Perfetti Van Melle, the world’s second largest confectionery group (chewing gum and candy), announces that its medium-term greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, based on scientific criteria, have been evaluated and approved by Sbti, Science based targets initiative. Promoted by UN Global Compact (UNGC), World Resource Institute (WRI), Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and WWF, Sbti supports companies in the adoption of their impact mitigation targets, guiding them in the transition to a low-carbon economy. 

The approval, underlines the official statement of Perfetti, "confirms that the 2030 medium-term objectives of Perfetti Van Melle are in line with the level of decarbonisation required to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 ºC compared to pre-industrial temperatures"as established by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

The new targets based on scientific criteria will see Perfetti Van Melle reduce within scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030, compared to the reference year 2021. This includes emissions from their own activities, such as industrial and non-industrial sites. In the same period of time, the company will reduce by 25% also the emissions within scope 3, that is "emissions from the supply chain upstream and downstream of its activities, such as emissions related to the goods and services purchased and their transport, business trips and the treatment of end-of-life products".

As a food company that uses ingredients and materials of plant and animal origin Perfetti Van Melle also has reduction targets related to the consumption of forests, land and agriculture (FLAG) specific to undertakings operating in sectors where land resources are intensively used. This specific objective commits Perfetti Van Melle to reduce Flag greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% of scope 3 by 2030, compared to the reference year 2021. 

"According to the United Nations, limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 ºC is still possible, but we are dangerously close to this threshold -explains Andrew Boyd, chief sustainability officer of Perfetti Van Melle-. That is why companies must act urgently to reduce carbon emissions on a large scale. I am proud that Perfetti Van Melle is doing its part by setting global medium-term targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which have been evaluated and approved by the SBTi. A significant step to demonstrate our commitment to social and environmental responsibility".