Energy ConsumptionGHG Emission Reductions
Goal
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions – Overall 20% reduction per metric ton of production by Fiscal Year 2015.
Progress*
Since 2005, we have reduced our GHG emissions by 13.2% per metric ton of production globally.
* As of Fiscal Year 2011
Our commitment to environmental stewardship is a natural extension of the principles, ethics and values that have guided Heinz since 1869.
Heinz is committed to achieving a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by Fiscal Year 2015 because we recognize, as a global food company, the potential impact of these emissions on climate change.
Our Company continues its progress toward meeting this global sustainability goal. By the end of Fiscal Year 2011, Heinz had achieved a 13.2% reduction in GHG emissions per unit of production through the continued implementation of a global program that is optimizing manufacturing and environmental processes, upgrading equipment and installing improved technology.
As part of the Global Utility Optimization Program, Heinz assesses facilities in each of our Business Units and identifies potential energy-saving projects. In Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, our employees executed utility-focused factory assessments (Kaizen Events) at 33 of our 81 facilities globally – we continue this progress with the remaining facilities. The objective of these employee-led events is to identify and initiate opportunities to improve energy efficiency, which directly and indirectly will reduce GHG emissions. These assessments resulted in the following projects that will drive improved energy utilization in our manufacturing facilities:
- Boiler/steam optimization
- Compressed air optimization
- Process heat recovery
- Water reclamation
- Waste recycling optimization
An added benefit of these projects includes a 2% to 4% reduction in energy/utility consumption per year per factory.
Global Utility Optimization
The factory in Pocatello, Idaho, is one of the many Heinz factories that has been assessed under the Company’s Global Utility Optimization Program.
As part of this program, the Pocatello team held an employee-led Kaizen Event to identify specific energy-saving and environmental improvements at the plant. These Kaizen Events are the large-scale equivalent of finding and fixing leaks, installing low-flow shower heads or replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs in your home.
As a result of this program, we have installed new technology and implemented improved processes to save energy and reduce GHG emissions.
Partnering with the Carbon Trust to Reduce GHG Emissions
When the Company’s sustainability goals were announced, Heinz U.K. factories in Kitt Green – Heinz’s largest factory in Europe – and Kendal had a head start. They had already been partnering with the Carbon Trust for seven years to achieve significant reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Overall, the two factories have reduced CO2 emissions by a combined total of almost 17,600 tons over the last four years.
The reductions were achieved after the Carbon Trust conducted a detailed study of production lines at the factories to determine where energy could be conserved.
Working with experts from the Carbon Trust, Energy Managers at Heinz determined that two manufacturing processes were using too much energy: the process of heating cold water to rehydrate beans and the process of creating steam to cook the beans in their cans.
As a result, Heinz implemented a multi-year plan to re-engineer the product lines, which optimizes energy usage while increasing carbon reductions.
Heat Recovery System in Elst
At our Elst facility in The Netherlands, the Sustainability Team reduced GHG emissions by installing a heat recovery system for ketchup production.
Prior to the installation of the system, ketchup was heated by direct-steam injection and then cooled by cold water before bottle filling. With the new heat recovery technology in place, the manufacturing process has been modified to utilize warm water that has been recaptured and therefore uses a lesser amount of steam.
Reducing fossil fuel consumption is expected to lower the CO2 emissions by 1.77 kg/m³. The decreased water consumption is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 0.34 kg/m³.