Packaging
Goal: 15% reduction of total packaging material by Fiscal 2015 (compared to Fiscal 2005 baseline), through the introduction of alternative packaging materials and reduction of existing packaging used for various brands.
At Heinz, we believe that less is more. We are reducing packaging materials and developing more environmentally-friendly packaging alternatives to lessen product weight and reduce raw material consumption. Our facilities worldwide are seeking ways to manufacture and package products more efficiently and we’re working with our suppliers to develop packaging solutions that generate less waste.
In some regions of the world, Heinz has established near-site supplier relationships to provide sustainable benefits to both organizations. For example, the Heinz Elst factory, which manufactures tomato ketchup, and Logoplast, a bottle supplier in The Netherlands, are in close proximity to each other. Also, in Fremont, Ohio, the Heinz Ketchup factory enjoys a near-site relationship with Graham Packaging.
Heinz, Graham Packaging and the Benefits of a Near-Site Relationship
In the 1990s and earlier, Heinz operated ketchup manufacturing facilities in multiple U.S. locations.
Asia/Pacific
Indonesia
Heinz has reduced ABC® Soy Sauce product sizes to trim packaging materials. Sachet sizes have been reduced from 7.5 cm to 7.2 cm and the cap seal on soy sauce bottles is now thinner, reduced from 4.3 cm to 3.5 cm. In addition, Heinz has reduced or eliminated wrapper packaging and carton partitions to lessen material use.
Europe
United Kingdom and Ireland
Heinz has introduced clear PET plastic ketchup bottles to reduce the total weight as much as 9%, a savings of almost 340 tons of plastic material each year. As a result, carbon emissions have been reduced by 1,000 tons. PET is also easier to recycle than the previous polypropylene bottles. Due to the project’s success, PET bottles have been rolled out to other countries worldwide.
Italy
The Ozzano Taro factory implemented material reduction steps resulting in 75 tons of packaging savings per year. These include modifications in pasta packaging that saves two tons of paper per year and modified specifications for liquid milk containers to save 44 tons per year.
The Latina factory achieved significant savings by adopting a lighter-weight glass jar. The new jar reduces glass use by 1,840 tons per year, lessens energy required for glass production and transportation by 1,656 MWh, and eliminates 1,070 tons of CO2-eq generated for glass production and transport.
Heinz is tracking packaging material in all of our products at our manufacturing facilities in Germany, Spain, Poland and The Netherlands. These materials include glass, paper, metal, aluminum and plastics. The results have shown reductions per unit of sales in three of the four countries.
The Netherlands
Heinz Netherlands introduced a shaped can that is more sustainable and more appealing to consumers. The new can reduces packaging materials by nearly 13%, and it stands out on store shelves because it is different from other products and easier to hold and pour.
North America
United States
We have substantially reduced the packaging for Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® frozen meals. We have reduced carton material by 368 metric tons; corrugate use by 168 metric tons; and tray resin by 240 metric tons. Overall, that is a savings of more than 775 metric tons of materials. Since solid waste disposed in a landfill decomposes and produces methane gas, a GHG, the amount of carbon generated per unit has been reduced by 10%.
Ore-Ida® potato products are being sold in new packaging, the Stand-Up Pouch, to reduce material usage and improve the function of the package. Materials have been reduced by 15% and the amount of plastic resin needed to produce the new package has been reduced by 402 metric tons. The new package does not contain nylon, so scrap pouch material can be recycled. These improvements have enabled Heinz to reduce carbon emissions by 26% per unit.
Heinz® Ketchup’s new Top-Down bottle is not only user-friendly, it’s environmentally friendly too. The new bottles have reduced the use of resin and corrugate by a total of 348 metric tons. A lightweight closure and bottle have reduced the total weight of the package by 9%, helping Heinz reduce carbon emissions by 16% per unit. Another sustainability factor includes the use of an inner layer of post-consumer sterile, recycled material, which accounts for 10% of the resin.
Canada
In Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, reduction initiatives were underway across all product packaging and shipping cartons, including:
- Polypropylene has been reduced in Club store larger-sized bottles
- 10.3% less resin is being used in PET infant juice bottles
- A thinner gauge film is now being used to wrap pallets containing the 680 ml cans
Rest of World
Venezuela
In Fiscal 2008, the facility redesigned our primary mustard bottle. We changed packaging material from a high-density polyethylene pigmented plastic bottle to a clear PET plastic bottle, and reduced bottle weight by three grams (20 g. vs. 23 g.). As a result, we reduced our use of plastic resin by seven tons per year.
Mexico
In Fiscal 2009, Heinz reduced the weight of tomato sauce plastic container jugs by 9%, eliminating nearly 15 tons of resin use per year.
Costa Rica
In Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, we changed the outer corrugated packaging on 11 products. These changes will annually remove nearly 42 tons of packaging material from the consumer waste stream.