Crown Releases Third Sustainability Report

Crown Holdings, Inc. published its third Sustainability Report. Titled “Perpetual Progress,” the 2015 report documents Crown’s continued advancement in the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability.
 
“Our 2015 report highlights results from the innovative approaches we have taken to infuse sustainability into every aspect of our business,” said Timothy J. Donahue, president and COO of Crown. “Some of our greatest achievements in this reporting cycle are in the areas of waste management, coatings reduction and employee safety. We are committed to continuous improvement in these areas and others as we increase global production capacity and build our presence in new markets.”
 
The report contents include infographics, customer testimonials, profiles of contributions made by Crown’s facilities around the world and internal data measuring progress for the following key metrics: steel and aluminum consumption; use of coatings, inks and compounds; direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; VOC and NOx emissions; energy consumption and waste disposal, recycling and reuse.
 
The report also explores the many valuable contributions that metal packaging as a format makes to sustainability by preventing food waste, protecting contents for consumers and offering a cost-effective and efficient solution for brand owners and retailers.
 
Highlights of the new report include:
• In 2014, Crown’s global businesses produced nearly 9 billion more cans than in the company’s first initial reporting period in 2007. Despite this increased production, Crown has made tremendous strides managing its waste.
• 37% less waste send to landfill, a reduction of more than 8,000 metric tons.
• 9% more waste recycled per billion cans, an increase of nearly 39,000 metric tons.
• More than 100% more waste converted to energy, an increase of nearly 3,000 metric tons.
• Crown also used 14% less coatings since 2007, representing a reduction of nearly 9,000 metric tons.
• There has been a 28% reduction in its days away case rate since 2007, and recordable injury cases have decreased by 39% since 2009.
• Crown had zero work-related fatalities during its entire reporting period (2007 – 2014).
• Better than any other packaging format, cans preserve their contents and help products achieve long shelf lives, significantly reducing the risk of food spoiling before it is consumed.
• If the entire fruit and vegetable supply in the United States was canned, rather than packaged for refrigeration or freezing, an estimated 7 million metric tons of food would be saved. That is equivalent to about 22 million metric tons of CO2.
• Across the lifecycle of a product from farm to fork, including can manufacture, the overall energy used in canning is 20% less than refrigerated food and 50% less than frozen food.