Campbell Soup Company has reduced water in food production by more than 9 percent and invested more than $6 million in environmental sustainability projects over the past year, according to the company's 2010 corporate social responsibility report.
In 2009, the food company also recycled more than 84 percent of waste generated, saved more than 775 million gallons of water, reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by more than 20,000 tons and reduced GHG emissions emitted per ton of food produced by 2 percent.
Campbell also established sustainable packaging guidelines in 2009, which helped the company eliminate more than 3.5 million pounds of steel, 300,000 pounds of plastic, and 1 million pounds of fiber, including 300,000 pounds of packaging material by reducing the package height of the 32.5 oz. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish carton by three-quarters of an inch. These reductions have saved Campbell more than $4.5 million in packaging costs.
Due to several initiatives that helped to reduce the company's energy use and GHG emissions globally over the past two years, Campbell now produces a ton of food with 19 percent less energy than it did 10 years ago. As an example, Campbell installed energy-efficient lighting systems across the Campbell plant network, which delivered annual savings of $978,000 and reduced GHG emissions by more than 11,000 tons.
In addition, all of its manufacturing plants have implemented water conservation measures and have established systems to ensure that the water used in its operations is cleaned and treated before it is returned to the environment. As an example, in Toronto, Canada, the company implemented a new heat and water recovery project that reduced water consumption by more than 20 percent and delivered annual savings of $900,000 CAD ($869,000).
Campbell also has committed to four sustainability and corporate citizenship goals by 2020, which are centered on the environment, community, consumers and employees. The company's environmental goals include reducing water use and CO2 emissions per product produced by 50 percent.
Other goals include reducing energy use by 35 percent, sourcing 40 percent of energy consumed from renewable or alternative energy sources, recycling 95 percent of waste generated globally, and obtaining 75 percent of global packaging from sustainable materials.
Other targets include reducing water use by 20 percent and energy use by 30 percent per ton in its top five agricultural ingredients, and obtaining 50 percent of company revenue from products using packaging with an improved environmental footprint.
The company's sustainability efforts have helped Campbell Soup rank in the top-ten in a corporate social responsibility index in 2009.
