Kraft is one of many companies that have embraced a growing trend toward corporate responsibility reporting, including sustainability issues. But as consumers demand products that leave a minimal food print at all stages of the supply chain, some companies have rushed to express green credentials which may not necessarily stand up to scrutiny, undermining consumer trust and leading to accusations of ‘greenwashing’.
However, Kraft has some concrete claims under it belt, including increasing the amount of coffee sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified plantations by 50 percent in 2008 compared to the previous year. In February, it also invested $90m in sustainable cocoa and cashew production through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The company also claims that these initiatives are working to improve its bottom line: It said that sales of away-from-home instant and espresso coffee have doubled since it began selling coffee sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms in 2006.
Kraft has now issued a paper in which it outlines the environmental sustainability goals it hopes to achieve by 2011, using 2005 as a baseline.
These include reducing plant energy usage by 25 percent and cutting energy-related carbon dioxide emissions by the same amount. The company said that it also plans to reduce plant water consumption by 15 percent, plant waste by 15 percent, and to eliminate 150m pounds (approximately 68m kilograms) of packaging material.
Vice president of sustainability at Kraft Steve Yucknut said: "This is a journey and we still have work to do, but expanding our sourcing of beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and partnering with the Gates Foundation represent significant steps."