May 28, 2008

Heinz Plans 20% Emissions Cut, Potato Peels Play A Part

Heinz’ plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2015 includes converting potato peels into biofuel at its Ontario, Ore., facility for sale and distribution.

The company also announced plans to reduce its energy consumption, water use and solid waste by 20 percent; reduce its packaging by 15 percent; reduce its company’s carbon footprint and agricultural water use by 15 percent; and improve yields by 5 percent using hybrid tomato seeds that require less water, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel to harvest.

Additionally, Heinz says it is expanding its growing regions into China, Egypt, and Eastern Europe, providing more local sources of tomatoes and lessening the need to transport tomato paste around the world. Also part of its plans to reduce emissions from its transport operations, the company is focusing on using fuller truckloads with more direct routes and shifts to rail, which it says will save more than 2 million gallons of fuel a year.

At its Fremont, Ohio, facility, Heinz is on track to reducing its solid waste by 10 percent, or 800,000 pounds. In Dundalk, Ireland, Heinz says it is recycling 95 percent of the plastic and 99 percent of the cardboard, wood and steel it uses.

In its 2007 CSR, Heinz said it has saved nearly 3 million cubic meters of water since 2005 at its global manufacturing operations, reduced its landfill waste by 359,573 tons and decreased its energy usage by 1,031,304 gigajoules.

Heinz placed 19 on NMI’s Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability Index, a list of the rankings of 75 of the most-recognizable companies on the Russell 3000 stock index. While the company received the highest analyst ranking, its consumer ranking was zero, indicating ineffective communications about CSR.

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