Kerry Group plc
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2022, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:10,432,204 tCO2e/year (Scope 1+2+3)
Scope 1 Emissions:460,731 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:25,415 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:9,971,498 tCO2e/year
Renewable Energy Share:100% of purchased electricity
Total Energy Consumption:3,276,271 MWh/year
Water Consumption:21,551 megalitres/year
Waste Generated:499,743 tons/year
Carbon Intensity:0.14 tCO2e/tonne of finished product (Scope 1 & 2); 2.90 tCO2e/tonne of finished product (Scope 3)
ESG Focus Areas
- Sustainable Nutrition
- Climate Action
- Water Stewardship
- Waste and Circular Economy
- Responsible Sourcing
- Biodiversity
- Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Employee Health and Wellbeing
- Business Ethics and Integrity
- Human Rights
Environmental Achievements
- Achieved 100% renewable electricity across operations in 2022
- 48% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions since 2017
- 32% reduction in food waste since 2017
- 95% of total waste volume diverted from landfill in 2022
- 74% of plastic packaging volumes met reusable, recyclable, or compostable criteria in 2022
Social Achievements
- Launched Evolve programme in Ireland to address Scope 3 emissions with dairy suppliers
- Launched KerryNutri Guide to help companies create nutritionally-optimized products
- Launched Wellbeing Support Centre, an online platform providing educational material on employee wellbeing
- Further reduction in health and safety incidents (11% reduction in recordable incidents rate compared to 2021)
- 36% women in senior management
Governance Achievements
- Established a comprehensive governance structure for sustainability, including a Global Sustainability Council and functional councils
- All colleagues completed new Code of Conduct training in 2022
- Robust mechanisms in place for reporting non-compliance
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Scale up of low/no carbon technologies across sites
- Increase proportion of zero carbon plants
- Carbon removals to address residual emissions
- Net Zero emissions before 2050
- 100% of priority raw materials responsibly sourced by 2030
Medium-term Goals:
- Expanded deployment of energy efficiency measures
- Testing low and no carbon technologies across sites
- Zero carbon pilot plants across our operations
- 80% of dairy ingredient volumes meeting SDP level three criteria or higher by 2025
Short-term Goals:
- 100% renewable electricity across operations
- Identify and invest in energy efficiency measures
- Switching to cleaner fuels across selected sites
- 15% improvement in water efficiency by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain disruptions due to global events and extreme weather
- Addressing Scope 3 emissions (95% of total emissions)
- Maintaining water quality in areas of water stress
- Achieving traceability and sustainability in complex supply chains (e.g., soy, cocoa)
- Ensuring responsible sourcing of raw materials from thousands of global suppliers
Mitigation Strategies
- Developed alternative sourcing strategies
- Launched Evolve programme with dairy suppliers in Ireland
- Implemented energy efficiency measures and switched to cleaner fuels
- Improved water efficiency through various initiatives
- Updated policies and requirements for priority raw materials (palm oil, soy, paper, coffee, cocoa)
- Engaged suppliers on Sedex platform for ethical trade audits
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 1,400 supplier and third-party manufacturer audits in 2022
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Supplier Requirements Manual
- Sedex platform for supplier engagement
- Evolve programme for dairy suppliers
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events, flooding
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes, market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Standards (2021)
Certifications: ISO 14001 (68% of sites), ISO 50001 (almost 20% of energy demand)
Third-party Assurance: Jacobs UK Ltd (AA1000 Assurance Standard)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 2: Zero Hunger
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Kerry's initiatives contribute to these goals through sustainable nutrition solutions, health and wellbeing programs, and responsible resource management.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Kerry Tastesense® Salt solutions for sodium reduction
- Liquid Probiotic Delivery System BC30TM
- No/Low Alcohol Solutions with Kerry Tastesense® Sensations
- Lower-carbon cheese powders
- Food protection and preservation technologies
Awards & Recognition
- 2022 Sustainable Plant of the Year (Rome, Georgia facility)
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
Total Carbon Emissions:Not disclosed
Scope 1 Emissions:420,000 tonnes of CO2e
Scope 2 Emissions:50,000 tonnes of CO2e
Scope 3 Emissions:8,871,000 tonnes of CO2e
Renewable Energy Share:94%
Total Energy Consumption:3235 GWh
Water Consumption:19591 Megalitres
Waste Generated:Not disclosed
Carbon Intensity:Not disclosed
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Responsible Sourcing
- Food Waste Reduction
- Human Rights
- Community Engagement
Environmental Achievements
- 48% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions compared to 2017 baseline
- 39% reduction in food waste compared to 2017 baseline
- 94% of electricity purchases from renewable sources or backed by renewable energy certificates
Social Achievements
- Expanded nutritional reach to 1.25 billion people
- Launched Global All Employee Share Plan ‘OurShare’
- Launched Women in Leadership programme
- Zero recall notifications
Governance Achievements
- Established standalone Sustainability Committee
- Improved Board diversity (43% female representation)
- Completed independent Human Rights Assessment
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Achieve Net Zero emissions before 2050
Medium-term Goals:
- Reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 55% by 2030
- Reduce Scope 3 emissions intensity by 30% by 2030
- Reduce food waste by 50% by 2030
- Reach over 2 billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce water withdrawal intensity by 15% by 2025
- Make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025
- Achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Challenging macroeconomic conditions (inflation, customer destocking, cautious consumer behavior)
- Significant change in dairy market conditions
- Supply chain disruptions
- Evolving consumer demands (health, sustainability, value)
- Climate change related risks (extreme weather, water stress, regulatory changes)
Mitigation Strategies
- Accelerate Operational Excellence programme
- Portfolio developments (acquisitions and divestments)
- Pricing mechanisms
- Investment in digital initiatives
- Sustainable sourcing initiatives
- Emissions reduction projects
- Food waste reduction strategies
- Business continuity and crisis management plans
- Supplier engagement and training
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 11 sites underwent SMETA audit in 2023; 88% of suppliers in high-risk countries enrolled on Sedex; 65% of these underwent SMETA audit
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Risk-based approach to supplier assessment
- Evolve Dairy Sustainability Programme
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
- Rising sea levels
- Water stress
- Raw material supply disruptions
Transition Risks
- Carbon pricing
- Decarbonization costs
- Shifting consumer demand
- Regulatory changes
Opportunities
- Energy efficiency
- Renewable energy
- Lower-carbon alternatives
- Growth in sustainable products
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI, TCFD, EU Taxonomy
Certifications: Null
Third-party Assurance: Jacobs UK Ltd (AA1000 Assurance Standard)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 2: Zero Hunger
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Initiatives such as ALIVE Programme, Project Amata, and focus on sustainable nutrition, emissions reduction, and responsible sourcing contribute to these goals.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- TastesenseTM Advanced (sugar reduction)
- Kerry AccelTM (natural meat cure)
- Probiotic-fortified UHT Lactose Free Milk
- IsoAge antimicrobial technologies
Awards & Recognition
- World Benchmarking Alliance top 10 ranking
- ISS ESG Prime status
- FTSE4GOOD constituent
- MSCI ESG Rating of AAA
- Origin Green gold member
- Irish Institute for Learning and Development Excellence Award