TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS—As a global leader in flavor, we believe great tasting food and beverage has the power to bring people together across the table and the world. We envision a world united by flavor, where healthy, sustainable and delicious go hand in hand. We are guided by a commitment to provide our customers and consumers with the highest quality flavor products and solutions, with a responsibility to people and the world around us. Our Purpose-Led-Performance (PLP) approach is embedded in our values and strategies because it strengthens our business fundamentals and financial performance. From responsibly sourcing our iconic ingredients to ensuring our workforce represents all consumers, our actions are consistently focused on what fuels McCormick’s future.
Our PLP approach is two-fold, to deliver industry-leading financial performance and do what’s right for people, communities, and the planet. Our goals are closely aligned to globally recognized standards, and we’re committed to creating a healthier planet with healthier people while also driving shareholder value. Our customers and consumers continue to turn to McCormick, in part, because of our robust sustainability program which creates a competitive growth advantage for us. Furthermore, our global supply chain sustainability initiatives drive brand differentiation and supply resiliency and continue to expand one of our strongest competitive advantages.
As I reflect on 2023, I am encouraged by the progress we made against our PLP commitments, the positive impact we created across our communities and our continued focus on delivering shareholder value. As we pursue our goals, we believe it is vital we do so in a balanced, transparent and sustainable way. With that in mind, I’d like to highlight key areas where we made progress in 2023.
- People. Our commitment to People focuses on providing healthy and nutritious products to consumers around the world and actively supporting the needs of our workforce. Sales in the Americas and EMEA products that enable health, nutrition or natural consumer choices increased to approximately 65% in 2023, with a goal of 90% by 2025. Importantly we continue to champion a people-first culture, where we want the communities we serve to be represented. We actively listen and respond to the needs of our employees, who are essential to keeping our business strong, nimble and responsible.
- Communities. Our social impact extends to the communities in which we live, work and source. Our focus on building resiliency in farming communities in which our top five iconic herbs and spices are grown has enabled us to positively impact over 44,500 farmers. We have therefore achieved our goal to increase resiliency of 90% of smallholder farmers growing our iconic herbs and spices.
- Planet. We are committed to achieving net-zero by 2050 by adhering to science-based targets that help reduce our carbon emissions. We’ve increased the use of renewable energy, invested in energy efficient technologies and are in the process of embedding sustainable practices across the enterprise and throughout our supply chain. We are proud to have validated our 2050 Net Zero plans through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and also realize this is only the first step in a long journey.
Our efforts reflect our strong commitment to our PLP approach, and that it is not only the right thing to do, but also a driver of growth and value creation. Delivering best-in-class financial performance and doing what’s right are not mutually exclusive and complement each other. As we move forward, PLP remains integrated into our day-to-day ways of working and decision-making processes. We are relentless in the pursuit of our long-term goals and expect to continue to utilize our purposeful, data-driven strategies and to focus on key areas that will drive the most impact. In doing so, we will remain in a position of strength to continue to advance our leadership and differentiation and drive long-term value for all our stakeholders. Importantly, by leading the way in these commitments, we believe we can make a difference and inspire others to join us in this journey.
As a global citizen, we understand our role in ensuring a sustainable future. I am incredibly proud of the progress we made towards our PLP goals, and I look forward to continuing our journey with our dedicated employees, industry peers, non-governmental and governmental organizations, suppliers, and customers to create a more sustainable and resilient future. I am grateful for our employees who remain the cornerstone of our success, embodying our Power of People principle and I am proud of our people-first culture, which is rooted in respect for the contributions of every employee.
As a final note, I invite you to explore this report and learn more about our efforts and the results they are driving. I appreciate your trust and support as we keep advancing on this important journey.
Brendan M. Foley, President & Chief Executive Officer