ConAgra Foods Inc., Omaha, Neb., has announced five sustainability goals it will seek to achieve by 2015.
The goals announced by the maker of branded consumer products including Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s and Peter Pan are:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent per pound of product compared to 2008 emissions.
• Reduce water use by 15 percent per pound of product produced as compared to 2008.
• Divert solid waste from landfills by at least 75 percent compared to 2011 levels.
• Compared to 2008, the company will: (a) reduce packaging by 10 percent per pound of product produced, (b) increase the amount of packaging made of renewable resources from 45 percent to more than 50 percent, and (c) increase the use of recycled content in packaging overall by 25 percent.
• Encourage continuous improvement of the supply chain in the areas of energy, water, materials and waste, such as working with growers to further enhance sustainable farming practices.
“We’ve set these new transparent sustainability goals to ensure we are a leader in continuously improving the way we make food, and to continue to create more awareness for what others can do to improve as well,” says Gary Rodkin, ConAgra Foods CEO.
Since 2007, ConAgra Foods says it has measured sustainability projects that have reduced carbon emissions by more than 25,000 metric tons, eliminated or diverted 4,000 tons of landfill waste and 7,000 tons of packaging materials, and conserved 348 million gallons of water.
The company says it will track the progress made on its sustainability goals by posting results in August of each year in the ConAgra Foods Corporate Responsibility Report posted at www.conagrafoods.com/corporateresponsibility.