Employee sustainability initiatives generate
nearly $9 million in company
savings
CHICAGO, June 3, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of World Environment Day on
June 5, Conagra Brands (NYSE: CAG)
announced today the winners of its annual Sustainable Development
Awards, an employee-led program that encourages the development and
implementation of innovative ideas related to sustainable
production and business practices. This year, employees from across
the organization submitted a record 211 sustainability-focused
projects that conserve water, reduce waste and save energy,
underscoring Conagra's commitment to nourishing and restoring the
planet. Winning teams were presented with awards this week at a
ceremony in Chicago and
Omaha. In partnership with the
Carbonfund.org Foundation, Conagra will estimate the carbon
emissions associated with attendees' travel to the awards ceremony
and neutralize those emissions through the purchase of carbon
offsets.
![Conagra Brands, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. (PRNewsfoto/Conagra Brands) Conagra Brands, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. (PRNewsfoto/Conagra Brands)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/479094/CB_CMYK_Texture_Logo.jpg)
Now in its 13th consecutive year, the 2022
Sustainable Development Awards projects generated the following
results on an annual basis:
- Decreased the company's carbon footprint by 7,600 metric tons,
equivalent to avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions of driving a
vehicle nearly 19 million miles1
- Conserved 95 million gallons of water, equivalent to
eliminating the filling of 143 Olympic-size swimming
pools2
- Reduced waste by 11,400 tons, equivalent to saving the weight
of 91 Statues of Liberty3
Sustainability initiatives are submitted by cross-functional
employee project teams across seven categories: Sustainable Brands,
Waste Reduction & Recycling, Water Conservation, Climate Change
& Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Operations, and an overall
Award of Excellence and People's Choice Award. All submissions are
judged by a panel of company sustainability leaders and winners are
selected by employee peers.
"Through our annual Sustainable Development Awards, our
employees continue to find innovative ways to develop more
environmentally-friendly operations and brands," said Sean Connolly, president and chief executive
officer, Conagra Brands. "Our focused work to reduce our water use,
waste and greenhouse gas emissions demonstrates our commitment to
building a more sustainable future. Congratulations to all of those
who submitted projects this year and met environmental challenges
head on."
Award-winning employee teams help direct a total of $30,000 in grants from Conagra Brands to local
sustainability-focused public service projects.
Conagra Brands' 2022 Sustainable Development Award winners
are:
Sustainable Brands: Duncan
Hines: Chicago and
Centralia, Ill.
By reducing the amount of palm oil in Duncan Hines' milk and dark chocolate flavors,
the team was able to avoid the use of more than 797,000 lbs. of
sustainably sourced palm oil, resulting in a CO2 benefit equivalent
to planting nearly 4,500 trees4.
Waste Reduction & Recycling: Imlay City, Mich.
At Conagra's Vlasic pickle facility in Imlay City, the team eliminated 93
tons of waste by installing four level sensors to monitor the
produce level on conveyors, automating the process by adjusting its
speed to reduce excess waste.
Water Conservation: Irapuato,
Mexico
Conagra's Irapuato team saved nine
million gallons of water through measures such as implementing
a water leak detection program, which allowed the team to identify
and proactively address leaks.
Climate Change & Energy Efficiency: Marshall, Mo.
Freezer blast cells at Conagra's Marshall facility had improper air flow and
inefficiency of blast cell function. By adding baffles to the back
of each rack column in the blast cells to force air flow through
product pallets, it reduced freeze time, increased plant capacity
and lowered electricity consumption by 5%.
Sustainable Operations: Troy,
Ohio
The Troy facility created a
cross-functional team to work on a blend pairing strategy and a
tool to document every step of the Slim Jim production process,
determining moisture was the key variable to a more even cook. The
project eliminated 5.6 tons of waste and generated in $1 million in cost savings.
People's Choice Award: Irapuato,
Mexico
At Conagra's Irapuato facility,
the team installed 280 solar panels in their finished good
distribution center and 236 solar panels in their
facility. The new solar panels generated 47% of total
distribution center electricity consumption and 2.6% of total
electricity consumption at the facility. In addition, this project
eliminated 278 metric tons of Scope 2 greenhouse gas
emissions.
Award of Excellence: Fayetteville,
Ark.
The team in Fayetteville
identified efficiencies when operating broilers within
the facility. Instead of operating the boiler house with all three
boilers at the same setpoints, the facility utilizes setpoints to
have one boiler running near 100% capacity before ramping up the
second boiler, all while having the third boiler turned off. The
project saved 27,000 decatherms of natural gas.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food
companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands
combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened
focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy
people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such
as Birds Eye®, Duncan
Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®,
Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim®, as well as
emerging brands, including Angie's®
BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®, Earth
Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every
occasion. For more information, visit www.ConagraBrands.com.
For more information, please contact:
MEDIA:
Tim Wrona
312-549-5400
tim.wrona@conagra.com
1 According to the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas
Equivalency Calculator, 2,700 metric tons of CO2 is equivalent
to greenhouse gas emissions from 6,785,634 miles driven in an
average passenger vehicle.
2 According to FINA (International Swimming
Federation) facilities rules.
3 According to The Statue of Liberty-Ellis
Island Foundation (SOLEIF) statue facts.
4 According to the U.S. EPA Greenhouse Gas
Equivalency Calculator, 274,175 kg of CO2 is equivalent to
greenhouse gas emissions from 4,534 tree seedlings grown for 10
years.
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SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.