Ardent Mills, a flour-milling and ingredient company, has announced the release of its Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. The report provides an update on the company's progress toward its environmental, social and governance initiatives and outlines its updated long-term goals.

"Our bold spirit of innovation and imagination has enabled us to bring sustainable thinking into the forefront of all that we do," said Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills. "We've made important progress this last year and will continue to champion these critical initiatives across all facets of our business to achieve even greater goals in the years ahead."

The report reflects the company's corporate social responsibility work across three core pillars: Sustainability, People and Nutrition. These pillars are directly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations:

Sustainability

Ardent Mills is committed to being a responsible steward of the environment. Through this commitment, the company seeks to protect the long-term viability of the food system and supply chain, and partner with farmers, suppliers and customers to help ensure a clean, green world for future generations. FY21 highlights include:

  • Enrolling 37,480 acres across Idaho and Kansas in regenerative agriculture initiatives intended to improve soil health and conserve water
  • Achieving 23.36 percent of our total operations to be powered by renewable energy.
    • This calculation reflects direct sourcing of renewable energy and retaining related renewable energy credits (RECs), participation in community solar projects, and purchase or replacement RECs
  • Sourcing 100 percent SFI Certified packaging for all of North America

People

With a dedicated focus on our employees and the communities the company engages, Ardent Mills works to provide development and engagement opportunities for the next generation of agri-business professionals, promote inclusion and diversity in the agriculture space and empower Ardent Mills employees to make meaningful contributions. FY21 progress includes:

  • Launching a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program that is aimed at leading our industry toward a more inclusive, diverse and equitable environment
  • Completing two initiatives for Project Elle, which provides improvements to Ardent Mills locker rooms, breakrooms, and restrooms using 5S/Pristine principles and ensures an inclusive space for all

Nutrition

Playing a critical role in feeding over 100 million individuals every day, Ardent Mills seeks to drive advancement in health research and improve access to nutritious, grain-based solutions locally, nationally and globally. FY21 highlights include:

  • Raising $200,000 (equivalent to 800,000 meals) for the Food Bank of the Rockies
  • Donating over 60,000 pounds of product in April 2021

"In 2020, we embarked on a series of ambitious goals to spearhead measurable impact within our industry, while simultaneously serving the needs of our customers, consumers, communities, and the environment," said Phoenix Dugger, corporate social responsibility manager at Ardent Mills. "The progress we've made serves as a testament to our dedication to not only meet, but exceed, our goals. This is just the beginning."

To learn more about the Company's CSR initiatives, visit the Ardent Mills CSR page.