Diageo launches ‘Decade of Action’ to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
By 2030, Diageo’s ‘SOCIETY 2030: SPIRIT OF PROGRESS’ plan will enable the company to:
• Reach 1 billion people with messages of moderation through its brands
• Achieve Net Zero carbon emissions across direct operations
• Increase representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to 45%
• Use 30% less water in every drink it makes
Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol, today announced a range of 25 bold and ambitious goals in its ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ plan, designed to make a positive impact on the world by 2030, in the ‘Decade of Action’ to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Building on a long track-record of ESG progress globally, Diageo will focus its action over the next ten years in three core areas, carefully selected to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): promoting positive drinking; championing inclusion and diversity; and pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability.
Highlights from the ‘SOCIETY 2030: SPIRIT OF PROGRESS’ plan include:
Promoting positive drinking
• By 2030, Diageo will reach more than one billion people with messages of moderation from its brands;
• Will change the attitudes of five million drivers towards drink driving; and
• Will 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.
Championing inclusion and diversity
• Diageo will build on its strong track record of inclusion and diversity by setting an industry-leading ambition to have 45% representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2030 as well as 50% of all leaders being women; and
• Diageo will also provide skills and training to over 1.7m people to help create an inclusive and thriving hospitality sector.
Pioneering grain-to-glass sustainability
• Diageo has 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%; and
• 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 and Diageo will aim to achieve net zero in India by 2025; and
• By 2030 Diageo will ensure that every drink it produces will take 30% less water to make than it does today and will achieve a net positive water impact in our key water stressed basins and communities; and
• It will also deliver over 150 community water projects across the world, including providing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene; and
• Diageo will support over 150,000 smallholder farmers with farming techniques to regenerate the land and build biodiversity; and
• By 2030 ensure that the business is using 100% recycled content in plastic packaging and that 100% of Diageo’s packaging will be widely recyclable.
Today also sees the launch of Diageo’s ‘Sustainable Solutions, a global platform that will provide non-equity funding to start-up and technology companies in order to develop to help Diageo continue to embed sustainability in its supply chain and brands. Designed to support small companies and entrepreneurs develop and commercialise their innovations, Diageo will share global resources and experience to unlock future potential for both partners.
Sam Fischer, President of Greater China and Asia Pacific, Diageo said:
“It’s more important than ever to act now to contribute towards a better world. We are immensely proud of the significant progress we have made through our earlier 2020 goals and building on the momentum, this new 10-year action plan will raise the game on further transforming how we do business. Our new set of 25 goals reflect our strong commitment to grow our business from grain-to-glass. This means working with our entire value chain to ensure that our people, our communities and the environment continue to thrive.”