Battle Creek, Michigan-based Kellogg Co. has been recognized by Ethisphere, a leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies.
Kellogg has been recognized 12 times since Ethisphere created the rankings in 2007. The company is one of only six honorees in the Food, Beverage and Agriculture category. In 2020, 132 honorees were recognized spanning 21 countries and 51 industries.
“A reputation is a very fragile thing—that’s something our founder recognized more than 100 years ago,” said Kellogg Co. Chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane. “Consumers invite us into their lives every day and make our foods part of their daily meals and special occasions. We earn their trust one bite at a time.”
“We’re honored that Ethisphere has again recognized our company’s legacy of integrity and doing what’s right,” said Gary Pilnick, vice chairman of corporate development and chief legal officer. “We are committed to maintaining a values-based, ethical performance culture and we continuously review our Code of Ethics to ensure it reflects the world we live in. For that reason, we refresh it periodically.”
“Congratulations to everyone at Kellogg for earning this recognition,” said Ethisphere CEO Timothy Erblich. “This is a moment to acknowledge the leaders working to advance corporate cultures defined by integrity and affirm those companies contributing to broader societal imperatives and the greater good.”
Methodology and scoring
Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.
Best practices and insights from the 2020 honorees will be released in a report and webcast in March and April.
All companies that participate in the assessment process receive an Analytical Scorecard providing them a holistic assessment of where their programs stand against the demanding standards of leading companies.
The full list of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found here.
Kellogg Co.’s brands include Pringles, Cheez-It, Special K, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Eggo, Mini-Wheats, Kashi, RXBAR, MorningStar Farms and more. Net sales in 2019 were approximately $13.6 billion, comprised principally of snacks and convenience foods like cereal and frozen foods. Kellogg is committed to creating “better days” for 3 billion people by the end of 2030 through the Kellogg’s Better Days global purpose platform.
