DENVER — Ardent Mills released its 2023 environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy report, which aligns with the company’s ESG framework, Nourish: Intention and & Impact. The report outlines new organization-wide goals and highlights the company’s achievements and new programs from the last fiscal year.
“At Ardent Mills, our core values of trust, serving, simplicity and safety guide our commitment to nourish what’s next,” said Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills. “We progress towards this when we enact people-centered business practices. Our new ESG strategy underscores our continued dedication to intentional and impactful change — both within Ardent Mills and our surrounding communities. I am humbled by the progress demonstrated in our FY23 ESG Report and I am reminded of our commitment to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.”
The “Nourish: Intention & Impact” highlights, which cover achievements across the pillars of Communities, People, Planet and Ingredients, include:
Communities
Ardent Mills aims to expand agricultural education and ensure access to nutrition through partnerships. The company engaged 945,000 students in agriculture education and announced monetary gifts to Kansas State University’s and Colorado State University’s respective agriculture innovation initiatives.
The company also donated more than 2.9 million meals to local communities and volunteered more than 5,900 hours with nonprofits and community partners.
“Our new ESG strategy underscores our continued dedication to intentional and impactful change — both within Ardent Mills and our surrounding communities.” — Dan Dye | CEO | Ardent Mills
People
This year, Ardent Mills used employee feedback to address the lack of custom-designed women’s uniforms that are reusable, appropriate, and uphold safety standards.
After expanding recruiting opportunities at historically Black colleges and universities and evolving its talent acquisition strategy, the company welcomed its most diverse Flourish intern program class to date.
Ardent Mills also invested in various programs to support its team members personally and professionally and conducted almost 50,000 hours of safety, food safety and quality trainings.
Planet
The company made headway on some of its long-term goals aimed at improving operational efficiencies and managing natural resource use. It used optimization efforts such as regenerative agriculture collaboration to save 4.8 million gallons of water. The company also sourced 37% of energy from renewable resources, indicating progress toward its goal of achieving 50% renewable energy usage across operations by 2025.
Ingredients
Ardent Mills enrolled nearly 350,000 acres across the US and Canada into its regenerative agriculture program. Additionally, the company established a goal to bring 50 new diverse suppliers to its supplier portfolio by May 31 and expanded its product portfolio to introduce more gluten-free, alternative grain options.
“Our FY23 ESG report serves as a benchmark in our continuous journey towards being responsible corporate citizens, both celebrating the progress we’ve achieved while charting our path forward,” said Phoenix Dugger, senior manager of ESG for Ardent Mills. “Guided by Nourish: Intention & Impact, we continue to drive innovation, promote sustainability, and nurture a future that reflects our commitment to social and environmental responsibility.”
Learn more about the ESG initiatives on Ardent Mills’ website.
