2015 was a BIG year.

It was the year of the blue/black vs white/gold dress scandal, the Adele comeback, and The Force. (The dress was definitely blue/black by the way…)

However, 2015 was also an important year for Behind the Brands. Here are the top 5 things YOU helped achieve in 2015:

1. Supporter Survey

We started the year off right by getting to know more about you. You told us what you wanted and we heard you – deeper engagement, more weirdness, and more people power!

2. Our Annual Scorecard Update

In March, we pitted the companies against each other in the Battle of the Brands. For the first time in Behind the Brands history, Unilever beat Nestle, becoming our new #1 company.

3. Zero tolerance for land grabs

In May, Illovo, which is Africa’s largest sugar producer, followed Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Unilever by adopting a zero tolerance land policy. Not only are major companies taking action, but now their suppliers are also following suit!

4. Cocoa Sector Best Practices

           In Spring 2013, more than 100,000 of you got cocoa giants, Nestle, Mars and Mondelez, to tackle gender inequality in their supply chains. To follow up with this, this past September, we held a highly successful multi-stakeholder workshop in Ghana on women’s empowerment in the cocoa sector. Over 50 participants attended – among them: Nestle, Mars and Mondelez. We will soon be releasing a best practices report for the cocoa industry, so stay tuned…

5. General Mills and Kellogg’s Climate Commitments

             In Summer 2014, over 200,000 of you moved cereal giants General Mills and Kellogg to reduce their climate impact. In the lead up to the climate talks in Paris, General Mills announced their new climate goal to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 28% – an action taken because of you. Soon after, Kellogg made similarly ambitious goals to protect our planet.

We’re looking forward to doing great things with you in 2016. Next up, our annual scorecard update!