Daniel Servitje highlights the advances in Grupo Bimbo’s sustainability strategy

Daniel Servitje, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Grupo Bimbo, highlighted the company’s progress on sustainability, based on three main pillars: For You, For Life, and For Nature. During the ESG Mexico Summit, held at the BBVA Tower in Mexico City, Servitje noted that although the company has worked on sustainability for many years, in 2021, it decided to evolve the strategy toward regeneration.

"Although it is a work in progress, there is much to do. The model we want to follow is to become a company oriented to regeneration,” he said.

He pointed out that at Grupo Bimbo, decisions are based on our golden rule: respect, justice, trust, and affection. This "impels us to make decisions harmonizing our three priorities: being highly productive and highly humane in a context of sustainability." 

Servitje emphasized that the world faces environmental and social challenges that impact everyone and demand greater corporate responsibility.

"Companies are now required to have a clearer position on social, environmental, and governance issues. Climate change is a clear accelerator, at least for the food industry, because the effects of climate change greatly compromise our value chain," he said.

In this context, he explained that significant progress had been made in the three pillars that underpin Grupo Bimbo’s sustainability strategy. He noted that some changes had been made to the For You pillar, aimed at re-envisioning products and recipes. He also highlighted that 97% of Grupo Bimbo’s portfolio of daily consumer products has already reached the company’s established goal of sugars, sodium, and saturated fats, and that 98% of the portfolio is free of artificial flavors and colors.

In the For Life pillar, Servitje emphasized that efforts have been boosted, in addition to the goal for 2030, that each workplace have at least one social impact project. As an example, he noted that last year, there were 230 active projects, all generating a positive impact on people close to Grupo Bimbo workplaces. 

Regarding the For Nature pillar, Servitje said that its objectives are focused on packaging, and that progress has been made on the issue of biodegradability. “We want to achieve packaging that supports a circular economy” he noted.

He also explained that one of his principal goals is to lead Grupo Bimbo in becoming a company that stops emitting carbon by 2050. The challenge of this commitment involves not only carbon emissions, but also the responsibility for value chain links involving farmers. "This is why we want 100% of our main ingredients to come from regenerative farming practices," he said. 

Servitje emphasized that Grupo Bimbo has already made significant achievements toward sustainability; for example, 96% of packaging is already recyclable. In addition, 92.5% of treated water reuse has been achieved in all operations, and 85% of renewable electricity is used globally. There have also been advances in the use of electric vehicles, including an active fleet of more than 2,400 delivery vehicles.

Regarding regenerative agriculture, Servitje said that the United States and Mexico are already farming 86,000 hectares using this method, and that there are already more than 500 producers in Mexico planting sustainable crops.

"Our company’s strategy includes sustainability to achieve its goals. Nothing is possible unless we have a strong leadership structure that forces us to turn ideals into practice," he said. 

"This is a dream because there is still a lot to do to become a sustainable company by design," he concluded.