Tyson Foods, Inc. is marking a decade of sustainability progress. The company, which has been measuring its corporate responsibility efforts since 2004, has released its latest sustainability report.
The new online report, at www.tysonsustainability.com, documents the company’s business practices across four key areas: people, planet, profit and products.
It received an “A” grade from the Global Reporting Initiative for the second straight year.
“For us, sustainability is about continuous improvement in how we do business,” said Mr Kevin Igli, senior vice president and chief environmental health and safety officer for Tyson Foods. “It involves building responsibility and accountability into everything we do.”
Over the past ten years, the company has made particular progress in such important areas as water and energy conservation and marked achievements in hunger relief. Since 2004, the company has
• Experienced a 14.7 per cent reduction in gallons of water used per pound of finished product.
• Reduced the amount of sodium contained in our portfolio of products by 12 per cent.
• Donated more than 75 million pounds of food, the equivalent of roughly 300 million meals, as part of its commitment to hunger relief. Tyson Foods has donated more than 95 million pounds of food since its program began in FY 2000.
“We recently were named as one of the ‘Most Admired Companies in America’ by Fortune magazine,” Mr Igli said.
“We believe that type of recognition reflects the commitment we have to doing business the right way and the progress we have made over the past decade in making Tyson Foods a more sustainable business.”
Other notable accomplishments over the past 10 years include:
• Transportation Efficiencies - Participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay® program contributed to the elimination of 59 million road miles last year and more than 204 million road miles since 2011. Tyson Foods is a 10-year partner with the program.
• Support of Business Partners - Since Fiscal Year 2004, Tyson Foods has spent more than $129 billion with independent farmers who raise livestock and poultry. It also has registered an 82 per cent increase in spending with minority-owned businesses since 2009.
• Educational Opportunities – The company’s Educational Assistance Program has helped 1,143 Tyson Foods team members across the country better themselves and their individual career opportunities by furthering their education. Tyson Foods contributed more than $5.1 million towards the program between FY2007 – FY2013.
