By Dave Stangis, Vice President of Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility at Campbell and President of Campbell Soup Foundation
Campbell’s launched its strategic sustainability strategy in 2010 as a way to deliver meaningful, measurable and differentiated Business, Brand and Societal value. By optimizing and leveraging the power of Campbell’s people, culture, core competencies and innovation, we’ve been able to make progress against some of our communities’ principal challenges. Our businesses and our people are guided and inspired by our Purpose – Real food that matters for life’s moments. Our Purpose affirms our connection to the core values that have inspired trust in our company for 145 years and it bridges us to the priorities of new generations. We believe food should be delicious, accessible and affordable and we believe in the power of food to connect people in all corners of the world. We also know that what we do every day matters; that we have a fundamental responsibility to safeguard the planet’s natural resources; help our communities thrive; provide a supportive workplace for our employees; and deliver solid returns for our shareholders.
The words “Corporate Social Responsibility” and “Sustainability” can often be distractions when creating programs that impact both business and societal value. We have sought to integrate CSR and Sustainability into business platforms that leverage our commitment to environmental stewardship, healthy communities, and employee engagement, while fostering innovation, driving operational efficiency, reducing costs, strengthening our employees’ relationships with our customers, and ultimately creating business advantage.
Guided by these beliefs, we’re making a sustainable difference by advancing our 2020 Agenda, which has four Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship goals:
• Cut the environmental footprint of our product portfolio in half, as measured by water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per metric tonne of product produced;
• Measurably improve the health of young people in our hometown communities;
• Continue to provide consumers with nutrition and wellness choices in our product portfolio; and
• Leverage CSR and Sustainability as key drivers of employee engagement and performance in our culture.
These are long-term goals supported by strategic and tactical planning. In Fiscal 2014, we:
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 percent, or more than 17,500 metric tonnes;
• Cut water consumption by 12.7 percent, or more than 788 million gallons; and
• Achieved a waste-recycling rate of 86 percent worldwide.
Overall, we’ve cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17.1 percent and water consumption by 25.2 percent since 2008.
We’ve also streamlined product packaging to help us reduce waste by 89 million pounds as we aim for our goal to remove 100 million pounds of packaging from our portfolio. Furthermore, we’ve initiated renewable energy projects such as the solar panel field in Napoleon, Ohio, which now generates electricity equivalent to 15 percent of that used at the world’s largest soup plant, and we’re helping develop further renewable opportunities, from wind turbines to biodigesters that convert waste to energy.
Sustainable sourcing and agriculture are important to us because we depend on a resilient supply chain and the strength of the farming community to produce the crops we need to make our food and beverages. Campbell sources approximately 2 billion pounds of tomatoes each year from independent family farms. So we’re working with these farmers to foster more sustainable irrigation practices, especially drip irrigation, which cuts water consumption by about 25 percent per acre while reducing the carbon footprint and increasing yields significantly. Reflecting our efforts, the number of Campbell tomato acres using drip irrigation has almost doubled in the last five years. Today, 42 percent of our tomato crop is grown using drip irrigation, up from 29 percent two years ago.
During Fiscal 2014, we expanded our commitment to sustainable agriculture. First, we aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use by 20 percent per metric tonne of food for five key Campbell ingredients: Tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes and jalapenos. Second, we continue to work with peer companies, growers, suppliers and customers to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.
We have also taken a major commitment to enhance the health and well being of young people in our hometown communities. We continued our Campbell Healthy Communities programming – promoting better nutrition, physical fitness and access to healthier foods for children in Camden, a city where many families live in poverty. We have also shared this model with our U.S. and global industry peers through the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Grocery Manufacturing Association and Consumer Goods Forum. Within the Campbell network, we have expanded our Campbell Healthy Community Programming to Henry County, Ohio and Everett, Washington.
We’ve provided more than $60 million in food donations and global giving during the year and the Campbell Soup Foundation distributed more than $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit community service organizations, with more than half dedicated to agencies serving Camden. In addition, our employees volunteered more than 15,000 hours to help our neighbors and communities. Their efforts included Campbell’s Make a Difference Week, an annual event in which more than 1,100 employees across our U.S. locations participated in more than 90 community service projects.
These are just a few examples of Campbell’s long-term commitment to what many call Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, a commitment that I truly believe just means better business.
I know that even though we’ve been at this for more than 145 years, the truth is, we are just starting. Our consumers are leading the way and we are helping reshape our company, guided by our Purpose – our compass in a changing world.
For more information go to- www.campbellcsr.com
Article by Dave Stangis, Vice President of Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility at Campbell and President of Campbell Soup Foundation.
Dave Stangis was named Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability in September 2008. In 2011, his role was expanded to include oversight of Community Affairs and the Campbell Soup Foundation.
Dave designs and leads Campbell\’s overarching CSR, sustainability and community affairs strategy, including its efforts to drive environmental sustainability and make a measureable impact on the health of young people in Campbell communities. Dave works in collaboration with Campbell business units and functions to deliver long term business value across broad Corporate Responsibility platforms including the Marketplace, Community, Environmental Sustainability and the Workplace.
Dave has helped the company achieve its place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the 100 Best Corporate Citizens List, The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations and recognition as one of the World\’s Most Ethical Companies. Since 2009, the company has implemented projects to save more than 5 billion gallons of water, lead the sector in leveraging renewable options and deliver more than $60 million in energy and water savings.
For more than 20 years, Dave has been leveraging corporate responsibility and sustainability principles to generate business and brand value. Prior to joining Campbell, Dave worked for 12 years at Intel, where he created and led the corporate responsibility function.
In 2008 and 2013, Dave was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by Ethisphere Magazine. Trust Across America has named Dave one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior for 4 years in a row. He serves/has served on the boards of the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, Net Impact, and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
Dave earned his B.S. degree from the University of Detroit, his M.S. degree in occupational and environmental health from Wayne State University in Detroit, and his M.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan.
