Kraft Heinz has released its 2022 Environmental Social Governance (ESG) report, ‘Together at the Table’, which outlines the company’s ESG progress throughout 2021.

To achieve its global ESG goals, the company says it has prioritised future-focused innovations and key collaborations with employees, non-profit organisations, and ingredient and packaging suppliers.

“It is during challenging moments when true innovation happens, and collaborations are most important,” said Miguel Patricio, Kraft Heinz CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors.

“Working with our many partners, we are developing solutions to foster a more inclusive workforce, address climate challenges, and combat food insecurity. Now more than ever, it is critical that businesses like ours take a leadership role in addressing the environmental and social issues that affect all of us around the world.”

The new ESG strategy is said to concentrate on important topical issues for the company and stakeholders. Overall, the report outlines three key pillars:

• Healthy living and community support
• Environmental stewardship
• Responsible sourcing.

Healthy living and community support

One of the aims of the company is to excel in diversity, inclusion and belonging (DI&B). In 2021, Kraft Heinz planned its 2025 DI&B aspirations, aiming to achieve gender parity within global management positions, as well as increasing the representation of people of colour in US salaried positions to 30 percent in four years.

Additionally, Kraft Heinz has increased the representation of women in its global management positions and people of colour in US salaried positions by two percentage points each.

Regarding food insecurity, the company has made progress since formulating its goal to provide 1.5 billion meals to people in need by 2025. The ESG report revealed that, in 2021, Kraft Heinz provided approximately 440 million meals to people in need, bringing the total number of meals provided to nearly 1.2 billion since 2016.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 34 million people, including nine million children, in the US are food insecure. Globally, this statistic worsens, as 43 million people in 38 countries across the globe are at risk of falling into famine or a severe hunger crisis.

With one in 10 people globally not having sufficient access to food, The Kraft Heinz Foundation has committed $12 million over three years to support Rise Against Hunger’s efforts to end world hunger through sustainable agriculture and assistance programmes.

Additionally, Kraft Heinz has innovated nutritional and consumer conscious products, particularly plant-based meat free alternatives. Two examples of its innovations include Heinz Beanz Burgerz and lactose-free Philadelphia Original Brick Cream Cheese.

The rules for doing business have changed

Environmental stewardship

Tackling environmental concerns, the company has been implementing energy, carbon, water, packaging and waste solutions across its operational footprint.

Kraft Heinz has committed to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operational footprint and global supply chain by 2050, however, it has now made a near-term goal of halving emissions by 2030.

In 2021, 84 percent of the multinational food company’s packaging was 100 percent recyclable, reusable or compostable. Plans for the future include creating a fully circular Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle in Europe by 2022, the only thing left to finalise in the development process is a recyclable cap.

Responsible sourcing

The final pillar outlined in the ESG concerns responsible sourcing and highlights how Kraft Heinz met its sustainable product and agricultural goals.

In 2021, the company launched its ‘Supplier Diversity Program’ which meant that Kraft Heinz was committed to partnering with suppliers that are majority owned/operated/managed by women, people of colour, those within the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, and/or veterans. As a result of the programme, the company has made a goal of tripling its spend with such organisations by 2025.

Also in relation to responsible sourcing, Kraft Heinz is working in partnership with growers to implement sustainable agricultural practices and take significant steps to strengthen its Sustainable Agricultural Practices Manual (‘SAP Manual’). The manual, launched in 2021 with supplies and growers in Spain and California, was published with the goal of sustainably sourcing 100 percent of tomatoes in Heinz Tomato Ketchup by 2025.