American food and beverage firm General Mills announced plans Monday to cut the absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of its full value chain by 30% over a ten-year period.  In the same announcement, the company also pledged to reach net zero emission levels by 2050.

“We’re proud to be making this ambitious goal which will take strong leadership and collaboration to drive holistic change,” Jeff Harmening, chairman and chief executive officer of General Mills said in a company release. “From farmers and suppliers, to where we make our food, to packaging producers and shippers, to retailers, and finally how we get it to our consumers’ tables, each step in our value chain has a critical role to play – that’s how we’ll tackle this to ensure we are doing more and taking bolder actions.”

The company determined what its absolute GHG commitment by using methodologies from the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).

Reducing GHG emissions is one of four key ambitions guiding General Mills’ efforts to support sustainability, planetary health, farmers and communities over the next decade. The company also will work to advance regenerative agriculture across its footprint, reduce food loss and waste by 50% in its operations, and advance respect for human rights in its value chain in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“Realigning our commitment to a more aggressive target is consistent with how we have approached our business for over 150 years and lived one of our core values – to do the right thing all the time,” said Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and social impact officer at General Mills, in a statement. “While our greatest impact is outside our four walls – in agriculture, ingredients and packaging – we know we have a role to play in helping restore planetary health.”

General Mills reduced the absolute GHG emissions of its manufacturing operations by 11% between 2025 and 2015 by shifting to forms of energy that are less GHG-intensive and increasing the efficiency of energy usage across its owned manufacturing facilities.