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.
100% of the cocoa volume purchased from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana from known farmers and farmer groups be independently verified to improve sourcing visibility.
2025
Achieved
100% of children in Cocoa For Good communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (approximately 125,000 children) to be covered by Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) by 2025. This goal is to prevent, monitor and remediate child labor. 1
2025
On Track
1 This refers to households covered by CLMRS.
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.
$105 million donated in cash and products to community partners focused on education, community economic development, inclusive communities and health and human services where we live and work
2025
On Track
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.
50% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030 (against a 2018 baseline)4
2030
On Track
25% absolute reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions by 2030 (against a 2018 baseline)
2030
On Track
25 million pounds of packaging to be eliminated by 2030 5
2030
On Track
100% of plastic packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2030
2030
On Track
We began initial recyclability research and machine ability trials in 2021. In 2022, we are focused on converting flexible packaging to recyclable structures.
4 Hershey’s GHG emissions reduction goal for 2030 is based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 (market-based).
5 The initial goal was achieved five years ahead of schedule in 2020. We have since expanded our commitment to eliminate an additional 25 million pounds of packaging by 2030.
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.
100% of priority ingredients and materials to be responsibly and sustainably sourced (by volume) by 2025 3
2025
On Track
85% of in scope supplier sites meet Hershey’s Responsible Sourcing Supplier Program requirements
2025
On Track
3 This result represents the percentage by volume of Hershey’s five priority ingredients, which met our definition of responsibly and sustainably sourced in 2021. This definition varies by ingredient and is subject to change as Hershey’s responsible sourcing programs evolve. More information may be found in the Responsible Sourcing Ingredient Commitments and Progress table on page 47 of Hershey’s 2021 ESG Report.
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.
100,000 children taking Heartwarming actions and impacting their communities by 2025
2025
Achieved
More than 128,000 children took action and impacted their communities, cumulatively from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021.
100,000 children taking Heartwarming actions and impacting their communities by 2025
2025
Achieved
50 million children globally supported through education, nutrition, and social and emotional well-being
2025
On Track