DEERFIELD, Ill., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mondelez International Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld today joined world leaders at the UN Climate Summit to announce the first global timeline to slow and then end forest loss. The New York Declaration on Forests strives to cut forest loss in half by 2020, and end it by 2030 - and also calls for restoring at least 350 million hectares of degraded forest lands by 2030, an area greater than the size of India.
Rosenfeld, leading a private sector panel at the Climate Summit, also announced the next phase of Mondelez International's work with United Nations Development Programme's Green Commodities Program and the Indonesian government to establish the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Platform. The platform will coordinate efforts to reduce deforestation, improve land governance and strengthen smallholder livelihoods.
"Mondelez International is a proud signatory to the New York Declaration on Forests, an important step to unite governments, NGOs and business to slow and then end forest loss," said Rosenfeld. "We can't act alone to halt deforestation or climate change, so we call on everyone to play a role. While it won't be easy, I believe this agenda is achievable if we link it directly to business goals."
New York Declaration on Forests
By signing the New York Declaration on Forests, for the first time, governments, businesses and organizations have found common ground on the need for large-scale economic incentives to countries to stop cutting down forests. When implemented, the Declaration would cut emissions of global warming pollution between 4.5 and 8.8 billion tons every year - the rough equivalent of removing from the road all the cars in the world, or not burning a trillion pounds of coal, or turning off every smokestack and tailpipe in the United States.
New Support for UNDP Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil Platform
In Indonesia, expanding sustainable palm oil production is vital to its economy and environment, as well as to secure a sustainable supply chain for Mondelez International and other consumer goods companies. Mondelez International, along with UN-REDD and others, will provide funding to support the design, launch and expansion of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil National Platform, extending its reach to the provincial level. In addition, Mondelez International is inviting suppliers to add their support to the platform as a means to help ensure deforestation-free supply chains across the Indonesian palm oil sector.
The new support follows Mondelez International's palm oil action plan, published earlier this year, to extend its commitment to sustainable production. The plan gives priority to supplies that meet the company's sustainability principles, and eliminates supplies that do not.
The company's work in palm oil is part of a wider commitment to sustainably source key agricultural commodities. Its 10-year, $600 million investments in signature programs Cocoa Life and Coffee Made Happy are helping farmers create thriving communities, while Harmony, its successful European wheat sourcing program, is promoting biodiversity and good environmental practices.
Earlier this month, Mondelez International issued its first report highlighting the company's progress toward achieving its global well-being goals. It details important steps the company has made to meet key metrics in the areas of mindful snacking, sustainability, communities and safety. To read an at-a-glance summary or the full "Call For Well-being Progress Report," please visit: www.mondelezinternational.com/well-being.
About Mondelez International
Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is a global snacking powerhouse, with 2013 revenue of $35 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelez International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; Trident gum; Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered beverages. Mondelez International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor's 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDLZ.
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SOURCE Mondelez International, Inc.
