DENVER, July 26, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global consumer packaged food and beverage company The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE:WWAV) unveiled new sustainability commitments today in the company’s 2014-2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. WhiteWave Foods’ CSR report highlights the activities of its brands, including Silk®, Horizon Organic®, So Delicious®, Vega®, Earthbound Farm®, International Delight®, Wallaby Organic®, and Alpro®. In addition to announcing 2025 environmental targets, WhiteWave fulfilled its 2016 commitment to source 100 percent of the cocoa powder used to produce its North American brands, expanded its 100 percent sustainable cocoa commitment to its European Alpro brand, and pledged to reduce sugar in Alpro products by 12.5 percent by 2020.
“At WhiteWave, we aim to produce great-tasting food in a way that’s better for people, our communities and our planet,” said Gregg Engles, Chairman and CEO of WhiteWave Foods. “To achieve this goal, we are constantly seeking new ways to deliver the transparency, choice and responsible practices people are looking for today.”
Since WhiteWave first began tracking its environmental impact in 2006, the company has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent per pound of product. Over the past two years, WhiteWave has reduced water use by 6 percent per pound of product, and waste to landfill resource intensity by 52 percent. By 2025, WhiteWave will further reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste to landfill per pound of product by 20 percent from a 2013 baseline.
WhiteWave’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report also details significant achievements in sourcing, waste and water use reduction in 2014-2015.
Sustainable Sourcing:
- WhiteWave met its 2016 goal to source 100 percent certified sustainable cocoa powder used to produce Silk, So Delicious, Vega, Horizon and International Delight products.
- WhiteWave’s Alpro brand has committed to sourcing 100 percent of its cocoa powder from sustainable sources by the end of 2017.
- WhiteWave sources 100 percent certified sustainable palm oil for its liquid creamer products. By 2020, WhiteWave’s certified sustainable palm oil supply will comply with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) NEXT criteria, a set of advanced sustainability criteria to further prevent deforestation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve human rights conditions associated with palm oil production.
Waste Reduction:
- In 2015, WhiteWave diverted 78 percent of its waste from landfills through recycling, composting and reuse efforts.
- In 2014-2015, Earthbound Farm recycled nearly 9,300 tons of food waste, including 98 percent of all lettuce culls.
- WhiteWave’s partnership with the Carton Council has helped increase carton recycling access to 58 percent of households nationwide.
Water Use:
- In 2015, WhiteWave balanced 45 percent of its global manufacturing water use through a partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to restore critically dewatered rivers and water systems across the U.S. Since 2009, WhiteWave’s water efforts have replenished more than 1.9 billion gallons of water.
WhiteWave’s 2014-2015 Corporate Social Responsibility Report was developed in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.
For more information, visit www.whitewave.com/csr.
ABOUT THE WHITEWAVE FOODS COMPANY
The WhiteWave Foods Company is a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company that manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells branded plant-based foods and beverages, coffee creamers and beverages, premium dairy products and organic produce throughout North America and Europe. The Company also holds a 49% ownership interest in a joint venture that manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells branded plant-based beverages in China. WhiteWave is focused on providing consumers with innovative, great-tasting food and beverage choices that meet their increasing desires for nutritious, flavorful, convenient, and responsibly-produced products. The Company's widely-recognized, leading brands distributed in North America include Silk®, So Delicious® and Vega® plant-based foods and beverages, International Delight® and LAND O LAKES®* coffee creamers and beverages, Horizon Organic® and Wallaby Organic® premium dairy products and Earthbound Farm® organic salads, fruits and vegetables. Its popular plant-based foods and beverages brands in Europe include Alpro® and Provamel®, and its plant-based beverages in China are sold under the Silk® ZhiPuMoFang® brand. To learn more about WhiteWave, visit www.whitewave.com.
*The LAND O LAKES brand is owned by Land O’Lakes, Inc. and is used by license.