TreeHouse Foods Publishes Inaugural Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, Commits to 2025 Goals

What better way to embark on the new year than with a refreshed sustainability strategy at the ready? TreeHouse Foods is kicking off 2021 fresh off the heels of its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, which highlights the company's accomplishments as well as expands the scope of its sustainability goals. The report addresses TreeHouse's goals for the next four years around these issues, and a dedicated section of its corporate website will now inform stakeholders about these ESG efforts.

"The events of this year, from the COVID-19 pandemic to global protests against racial injustice to the growing threat of climate change, have all underscored the need for companies like TreeHouse Foods to be an example of what is possible," said Steve Oakland, Chief Executive Officer and President. "We must leverage our scale, capabilities, and influence to help address these complex social and environmental challenges. As one of the nation's leading private label food manufacturers, we approach this call-to-action with the same passion and commitment that we bring to exceeding customer expectations. To that end, I am pleased to share an update on our progress and our holistic ESG strategy."

In 2016, TreeHouse set environmental sustainability goals for its North America manufacturing operations focused on energy intensity, water intensity, and waste contribution to landfills. Despite facing challenges, TreeHouse reported meaningful progress related to the following:

• Carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 21 percent from 2016 to 2019
• Water intensity across all facilities, except one, decreased by 6 percent from 2016 to 2019
• Landfill diversion rate increased from 59 percent in 2016 to 78 percent in 2019

TreeHouse also outlined Agenda 2025, which was developed through a more robust and holistic approach to environmental stewardship, stakeholder value creation, and enterprise governance, according to a press release. The 2025 goals were developed with the help of cross-functional ESG subcommittees and apply the learnings from the company's materiality analysis. Agenda 2025 will guide the ESG strategy for the next four years, and identifies five key areas of focus that will have the greatest impact across the organization:

• ESG Integration – Create an internal governance structure that includes Board and Executive oversight to ensure that the entire business is aligned around and agreed upon the ESG strategy and its importance
• Transparency and Disclosure – Provide consistent and regular communication on ESG performance, using respected disclosure frameworks, so that key stakeholders are aware of the Company's efforts and able to make informed decisions
• Supply Chain and Operations – Develop a responsible sourcing program that defines expectations for supplies and ensures the company is proactively addressing environmental and social risks
• Employee Engagement and Welfare – Create strategies and programs that elevate the importance of diversity and inclusion, employee safety and wellbeing, and environmental health and safety at all sites and offices
• Plastics and Packaging – Commit to the development of sustainable packaging options that are recyclable, recycled, and compostable, and at the same time, meet customer expectations

Additional highlights for the 2025 vision include targeted achievement goals related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water intensity, expansion of responsible sourcing policy and practices, and further development of diversity, equality, and inclusion goals.

To stay up to date on how companies are fine tuning their strategies in the new year, keep following along with us at Deli Market News.