Kraft Heinz is taking a cross-functional approach centred around continuous improvement across the organisation, from responsible ingredient sourcing to expanded nutrition guidelines
In support of its commitment to sustainable practices, The Kraft Heinz Company has released its second-ever Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Report. It reveals that through integrated initiatives, Kraft Heinz is taking a cross-functional approach centred around continuous improvement across the organisation, from responsible ingredient sourcing to expanded nutrition guidelines.
ESG is integrated into every part of the business, guided by the company’s redefined Values and fulfilling its Vision “To sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally.”
“At Kraft Heinz, we’re constantly re-evaluating our practices to ensure we’re being a responsible global company, as well as global citizens with a duty to bring our company and products to consumers in a healthy, sustainable way,” said Miguel Patricio, Chief Executive Officer at Kraft Heinz.
“This new ESG strategy reflects a new company Value: We do the right thing. We’re actively working each day to create a company and products we and the world can be proud of.”
The Kraft Heinz ESG strategy prioritises the issues that matter most to the company’s business and stakeholders – and focuses on the areas where it can have the greatest impact. It includes three key pillars:
Environmental Stewardship – reducing the company’s operational environmental footprint through water conservation, energy use and waste reduction across its manufacturing facilities, as well as addressing sustainable packaging.
Responsible Sourcing – promoting sustainable sourcing methods, including areas of focus such as human rights, sustainable agriculture, deforestation, and animal welfare.
Healthy Living & Community Support – identifying and meeting nutrient targets for Kraft Heinz products, with a focus on limiting sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and calories, whilst offering alternative choices, along with its philanthropic mission to fight global hunger.
In the report, Kraft Heinz also introduces new, global goals within its Environmental Stewardship and Responsible Sourcing pillars. The company plans to sustainably source 100 per cent of Heinz Ketchup tomatoes by 2025 globally, in accordance with the company’s Sustainable Agriculture Practices.
Kraft Heinz has taken significant steps to strengthen its supply chain by evolving those practices and working with growers to implement them with measured improvement. For instance, in Spain, tomato growers implemented new soil health procedures, ultimately yielding an improved 70 tons of tomatoes per acre annually.
Additionally, as the company assesses the greenhouse gas emissions of its entire supply chain in order to set reduction targets, it has committed to a goal of purchasing a majority renewable electricity across all Kraft Heinz facilities by 2025.
Additional highlights from the report include the company’s targeted achievement of the following goals by the year 2025:
Extending Global Nutrition Guidelines to improve the health and wellness of its products, with a goal of 85% worldwide compliance (the company exceeded its goal of 70% compliance by 2023 four years ahead of schedule).
Providing or donating the equivalent of 1.5 billion meals to people in need (building off its commitment to provide 1 billion meals to people in need by 2021), decreasing energy use by 15% at manufacturing facilities globally.
As well as, at its global manufacturing facilities, setting a target to decrease water use by 20% in high-risk watershed areas and 15% across all others, and decreasing waste by 20% by 2025.