Environment

Kraft Foods Wages War on Waste, One Plant at a Time

Feb 2, 2012 7:54 AM ET

  • Programs Have Reduced Manufacturing Waste by 50% Since 2005 (1)

  • 36 Facilities in 13 Countries Send Zero Waste to Landfills 

  • Company Recycles or Reuses About 90% of Manufacturing Waste

NORTHFIELD, Ill., Feb. 2, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire/ -- Kraft Foods' employees are making steady progress reducing the amount of manufacturing waste they produce.  And in doing so they're reducing their environmental impact.  Together, they're finding better uses for waste and even turning manufacturing byproducts into new energy sources.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090420/KRAFTLOGO)

"We're waging war on waste, one plant at a time," said Christine McGrath, Vice President, Global Sustainability.  "Today, we have 36 facilities in 13 countries that send zero waste to landfills, and we've reduced our manufacturing waste by 50 percent since 2005.  Our strategy is simple: generate less waste and find new uses for the waste we do produce.  And our employees are doing just that."

Employees continue to raise the bar by improving efficiency, by changing behavior, business practices and culture, and by creating new partnerships to turn waste into something of value.  For Kraft Foods, manufacturing accounts for the vast majority of its solid waste output, so its plants are a natural place to take action.  In 2007, the company launched a program with the global recycling company Sonoco Recycling, using its Sonoco Sustainability Solutions (S3) service offering to substantially reduce waste in plants.  The ultimate objective: send zero waste to landfills. 

Today, 36 Kraft Foods facilities have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill status, including 24 plants in Europe and 12 facilities in North America.  Elsewhere, many plants have made significant reductions through partnerships to put waste to work.  To learn more about Kraft Foods' waste-reduction efforts around the world, including an updated fact sheet of success stories, go to http://bit.ly/xN206j. 

About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) is a global snacks powerhouse with an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. Proudly marketing delicious biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries, Kraft Foods had 2010 revenue of $49.2 billion. Twelve of the company's iconic brands – Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident – generate revenue of more than $1 billion annually. On Aug. 4, 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to divide and create two independent public companies: a high-growth global snacks business and a high-margin North American grocery business. The transaction is expected to be completed before the end of 2012. A leader in innovation, marketing, health & wellness and sustainability, Kraft Foods is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. Visit www.kraftfoodscompany.com and www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscorporate.

(1) Measured against total production through 2011, the most recent year complete data is available.

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