MEXICO CITY — Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV has launched a new sustainability strategy that the company’s chief executive officer said positions the company to do more for people and the planet by setting “transparent, far-reaching, ambitious goals.” The new strategy, which has been developed based on a materiality assessment, is defined through three pillars with eight initiatives.
“This strategy is a result of constantly looking for ways to expand it from tiers of how business can be done and how the interaction with our stakeholders can improve to nourish the wellness of people and the planet,” said Daniel J. Servitje, CEO of Grupo Bimbo, in a May 18 conference call launching the strategy. “We know this won’t be a simple journey, but we have a plan to get there. We are bakers in the grain-based food industry with a very close relationship with our consumers and want to be in their homes, on their tables every day. We know that by providing high-quality products with high nutritional value, we can improve the lives of everyone we reach and that our sustainability strategies are meaningful for all stakeholders, our associates, our investors and the communities we serve. Over the last decades, our sustainability strategy encompassed many different areas like health and well-being, the planet, our relationship with the communities around us and what we do for our associates.”Indeed, Grupo Bimbo’s sustainability strategy has featured many programs and projects over the past 50+ years. In the 1960s, the company started its social programs and promoted healthy lifestyles with Futbolito Bimbo. More than 30 years later, in 1991, the company developed its first environmental policy. That was followed by the decision to measure nutritional guidance in 2008 and by the launch of biodegradable packaging in 2009. In 2012, Grupo Bimbo launched its first renewable energy effort with the Piedra Larga wind farm in Mexico, and in 2013 Grupo Bimbo became the first company in Mexico to build an electric vehicle through its subsidiary, Moldex.
More recently, the company over the past five years has been recognized as one of the most ethical companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Highlights in recent years include Grupo Bimbo’s recognition as the first company in Mexico to receive clean energy certificates and the company’s pledge in 2021 to reach net zero carbon emissions. The company also has committed to use 100% renewable energy by 2025.
“However, we know that as the world evolves, so the needs of our stakeholders and the positive impact we can have on them,” Mr. Servitje said. “Because of this, we decided to undertake a more ambitious strategy with a goal of having a business model that is completely sustainable by design. This new sustainability strategy builds on what we have been doing and enables us to be more focused and make a bigger contribution to the United States’ and United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
“We are in a decade of action, and this means we need to increase our speed to reach our sustainability goals. In many areas, such as climate change and water management, (if) the world does not act more boldly, it may be too late. We want to be a part of this acceleration, and that is how I can sum up everything that nourishing a better world is. It means nourishing the well-being of people and nature at the same time because we can only make things better if we do both. It is about the planet and about the people that live on it.”
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