Hitting the Sweet Spot

This diagram – one of our favorite images – is a great representation of who is responsible for change. While sometimes it seems like only the big players can have an impact, it’s so important to remember that each one of us is a huge force of potential impact!

It’s been a great summer for remembering that fact. In May, Oxfam and Behind the Brands launched a campaign asking Kellogg’s and General Mills – the two Big Ten brands with the worst scores on climate – to clean up their acts. Oxfam was responsible for launching the campaign, but it was thousands of individuals that kept it going. Every petition you signed and tweet you sent made a difference – the culmination of all of those little acts became a huge force of influence.

That little dark orange sliver of this diagram where people and business overlap is a huge part of our lives, and is the basis of every company’s existence. In that little slice is what we decide to buy every day. Do I want Frosted Flakes for breakfast, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Companies like Kellogg’s and General Mills know that if they’re not delivering something that’s important to us – from cereal that stays crunchy to responsible climate change policies – we might start making decisions they don’t like. When a message like “we love cornflakes, but hate bad climate practices” comes from a huge community voice, companies listen, and change happens.

We’re so excited to hear that both Kellogg’s and General Mills have made commitments this summer to improve their practices on climate change. They’re taking steps to monitor their supply chains more closely, increase transparency on emissions information, and call on their industry peers to do the same. We can keep enjoying our breakfasts, and feel good about what we accomplished in that orange sliver.

This past weekend, Oxfam and hundreds of thousands of others turned to a different sliver of the diagram – the dark purple zone where we meet the government. This week, world leaders from all corners of the globe are at the United Nations in New York to address the climate crisis. An unprecedented number of people congregated on Sunday for the People’s Climate March to make sure that their voices were heard by these powerful heads of state. And so far, it seems like they’re listening.

With Kellogg’s and General Mills, we've already seen the good that can be done when thousands of voices come together in action. Keep fighting and celebrate this fall as we collectively hit the sweet spot.



Want to know more? Read more about Oxfam and climate change here.