Smithfield's site in Sioux Falls. © Google
Smithfield Foods is aiming to cut overall solid waste sent to landfills by 75% and achieve zero waste to landfill certification at 75% of its US facilities by 2025.
The objectives form part of the meat processor’s sustainability programme, which also includes the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025.
In total, the company hopes to certify at least 35 of its US facilities as zero waste to landfill in the next six years.
“At Smithfield, we continue to make impressive strides toward reducing our environmental impact by regularly evaluating and implementing new sustainability goals and targets,” said Kenneth Sullivan, CEO of Smithfield Foods.
“Expanding our zero waste to landfill efforts is yet another example of how we think holistically across our business and our supply chain in ways that are responsible and sustainable.”
Currently, Smithfield has nearly a quarter of its US facilities certified as zero waste to landfill. Criteria for the certification include: no waste sent to landfill for 12 months, cut normalised waste by at least 10% from the facility baseline, reuse or recycle at least 50% of generated waste, limit incineration without energy recovery to hazardous and medical wastes, reduce stabilised and landfilled hazardous waste to 0.1% of waste generated, ensure waste management costs do not exceed 105% of baseline costs, and maintain records to be reviewed by staff or a third-party auditor.
Stewart Leeth, vice president of regulatory affairs and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods, said: “As we look to the future and meeting the challenge of feeding 10 billion people, Smithfield is doing its part by searching for innovative ways to use our planet’s resources more wisely.
“This bold new target is a meaningful addition to our comprehensive approach to sustainability across all our operations and helps our communities move closer toward a zero-waste future.”
In 2017, the company launched Smithfield Renewables, a platform to unify and accelerate the firm’s carbon reduction and renewable energy efforts.
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