Diageo, the drinks maker of brands such as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has announced bold and ambitious diversity and sustainability goals for the next decade.
In its ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ plan, Diageo said it will focus on three core areas over the next decade. These include championing inclusion and diversity; pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability; and promoting positive drinking.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION GOALS
For its diversity and inclusion goals, Diageo aims to increase the representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to 45% by 2030. In that time frame, it also wants 50% of all its leaders to be women. Additionally, it plans to provide skills and training to over 1.7 million people to help create an inclusive and thriving hospitality sector.
“By setting both gender and ethnicity goals for the business to achieve by 2030, I believe we can truly break down barriers and help shape a more diverse and successful long-term business and society,” explained Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive of Diageo.
GRAIN-TO-GLASS SUSTAINABILITY
By 2030, the global drinks giant is aiming for the business to be using 100% recycled content in plastic packaging and that 100% of Diageo’s packaging will be widely recyclable. In a bid to achieve “grain-to-glass sustainability”, Diageo said it will ensure that every drink that it produces takes 30% less water to make than it does today, and achieve a net positive water impact in key water stressed basins and communities.
It also plans to deliver over 150 community water projects across the world, including providing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Additionally, Diageo said it will support over 150,000 smallholder farmers with farming techniques to regenerate the land and build biodiversity.
Diageo has also committed to working towards a low-carbon future, harnessing 100% renewable energy to achieve net zero carbon emissions across direct operations and working with suppliers to reduce indirect carbon emissions by 50%. As the first step in its net zero ambition, Diageo’s prestigious Scottish distilleries of Oban and Royal Lochnagar will both become carbon neutral by the end of 2020. It is also aiming to “achieve net zero in India by 2025”.
“It is vital that we act now if we want to maintain the wonderful world we all live in,” commented Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer and President, Diageo Supply & Procurement. “I’m proud that we have already halved our own carbon footprint and that we are going to push ourselves further by becoming carbon neutral by 2030. It feels fitting that we are leading the way with Oban and Royal Lochnagar distilleries, which will both be carbon neutral by the end of the year.”
MESSAGES OF MODERATION
The drinks company has also launched Diageo’s Sustainable Solutions, a global platform that will provide non-equity funding to start-up and technology companies that help Diageo continue to embed sustainability in its supply chain and brands.
To promote positive drinking, Diageo aims to reach more than one billion people with messages of moderation from its brands by 2030. It also wants to change the attitudes of five million drivers towards drink driving. To achieve that it plans to educate over 10 million people on the dangers of drinking underage through ‘SMASHED’, Diageo’s award-winning alcohol education awareness programme, now operating in every continent.
DECADE OF MEANINGFUL ACTION
These three areas of focus have been carefully selected to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to Diageo. They aim to make a positive impact on the world by 2030 in the ‘Decade of Action’ to achieve the United Nations SDGs.
“As a global business, we are committed to playing our part to protect the future of our planet and to leading the way for others to follow,” stated Menezes. “I am immensely proud of Diageo’s sustainability and responsibility achievements to date. This new, ambitious action plan will challenge us even further to deliver more over the critical decade to 2030.”
Earlier this year, Diageo celebrated International Women’s Day across its offices worldwide. Check out the article below to find out more.
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