McCormick & Co. Inc., a global leader in flavor, has released its 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) review, "Sharing Our Passion for Flavor." The review builds on the company's tradition of social responsibility by outlining key focus areas, examining current global initiatives, measuring performance and setting goals for the future.
As highlighted in the review, the company exceeded its 2010 reduction targets for solid waste and electricity consumption a year ahead of schedule, resulting in a savings of enough plastic bottles to stretch the length of 14,000 football fields.
To continue to improve on its environmental performance, McCormick has now set new goals for further reductions by 2018, including:
25 percent reduction in bottle packaging weight using sustainable methods
50 percent reduction in solid waste
"Our CSR vision is to grow our business globally while driving positive change to the environment, within our communities and for our employees," says Alan Wilson, chairman, president and CEO. "This CSR review highlights the linkage between our philanthropic work, protection of the environment and our business success."
McCormick has already saved more than 300 tons of plastic annually by using sustainable packaging on four of the company's plastic bottle types. The length of these saved bottles equals that of 14,000 football fields. These savings build upon the company's success at its net-zero energy facility in Belcamp, MD, and its aggressive operational goals focused on energy efficiency, packaging, waste and water reduction at nearly 50 locations in 24 countries.
To help provide hunger relief for children and families in Madagascar's vanilla growing region, the company has partnered with Help Madagascar. This nonprofit organization helps keep farmers' children in school by rewarding class attendance with rice donations to their families. Supporting global communities like Madagascar through partnerships is critical to McCormick's supply chain because it improves the day-to-day lives of suppliers and helps ensure a stable and reliable source of supply for high quality raw materials. To further these efforts, McCormick will commit to a 50 percent increase in funding to similar programs in farming communities in regions of the world where the company sources its products.
As a leader in global flavor, McCormick has committed to a 20 percent increase in funding to educate consumers globally on the role of flavor in healthy eating. By demonstrating how flavor can help inspire healthy choices, McCormick will show how to make it enjoyable and sustainable for people to eat more of the right foods and less of the foods to avoid (salt, sugar and fat). Additionally, McCormick will bring its "Eating Well" employee nutrition and wellness program to all global locations by 2018.
