-financed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In collaboration with Land O’Lakes, a strategic partner and the company’s highest-volume dairy supplier, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the program showed potential to lower GHG emissions across dairy farms throughout Pennsylvania that supply Hershey. 

The EPA and Hershey have each committed $1 million to extend the range of climate-resilient practices and number of participating Land O’Lakes-member farms. 

During the three years of the project, 490 metric tons of CO2e are estimated to be sequestered.

In the 2022-2023 growing season, the pilot program with United Sugar, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund and others lowered the company’s Scope 3 GHG emissions from sugar supplied by participating farms by 1,600 metric tons of CO2e through the adoption of reduced tillage and winter cover crops. An additional 1,600 metric tons CO2e were mitigated in the partners’ supply chains. The results will be used to refine Hershey’s emissions reduction strategy for sugar beets. 

"Hershey remains focused on strengthening our business and making the biggest impact in our focus areas," said Michele Buck, CEO of The Hershey Company, in a statement. "While we have more to do on this journey, the collective efforts of our team, in partnership with leading organizations and key stakeholders, will continue to propel us forward. Our actions and progress are aimed at driving long-term resiliency for our business, sustainability for our planet and the well-being of our people."

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