Cookies Industry ESG Thematic Report, 2023

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in the Cookies Industry

Integrating ESG into decision making and business strategies contributes to an effective due diligence and a better investment decision for the company as well as relevant stakeholders. Companies which are focused on the Cookies industry have been disclosing ESG data and strategies.

The companies which come under this segment have both social and environmental impact. The food safety and quality has been a dominant factor in which stakeholders are giving importance. Companies offer various programs and campaigns to showcase their quality and safety throughout their value chain abiding by frameworks and guidelines. Cookies generally aren't considered to be in the category of healthy diet, there are a lot of long term and short-term negative health impacts. Managing food and package waste which are going to be landfilled or dumped into water bodies have been a critical agenda for most of the companies. Companies are also shifting to recyclable packaging and have targets to indicate their progress to attain sustainable packaging.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) is a comprehensive framework that helps companies in this market obtain a perspective on the impact of their products and operations on ESG parameters.

ESG Trends

Main ESG trends in Cookies sector has been with respect to food quality and safety (SDG 12- Responsible consumption and production) various legal bodies like Food and Drugs Association (FDA), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have been framed for ensuring better quality or safer food products. One of the companies had a voluntary product recall alongside with FDA on October 17, 2022, due presence of foreign material in toll houses as well as stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Foreign particles mainly consist of white plastic pieces but didn’t have any repercussions for the consumers.   Food and package waste management (SDG 12- Responsible consumption and production) is also playing an integral role, as this segment has a significant environmental impact with respect to these factors. Companies had made commitments to attain 100% sustainable recyclable or reusable packaging by specific target year, one of the companies had made a commitment to reduce virgin plastic usage to one third. Progress to sustainable packaging has been appreciable for certain top-notch companies as 85.4 % of total packaging has become recyclable and 75% of plastic is designed for recycling.

ESG Challenges

The main challenges with the Cookies industry have been negative health impact(SDG 3- Health and Wellbeing).  Generally, Cookies are considered to be an unhealthy diet and it is inevitable due to fast moving life, it has been considered to be one of the main causes of type 2 diabetes as per Journal of the American medical association. Cookies generally lack fiber content which can cause digestion and nutrition deficiency. In addition to this cookie contains high- fructose corn syrup which is high in sugar content and causes unhealthy weight gain on long run consumption. High sugar consumption can also accelerate the aging process and development of wrinkles. Companies have focused on all these negative impacts and are constantly working for innovative products.  

Growth of the Cookies Market

To put it in a nutshell, Companies have to focus on negative impacts and work for innovative products that reduce health impact as well as waste management issues in order to sustain in the market. These industries have become more cautious for sustainability and have been seriously putting effort to achieve goals and abide by regulatory frameworks. In fact, the industry has been focusing on innovative procedures and initiatives to minimize food and package waste as well as introduce healthy ingredients to have a positive health impact. The cookies market will mostly be valued at USD 44.01 by 2025 with a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% during the forecast period.

Key Companies in this theme

    • The Kellogg Company

    • Nestlé S.A.

    • PepsiCo, Inc.

    • Britannia Industries Ltd.

    • The Campbell Soup Company

    • Mondelez International, Inc.

    • Danone S.A.

    • Parle Products Private Limited.

Scope of the Cookies Industry ESG Thematic Report

    • Macro-economic and ESG-variable analysis of the industry, including regulatory, policy, and innovation landscape

    • Key insights on infrastructure developments and ESG issues affecting the theme

    • Identify key initiatives and challenges within the industry

    • Identify ESG leaders within the industry

    • Understand key initiatives and the impact of companies within the sector to fuel an informed decision-making process

    • Analysis of industry activities based on multi-media sources, including significant controversies and market sentiment

Key Benefits of Cookies Industry ESG Thematic Report

    • Developing a comprehensive understanding of macro-economic, Policies & Regulations and innovations affecting the Cookies space, globally

    • Key insights into environmental developments and ESG issues affecting the theme

    • Identifying ESG risks and opportunities to business among leading players in the cookies market

    • Obtaining a clear and relevant understanding of company actions, progress, and impact and find