Campbell Soup Company on May 4 announced four sustainability and corporate citizenship goals, including goals to reduce childhood obesity and water consumption. The company described these and other plans in its 2010 corporate social responsibility report, which can be viewed at www.campbellsoupcompany.com/csr.
The report, Nourishing: Consumers • Neighbors • Employees • Planet, describes Campbell’s strategies, policies and programs that will help drive the company toward four comprehensive goals by 2020.
“For Campbell, conducting business in a socially responsible way is mission critical,” said Douglas R. Conant, president and CEO. “We firmly believe that, as we build an extraordinary company, we can also build a better world. In 2009 we established a corporate strategy to advance a powerful commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility in everything we do. In this report, we have defined four long-term destination goals that will clarify our purpose, promote strategic alignment across our organization and deliver measureable results.”
Over the next decade, Campbell will pursue the following four goals:
- Nourishing Our Planet – Reduce the environmental footprint of our product portfolio in half, as measured by water use and CO2 emissions per product produced. In 2008, Campbell used 9.35 cubic feet of water and 0.308 tonnes of CO2 used per tonne of food produced. Over the past year, Campbell reduced water in food production by more than 9 percent and invested more than $6 million in environmental sustainability projects.
- Nourishing Our Neighbors – Measurably improve the health of young people in our hometown communities by reducing hunger and childhood obesity by 50 percent. Over the next decade, Campbell will work closely with organizations like the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and Feeding America to address these related issues in Camden, N.J., as well as other communities where the company has a meaningful presence, such as Sacramento, Calif.; Napoleon, Ohio; Paris, Texas; and Norwalk, Conn.
- Nourishing Our Employees – Achieve 100 percent employee engagement in CSR and sustainability. Campbell employees will have a CSR-oriented goal incorporated into their annual performance objectives, which can be achieved either individually or as part of a work-affiliated group activity.
- Nourishing Our Consumers – Continue to advance the nutrition and wellness profile of Campbell’s product portfolio, especially through the continued reduction of sodium in soups, sauces, beverages and bakery items. Campbell will continue to build on a base of more than 45 soups, sauces, beverages and pastas that deliver a full serving of vegetables (1/2 cup).
Campbell issued its first Corporate Social Responsibility report in 2008. Since then, the company has made significant progress, including:
- Eliminated millions of pounds of packaging, optimized shipping routes, and advanced energy-saving capital projects that have reduced waste and greenhouse gas emissions while saving water, energy and money. For example, over the past year the company has eliminated more than 3.5 million pounds of steel and 1 million pounds of fiber, including 300,000 pounds of packaging material by reducing the package height of the 32.5-ounce Pepperidge Farm Goldfish carton by three-quarters of an inch.
- Established an enterprise-wide CSR Leadership Network to help drive the CSR strategy, comprised of business leaders and content experts.
- Offered 90 soups at healthy sodium levels (480mg/serving), including Campbell’s Condensed Tomato soup.
- Introduced Nourishing Our Neighbors, an enhanced community service program that brings together all of Campbell’s community activities, including the Campbell Soup Foundation.
- Announced a five-year, $10 million charitable commitment to Camden, N.J.
- Enhanced the Campbell’s Labels for Education program with a greater focus on supporting art, academics and athletics in schools.
- Achieved world-class employee engagement, while continually enhancing a culture of diversity and inclusion.
Campbell has been widely recognized for its corporate social responsibility efforts since publishing its 2008 Report. The company has been added to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, named to the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List by Corporate Responsibility magazine, ranked second in 2008 and ninth in 2009 for Best Corporate Reputation by Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Reputation Institute, named to the list of 2010 World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere magazine and named a Catalyst Award winner in 2010.
The structure and content of the 2010 Report was prepared using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines as a basis for organization and content. The 2010 Report addresses Campbell operations on a global basis and includes performance metrics from fiscal years 2007 and 2008, where available.
To conserve resources, the full report is only available on line at www.campbellsoupcompany.com/csr. A 24-page print report, printed on 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled paper, is also available on request by contacting csr_feedback@campbellsoup.com.
About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high-quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks, and healthy beverages. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farm, Arnott’s and V8.
