Why Hershey is making big changes to its sustainability strategy

While the Reese’s maker has “made tremendous progress,” there is still “a ton of work to do” as consumers pay more attention to what they eat, a top executive said.

What happened

Hershey is transforming its sustainability playbook for the first time in years to reflect the Reese’s maker's deeper presence in salty snacks, as well as growing influence from regulators and consumers.

The updated sustainability pledge — released on Wednesday, the 56th anniversary of Earth Day — features new commitments for ingredients and manufacturing facilities that make up Hershey's growing salty snacks business, which includes Dot’s, SkinnyPop and LesserEvil.

Why it matters

Whitney Mayer, head of global sustainability at Hershey, said that the changes reflect its evolving business model while meeting the “expectation that a company needs to take action and play a larger role” in food system resilience.

“If you think about [new Hershey CEO Kirk Tanner] stepping in and this vision that we've set to lead next-generation snacking, we needed a sustainability strategy that would support that,” said Mayer. “This is all about the long-term resilience and growth of the company over time. ”

The Almond Joy manufacturer’s sustainability strategy focuses on three areas: how they source their ingredients, make their iconic treats and snacks, and connect with consumers through their product offerings and packaging.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Food Dive on 2026-04-22. The original report is linked below.