General Mills

General Mills, one of the world's leading food companies, operates in more than 100 countries and six continents. With more than 41,000 employees, General Mills produces 100+ food and snack brands available to consumers and their pets around the world. Popular brands include Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, and more.

General Mills’ goal is to continually reduce their environmental footprint across their entire food supply chain from agriculture practices to global operations. The strategy includes reducing natural resource consumption and sustainably sourcing the raw materials used for General Mills products as well as reducing the energy used to produce those products.

General Mills’ commitment to reduce energy consumption has continued to improve the efficiency of their food manufacturing processes in facilities around the world since 2005. A global network of sustainability enthusiasts enables employees to collect ideas and share best practices and the latest technologies across our locations.

The energy reductions from individual projects and behavior-based initiatives at each plant have resulted in significant savings for the company. For example, during the period from 2012-2018, General Mills achieved its DOE Better Plants Challenge goal of a cumulative 20% energy efficiency improvement across its 26 largest U.S. manufacturing sites four years ahead of schedule. This efficiency improvement represents 2 million MMBTUs of energy reduction and over $5 million of cost savings. In partnership with DOE, General Mills has set a fresh goal of another 20% energy efficiency improvement during the 2020-2030 time period for its 15 largest U.S. sites.

Webinar

Financing the Future: Innovative Solutions for Reducing Emissions

Presentation

Best of the Betters: 2024 Better Practice Winners

Presentation

Life After a DOE INPLT Training: How to Implement Lessons Learned Across the Company

Presentation

Preparing the Next Generation: Transition Planning for Energy Managers

Presentation

Preparing the Next Generation: Transition Planning for Energy Managers

Presentation

Manufacturers Successfully Leveraging Utility Efficiency Programs

Presentation

Manufacturers Successfully Leveraging Utility Efficiency Programs

Presentation

Transforming Manufacturing: Smart Manufacturing and Advanced Data Analysis Drive Energy Savings

Presentation

Transforming Manufacturing: Smart Manufacturing and Advanced Data Analysis Drive Energy Savings

Implementation Model

General Mills Implements Plant-Based Energy Management Plan to Achieve Significant Savings

Tools

General Mills - Energy Allocation Tool

Showcase Project

General Mills: Cedar Rapids Heat Recovery

Performance Data

Solutions

Leadership Commitments

Better Plants Challenge

Goal

Commitment

Progress

Better Plants Challenge

Additional Goal

Commitment

Progress

DOE Program Participation