US: Mondelēz launches impact investment platform Sustainable Futures

  • 19 February 2021
  • Food corporation
The snacks giant seeks to co-invest in projects addressing climate change and social ventures that aim to improve livelihoods and build healthy communities
Climate-friendly food illustration with the planet hooked in a fork

Mondelēz International announced today the launch of Sustainable Futures, an impact investing platform to incubate, finance and support self-sustaining ventures that address key challenges in the world, including climate change.

The company argued the initiative is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to create a positive impact on people and planet. Sustainable Futures gives the opportunity to pursue and nurture innovative projects, together with like-minded investors, that align with its sustainability strategy and help deliver on its commitments.

“We don’t have all the answers, but we do know that alone, we can never achieve significant progress in the fight against systemic issues like climate change,” said Dirk Van de Put, chief executive and chairman of Mondelēz International.

Van de Put explained that Sustainable Futures is Mondelēz’s first foray into impact investing and gives the company the opportunity to work with others in supporting environmental and social projects that can help drive meaningful, long-term change.

Co-investment opportunities

Sustainable Futures seeks to co-invest in projects addressing climate change, as well as making seed investments into social ventures that aim to improve livelihoods and build healthy communities.

Through the platform, Mondelēz intends to invest in projects that protect forests, reduce carbon emissions or increase resilience in landscapes from which it sources raw materials.

Sustainable Futures have already identified two social ventures to work with. The first gives support to an NGO in India that will set up a sustainable, women-owned social enterprise to up-cycle multi-layered plastic packaging into board for multiple uses.

The second initiative is with INMED Aquaponics Social Enterprise (ASE) in South Africa, supporting agro-entrepreneurs in climate-smart food production.

“It’s only by testing and learning new approaches, and by seeking new forms of partnership with NGOs, governments, and social entrepreneurs, that we can unleash the creativity we need to tackle some of the world’s most challenging issues,” said Christine Montenegro McGrath, vice-president and chief global impact and sustainability officer at Mondelēz.

“By offering seed investment and expertise through Sustainable Futures, Mondelēz International can help to create lasting solutions in areas like forest protection, carbon emissions reduction, and innovation in recycling,” McGrath concluded.