Chocolate, candy and snacks producer Hershey announced today a series of new climate-related goals, with new targets to reduce emissions originating in its value chain, including Forest Land and Agriculture (FLAG) emissions.

According to Hershey’s 2023 ESG report, Scope 3 emissions, or those originating in the company’s value chain outside of its direct control, account for the vast majority, roughly 97%, of the company’s carbon footprint, and FLAG emissions account for over 71% of Scope 3.

The company’s new goals include reducing FLAG emissions by 36%, and non-FLAG Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2030, on a 2018 baseline, marking an increase from Hershey’s prior target to reduce Scope 3 by 25% by 2030.

The company added that its new targets, as well as its goal to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030, have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and are aligned with levels necessary to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Hershey outlined a series of initiatives it is pursuing in order to reduce emissions across its value chain, including sourcing approximately 80% of electricity from renewable and zero-emission sources in 2023, creating a cross-functional team to oversee delivery of plant-level energy reduction targets, and investing in projects promoting good agricultural practices and technology in its cocoa, dairy and sugar supply chains, as well as the recent acceleration by 5 years of the company’s commitment to achieve a deforestation and conversion-free supply chain for cocoa, palm oil, pulp and paper, and soy to December 31, 2025.

Rachel Grunberg, Senior manager of Environmental Sustainability at The Hershey Company, said:

“At Hershey, our business depends on ingredients grown around the world and the health of those ecosystems. We have a responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint to build resiliency for our business and the planet and are doing so with challenging goals aligned with best-in-class science to inform our strategy.”