Why is Corporate Accountability Important?

A successful Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) policy involves more than just the initial announcement.

To establish credibility and gain the trust of customers and stakeholders, effective commitments demonstrate transparency with some form of roadmapping, or annual planning and reporting, built-in.

Accountability is increasingly important to consumers, both within and outside of the food industry. The 2022 Mintel Global Consumer Trends report identified transparency on ethical commitments as one of three trends set to impact global markets in 2022:

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“Consumer demand for, and expectations of, brands’ ethical commitments are evolving. They have moved beyond simply wanting brands to ‘be ethical’ and are demanding to see measurable, transparent, and consistent actions from those they choose to support.”

This isn't just important for customers. Commitments also clarify to external stakeholders, investors, regulators, and the public that a brand is committed to corporate social responsibility. Companies often report animal welfare progress—including Better Chicken Commitment accountability milestones—in conjunction with broader CSR goals in annual sustainability reports.

Finally, road mapping and reporting allow a company to get ahead of any issues that may arise, avoiding reputational damage and mitigating other potential future risks by ensuring that progress remains on track.

Over 220 companies have pledged to meet the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment. Adopting a successful policy involves setting annual benchmark goals, often called a “roadmap.”

Creating an achievable roadmap often requires setting different timelines for different commitment components. When it comes to setting these deadlines, it is best to work with your supplier to think about what goals properly balance ambition with achievability.

It can be challenging to know exactly where to start when it comes to implementing a new supply chain standard. Strong communication within your company, with your suppliers, and with the public is key to making progress.

Tip: A Better Chicken Commitment roadmap can, and should, be framed as one component of a broader sustainability strategy that a company is implementing. Including a Better Chicken Commitment roadmap, as well as future progress reports, in an annual CSR or ESG report frames it among many steps a company is taking to ensure responsible business practices.

Consider producing press releases upon achieving major milestones. Companies can garner media coverage when they achieve meaningful progress toward animal welfare. To see other examples, click here.

This progress can come in many forms, and it may not go exactly according to plan. Some milestones may be achieved earlier than planned, while others will be achieved later than expected.

Regardless of how the course of your transition goes, maintaining transparency about your successes and setbacks is crucial, as it allows your company to address any challenges that may arise and allows consumers to have confidence that the companies they support are meaningfully committed to improving animal welfare in their supply chains.

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With all adoptees taking these steps together—over 220 companies in the United States alone—the entire industry will be able to move as one, increasing customer satisfaction and chicken welfare while cutting costs through the economies of scale that will emerge as more and more companies make progress on their animal welfare commitments.

Once you've initially adopted the Better Chicken Commitment, roadmapping is the next step to take as part of your commitment. Here's how it works:

1. Publish your Better Chicken Commitment policy alongside the dates by which you expect to achieve every commitment component.

As we emerge from early pandemic supply chain challenges, a roadmap is the next step to drive progress forward toward your goal. For goals that are multiple years away from 100% fulfillment, create yearly progress markers to ensure that you are on track.

The following table is one example of successful roadmapping—it features clear, quantifiable, benchmarks tracking progress independently across all elements of the Better Chicken Commitment. Actual deadlines may vary by company, and we encourage setting ambitious but achievable goals for your individual roadmap.

In (year), we pledged to meet the leading chicken welfare standards known as the Better Chicken Commitment. We are committed to helping build a better food system by fulfilling our commitment. We’re excited to share an update on our implementation plans:

We plan to fulfill BCC standards for 100% of chicken for stocking density by (year), for litter by (year), for lighting by (year), and for enrichments by (year). We plan to switch to a multi-step controlled-atmosphere processing system for 100% of chicken by (year). We plan to switch our breed by (year), based on available supply.

2. Share your implementation timeline with your suppliers.

Many suppliers are already working with companies that have adopted the Better Chicken Commitment, but transitioning a supply chain takes time. It's important that you make a long-term plan with your supplier to ensure that the supply will be available by your deadline.

3. Create a plan to share annual progress with stakeholders and customers.

This may take the form of press releases, annual ESG reports, or a social responsibility section of your corporate website or blog. Sharing annual progress (and proactively adapting benchmark goals, if necessary) will allow employees, key stakeholders, customers, and the public to know that your company is committed to reducing harm in its supply chain.