Better Health for All

Mondelez International faces a class action lawsuit alleging its Green & Black's and Hu-brand dark chocolate bars contain toxic heavy metals, cadmium and lead, which can cause cancer and brain damage.

These products allegedly exceed California’s maximum allowable dose levels for lead by 143% and 210% respectively. The lawsuit claims the company failed to disclose these risks to consumers, constituting a notable safety incident and incomplete risk disclosures. Despite these allegations, 84% of the company's net revenue is delivered through Mindful Portion Snacks. Mondelez has provided nutrition labeling on all products worldwide since 2007, including front-of-pack calorie labeling by the end of 2016, and follows WHO/FAO guidelines on food fortification. The company also invests in community programs promoting healthy lifestyles, nutrition education, and active play, and conducts research into carbohydrate quality, whole grains, and caries prevention. A nutrition program in Lagos, Nigeria, reached 5,692 children with education and counseling, resulting in 71% of pupils improving nutrition knowledge. The Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System covers 89% of Cocoa Life communities in West Africa by 2025, reaching vulnerable populations. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Mondelez committed $15 million in global financial and in-kind support, with an additional $1 million from its China division, representing approximately 0.0615% of its 2019 net revenues.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Mondelez International reported a Total Incident Rate (TIR) of approximately 0.24.

The company's 2022 analysis found a global pay gap between male and female employees of less than 1%, and no negative pay gap between non-white and white employees in the United States performing substantially similar work. This analysis encompassed 83 countries and over 33,000 employees and was supported by an independent third-party expert. Employee engagement scores were approximately 80, with over 90% participation in the survey, placing the company in the top 25% of benchmark companies for two consecutive years.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

A class-action lawsuit filed in May 2024 alleges false claims in Mondelez's Cocoa Life branding and accuses the company of labor abuses, including child and forced labor, in its supply chain.

A federal lawsuit in August 2023 also targeted major chocolate manufacturers, including Mondelez, over ongoing concerns about child labor in West African cocoa. Shareholders, in resolutions filed in 2023 and 2024, requested Mondelez to adopt public targets and report metrics for eradicating child labor by 2025. Mondelez committed an additional $600 million to its Cocoa Life program by 2030 for sustainable cocoa sourcing. The Cocoa Life program reported a 15% increase in farmer net incomes in Ghana and a 33% increase in Côte d'Ivoire. By 2021, the company expanded its Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) to 61% coverage in West Africa and invested $3 million in the Cocoa Life Education Fund (CLEF) to improve education in Côte d’Ivoire.

Honest & Fair Business

Mondelez International incurred significant regulatory penalties in the past three years, including a €337.5 million fine from the European Commission in May 2024 for anticompetitive practices

. Additionally, the company agreed to a $10 million settlement in February 2025 over deceptive labeling of '100% Whole Grain' products . Mondelez operates an Ethics & Compliance program that provides regular training and utilizes 'Speaking Up' channels, which received over 2,600 contacts in 2023, leading to investigations and actions . The company's anti-corruption measures include regular training and risk-based due diligence and compliance audits for its suppliers .

Kind to Animals

Mondelez International has a policy, effective January 2026, prohibiting animal testing unless required by a government regulatory agency and no alternative is available

, also mandating the application of the '3Rs' (Replace, Reduce, Refine) for any required testing . Regarding sourcing, approximately 66% of eggs supplied globally were cage-free in 2024, excluding Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam . Additionally, 100% of egg supply for the U.S. and Canada was cage-free by the end of 2020 . For dairy, approximately 67% of the supply was sourced from suppliers following formal animal welfare standards in 2024 . The company supports the Dairy Sustainability Framework and recognizes standards that address practices like de-horning, antibiotic/hormone use, accommodation, and health management . Mondelez considers animal welfare in terms of the 'five freedoms' and expects suppliers to comply with national laws and OIE guidelines . In terms of public policy engagement, Mondelez International issued a letter in 2021 and was part of a joint industry call in 2024 to the EU Commission and Parliament, advocating for a phase-out of cages in animal farming, starting with laying hens, and requesting a revision of animal welfare legislation to ban cage use across the EU .

No War, No Weapons

Mondelez International was designated an 'international sponsor of war' by Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention in May 2023 due to its continued operations in Russia and significant tax contributions to the Russian government following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In May 2021, the company faced a class-action lawsuit filed by former child slaves from Mali, alleging its role in aiding and abetting enslavement on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast. In December 2021, Mondelez released a Human Rights Policy aligned with UN principles, focusing on tackling child and forced labor. The company committed in May 2023 to supporting the economic inclusion of Ukrainian refugee women in Europe, exploring mentorship opportunities. Mondelez also partnered with the Peace Corps in 2013 to promote sustainable development in cocoa-growing communities in the Dominican Republic, teaching business skills to 1,200 young individuals, preparing 360 for micro-financing, and consulting 120 local entrepreneurs.

Planet-Friendly Business

Mondelez International reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions of 30,470,000 tCO2e in 2024

, with a 10.4% decrease from 2023 . The company has SBTi-validated near-term 2030 and net-zero 2050 targets , with Scope 1 and 2 emissions aligned to a 1.5°C reduction pathway . Approximately 54% of electricity used in manufacturing sites was from renewable sources in 2024 . The waste diversion rate from zero-waste-to-landfill sites was 68% of 2015 production volume . Recycled plastic content in packaging was 1.6% in 2024 . The company has a formal deforestation policy with a 2020 cut-off date and global rollout by 2025 , and satellite monitoring shows approximately 2.5% deforestation around Cocoa Life registered farms , indicating 97.5% deforestation-free in these areas . Supply chain climate transparency is limited, with traceability for palm oil reaching only to the mill level . Biodiversity efforts include dedicating a minimum of 3% of Harmony wheat fields, covering over 59,000 hectares, to biodiversity features . The company's climate risk disclosures are aligned with TCFD reporting requirements and include scenario analysis .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

In May 2023, activists protested at the company's annual general meeting, highlighting alleged involvement in deforestation and human rights violations, particularly concerning the indigenous land rights of the Long Isun community in Indonesia.

Despite these allegations, the company continues to source from suppliers implicated in these violations.

Safe & Smart Tech

Mondelez experienced a data breach in early 2023 at a legal services provider, compromising personal information of 51,100 current and former employees, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

The disclosure timeline from discovery to consumer notification was approximately three months. A tentative $750,000 settlement was reached to resolve a proposed class action lawsuit related to this breach, indicating gaps in data protection and potential non-compliance with regulations. For cybersecurity operations, Mondelez reports a sub-15-minute mean time to detect and a two-hour mean time to mitigate incidents. The company performs vulnerability scanning and penetration tests. Employees undergo annual security awareness training, but engagement rates with its AwareGo training platform are between 20% and 50%, and the company experienced "backlash" from employees regarding phishing simulations. The company has a responsible AI framework designed for ethical and legally compliant use in its marketing strategies.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Mondelez International achieved its goal of eliminating 65,000 tons of packaging material worldwide by 2020.

The company also reduced its plastic packaging footprint by 2.3% in 2023 compared to 2020. It has committed to making all its packaging recyclable by 2025, aiming for 100% reusable or recyclable plastic, and to eliminating problematic plastics by the same year. Additionally, it set a target for all paper-based packaging to be sustainably sourced by 2020 and aims to include 5% recycled content across all plastic packaging.