DEB - Potato powr for HJ Heinz

The H. J. Heinz Company has announced a milestone company goal: to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2015.

“From using potato peels to generate energy, to reducing the amount and size of our packaging, every day we’re finding new ways to reduce our environmental footprint and improve the efficiency of our company,” said Heinz CEO Bill Johnson. “Everyone in the Heinz community is involved in this sustainability effort – from our employees to many of our largest customers and suppliers.”

Heinz is focusing on eight specific areas to achieve its goal by 2015:

• Energy consumption – 20% reduction through improved operational efficiency
• Packaging – 15% reduction by the introduction of alternative packaging materials and reduction of existing packaging use
• Transportation – 10% reduction through improved efficiency of distribution network
• Renewable energy – 15% to come from renewable sources, including solar, biomass and bio-gas
• Agriculture – 15% reduction of carbon footprint, 15% reduction of water usage, improvement of yields by 5% through use of hybrid tomato seeds that require less water, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel to harvest
• Water – 20% reduction through reuse and improved sanitation techniques
• Solid Waste – 20% reduction through increased recycling and reuse of waste
• Employees – Increase employee engagement through a voluntary personal sustainability campaign.

Heinz is undertaking a variety of different initiatives to achieve these targets:

• Using potato peels to generate energy and save water: At the Company's facility in Ontario, Oregon, Heinz is in project development stages to convert potato peels into bio-fuel, which will then be distributed to a central natural gas pipeline for sale and distribution. The project is expected to generate enough energy to heat 4,000 Oregon homes for a winter (390,000 MMbtu).
• The same project in Ontario is slated to treat and recycle 90% of the water used for daily potato production. The project is expected to save 3.8 billion litres of water per year.
• Conserving fuel globally: Improving the efficiency of the Company's distribution network through fuller truckloads with more direct routes and shifts to rail will save more than 7.5 million litres of fuel globally.
• "Green" tomatoes: Heinz is expanding its growing regions into China, Egypt, and Eastern Europe, providing more local sources of tomatoes and lessening the need to transport tomato paste around the world.
• Reducing waste through recycling: In Fremont, Ohio, Heinz is on track to reduce solid waste - which would normally end up in a landfill - by 10%, or 360,000 kg of recyclable material. In Dundalk, Ireland, the Heinz facility is already recycling 95% of the plastic and 99% of the cardboard, wood and steel it uses.