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(BPT) – June 5 is World Environment Day. It’s a day to acknowledge that people’s actions matter when protecting our environment. While everyone should think about how to do their part, companies must engage in sustainable practices that nurture the planet.

“The relationship between the health of our planet and that of our people is inextricable,” says Kellogg Company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Janelle Meyers. “Our changing climate is reducing crop yields, leading to greater food insecurity that disproportionately affects diverse and underserved communities.”

Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes careful planning and commitment to create a significant impact. Kellogg’s Better Days(R) Promise is a series of commitments to advance sustainable and equitable access to food. Since 2015, the food company has adopted various climate-positive practices that aim to nurture the planet.

Read on to see a few ways Kellogg is working toward its promise to create better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030.

1. Greenhouse gas emissions

One of the commitments of Kellogg’s Better Days(R) Promise is to decrease Scope 3 (upstream and downstream business activity) greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 15% by the end of 2030 by implementing climate-positive practices across its value chain. This is especially important when making one of the company’s main ingredients in its iconic Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats and cereal: rice.

It may be hard to believe, but farming rice releases methane, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, in 2022, Kellogg’s collaborated with Lower Mississippi River Basin rice farmers, agribusiness firm Syngenta and leading agricultural GHG measurement firm Regrow to conduct the Ingrained program.

This pilot program helped rice farmers to implement climate-positive practices that would help reduce their GHG impact. During the pilot year, the farmers reduced their GHG emissions by 1,600 metric tons. That’s the equivalent to taking over 345 cars off the road for one year!

By partnering with farmers and other members along its supply chain, the company is on track to meet its goal. As of December 2021, Kellogg has worked toward a 13% absolute reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions!

2. Renewable energy

A popular topic among sustainability efforts is using more renewable energy sources. In that vein, Kellogg has aimed to have all its global manufacturing facilities use 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2050.

To work toward this goal, the company has established a long-term wind energy agreement and purchased the electricity equivalent of 100 megawatts from a wind farm. This investment will help power 50% of the electricity used across our North American manufacturing facilities.

While there is still much to do, this is a solid foundation for the company to build on to continue to progress toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

3. Packaging

Food packaging can create a lot of waste. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, containers and packaging, including food-related containers, account for over 23% of all materials in U.S. landfills.

As a producer of many foods, Kellogg understands that it can play a major role in reducing packaging waste. The company is committed to working toward 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by volume.

While this may seem daunting, the company is already working on ways to meet its goal. For example, the inner liners of Kellogg cereals and Cheez-It crackers can be recycled. Consumers can simply take them to their local grocery store with other plastic bags.

In 2021, 76% of its packaging was recyclable at scale. By continuing to innovate its packaging practices, Kellogg is well on its way to creating a climate-positive future for all.

“While we have more work to do, we’ve made significant progress to better understand our impact on the environment and how we can create a climate-positive value chain,” said Meyers.

Learn more about Kellogg’s Better Days(R) Promise and how the company is working to create better days for people and the planet at BetterDays.KelloggCompany.com.

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(BPT) – A successful business isn’t just about profit. Companies can enhance their reputation and show their commitment to social responsibility through community outreach. Within their community, a business can build trust and credibility with the public while making a positive impact in society by participating in local events, sponsoring community initiatives and supporting social causes.

Community outreach can also have a positive impact on employee engagement and retention. Employees can feel proud of their company’s social responsibility efforts and feel more connected to their community. Of course, organizing community outreach opportunities and baking them into a company’s culture is easier said than done. One company that has innovated community outreach is award-winning insurtech, Quility.

Quility’s internal initiative, The Ripple Model™ provides a roadmap for creating wholehearted culture and delivers support to agents and corporate staff, especially when it comes to community outreach. Here are three tips from The Ripple Model that can help companies organize and execute successful community outreach.

1. Make it part of the workday

It can be difficult for employees to set aside time after work or on the weekends to volunteer in the community. Setting aside a workday or part of a workday for employees to volunteer makes it easier for everyone to participate.

Also, when employees are allowed to volunteer during work hours, they can feel more engaged with their company’s values and build a sense of camaraderie among co-workers as they work toward a common goal.

2. Offer multiple opportunities

Companies can make community outreach efforts sustainable by offering frequent, fun and varied opportunities. By providing multiple opportunities with different missions, a company can ensure that all employees have several chances throughout the year and can pick an event that is meaningful to them.

For example, Quility hosted its 2023 Protect the Path event in honor of Earth Day, where corporate staff and agents could help clean up trails in their local communities. More than 250 participants in over 40 U.S. cities participated in this event.

But this isn’t the only opportunity employees have to give back to their community. To date, Quility has donated $2.5 million to community partners across the country, granted 165 wishes and donated over $1 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, packed over 100,000 meals to fight food insecurity, assisted with nine home restoration projects in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and participated in three international recovery projects. With so many opportunities, employees can get excited about picking one or more to participate in throughout the year.

3. Make sign-up easy

If it’s difficult to organize and sign up for a community outreach event, it can be discouraging to staff. They’re less likely to participate if getting registered is a hassle. That’s why it’s critical to have a plan in place with tools to help make the signup process as smooth as possible.

To plan and run sustainable and successful community outreach this year and beyond, companies should invest in creating a platform that facilitates event logistics and signup. Quility, for example, uses its agent and staff portal to help them easily register for outreach opportunities, sign waivers, and provide event information and reminders all in one place. While this does take time and resources, doing so will benefit the employees, the community and the company. Creating a system for outreach shows a company’s dedication to continued community engagement that reflects its core values.

“Giving back has been a part of our company since day one,” said Whit Zeh, Senior Director of Corporate Well-Being and Community Outreach at Quility. “While a portion of our giving comes in the form of financial support, we also believe philanthropy needs to be more than a check. Outreach must include listening to the needs of our communities and then showing up with our time, our presence and our willingness to be in a relationship.”

To learn more about Quility and explore The Ripple Model, visit Quility.com.

(BPT) – Hero Bread™ CEO and founder, Cole Glass, discusses how his severe food allergies resulted in baked goods with low-no net carbs, fewer sugars and calories, and more fiber. With these items coming to grocery shelves near you, Glass shares exciting national retail expansion in more than 2,300 retail stores across 32 states. Hero Bread™ also completed their Series B fundraise and Glass shares what is on the horizon for this revolutionary baking brand.