That Heinz believes in sustainability has never been in dispute – from the earliest days the company’s founder, Henry J. Heinz made a commitment to quality and purity by packaging the first Heinz product, horseradish, in clear glass. Since then, in each generation Heinz has made steps forward on the sustainability issues of the day. May 2008 saw Bill Johnson, Heinz Chairman, President and CEO, unveil nine sustainability goals, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2015.

As part of its contribution to the Heinz global targets, last autumn Heinz UK & Ireland also announced a nine-point plan encompassing targets and a clear sustainability vision for the business. “Our vision for the future is to become carbon and water neutral and to send no waste to landfill;  to achieve continuous improvements in the health and wellness of our products and employees; and to enhance the social and economic wellbeing of all communities in which our company is a part,” explains Nigel Dickie, Heinz’s Director with responsibility for driving the sustainability agenda forward across UK & Ireland.

The nine goals that Heinz UK & Ireland have set, with a target date of 2011 are:

• Greenhouse gas emissions – a 25 per cent reduction
• Energy consumption – a 25 per cent reduction
• Renewable energy – 15 per cent to come from renewable sources
• Water – a 35 per cent reduction
• Packaging – a 7 per cent total packaging reduction and 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions
• Transport – a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions
• Waste/landfill – a 20 per cent reduction in solid waste
• Agriculture – a 15 per cent reduction in carbon emissions; 15 per cent reduction in water usage and improvements in yields of 5 per cent by 2015
• Personal sustainability – encouraging and supporting Heinz UK & Ireland employee engagement through a voluntary personal sustainability campaign For Heinz, steps toward greater sustainability are about more than just recognising concerns over the environment. The company sees itself as an intrinsic part of the communities in which its products are to be made.

SMALL CHANGES BRING BIG BENEFITS

Promoting sustainability at Heinz is no accident; it is part of the company’s DNA. Simply changing one aspect of design has had dramatic results on environmental sustainability. The iconic Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle, having spearheaded the Top Down revolution, enjoyed a re-design that engineered sustainability in with brand reinforcement. Switching to crystal-clear PET plastic emphasised the naturally rich red tomatoes in addition to engineering-in a weight saving of between 10 and 16 per cent per bottle, depending on size. These changes save close to 340 tonnes of plastic each year and utilise the greater ease of recycling PET over its Polypropylene predecessor.

Similarly, the can-ends on Heinz products were already class leading in their thinness. However, a reduction in the thickness of Easy Open Ends of a mere 0.02mm alone brings worthwhile advantages. The environmental benefits are 585 tonnes of carbon emissions saved. This figure is dwarfed by the 2,340 tonnes that could be saved annually if all manufacturers of canned food and pet food switched to using Heinz’s ‘Best in Class’ can ends.

The work on ‘adding lightness’ brings knock-on gains. Each pallet can carry 18 per cent more cans, allowing fewer deliveries. Each lorry load has a weight saving of 83 kilograms – with the obvious incremental savings in lower overall fuel consumption.

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