We have always focused on doing well by doing good and Milton Hershey’s legacy to always do the right thing remains as deeply embedded in our culture now as it was when our company was founded.
We are committed to growing sustainably and acting responsibly at each phase of our operations and using our global reach to create positive impact. From operating ethically and offering safe, quality products to our consumers, to uplifting our cocoa-growing communities and our remarkable people while minimizing our footprint on the global environment, we have developed strong strategies that activate our purpose of making more moments of goodness every day.
We focus our efforts across the areas that are most relevant to what we stand for, the work we do and the people and places that our work impacts. In each focus area, we have set important commitments designed to achieve impactful results and help transform lives inside and outside of Hershey.
Because bringing goodness to the world is in our character.
Cocoa is our most important ingredient and we are committed to caring for the communities who produce it. Together with these communities, and through our dedicated Cocoa For Good strategy, we are leveraging a $500 million investment to eliminate child labor, foster economic resilience, drive sound agricultural practices and bring an end to deforestation in our supply chain.
Hershey has a long tradition of putting people first–from creating a town where our employees and their families could thrive to our long-standing partnerships that keep families fed and lend a hand during hard times. In the face of COVID-19 and the issues stemming from systemic racism we have kept on doing what we do best: caring for the communities in which we live and play.
Our values of togetherness, integrity, making a difference and excellence have guided us to build an inclusive work environment where all our employees can thrive. We are proud of our unique Hershey culture, which enables us to hire the best candidates, understand our broad range of consumers, create more diverse and inclusive communities and ultimately live our purpose of making more moments of goodness. We know, however, that we have more work to do and have room to improve and grow.
Climate change, natural resource scarcity and extreme weather all pose risks to our employees, the snacks our consumers love as well as the farmers and local communities we rely on. Given the significance of these risks and opportunities, we have elevated our ambition and have put in place new targets on climate and packaging. These bold steps will help ensure the long-term sustainability of our planet, people and business.
Integrity is central to who we are. Operating ethically is fundamental to building the trust that enables consumers to invite us into their everyday moments and special memories. Our robust policies keep us resilient and competitive and our sustainability governance model keeps us aligned on the most important issues facing the company, while elevating the importance of sustainability in everything that we do.
Food Safety is our absolute priority. It’s essential that our consumers can trust every product from every brand that we offer. We are committed to creating environments where everyone who works for and with us forms part of a culture that keeps people safe and supports their overall health and wellness.
Safety is a salient human rights issue for Hershey and we take our responsibility to care for the people in our workspaces seriously. We seek to exceed compliance wherever possible to offer some of the highest production safety standards in the industry.
From being the stewards of Hershey in Pennsylvania and caring for our employees to our presence in global cocoa-growing communities, we understand that we are integral members of the communities where we live and work.
At Hershey, we see ourselves as an innovative snacking powerhouse and are constantly exploring ways to expand our product offerings. As we continue to grow, sourcing our key ingredients and materials responsibly an essential part of our approach and one that includes our commitments to protecting and respecting human rights in our global supply chain, upholding high safety standards in our products and championing consumer choice and transparency.
Through the Milton Hershey School, our founder created a legacy of helping children succeed and reach their full potential. Today, we support access to education, nutrition and wellbeing for children around the world through multiple initiatives.