2Sustain

Tyson Foods, Inc., has released its third sustainability report, titled “Rooted in Tradition. Growing Responsibly.” The report, which is only available online, highlights progress the company has made on a wide range of social, environmental and economic goals in its US operations for fiscal 2008 and 2009.

For instance, Tyson has:

• reduced the number of gallons of water used per pound of finished product by almost 14 percent, compared to 2004 levels. The company now wants to reduce water usage by 10 percent over a two-year period as compared to water usage levels at the end of fiscal year 2008.

• constructed a new plant that will soon start converting inedible fats and greases into renewable fuels. This endeavor is a part of a joint venture with Syntroleum, and the company says it will continue to encourage government policies that encourage the use of non-food sources for renewable energy.

• reduced its Total Recordable Incident Rate by more than 19 percent in fiscal 2009, compared to fiscal 2008.

• donated more than 75 million pounds of protein to food banks and hunger agencies across the US since 2000.

“Sustainability at Tyson Foods is about doing the right thing in all aspects of our business,” says Kevin Igli, Tyson’s chief environmental, health and safety officer.  “Along with our ‘Core Values,’ it guides our actions in such important areas as hunger relief, food safety, environmental protection, animal well-being, ethical business practices and the health and safety of our employees.”

The full report is available here.