The largest producer of American-style cheese recently released its first ever sustainability report. Included in the report is information detailing the company’s economic impact and environmental sustainability goals for the future.The report is important because it makes the company’s goals and challenges transparent to Glanbia’s customers, employees and other industry leaders, said Jeff Williams, CEO of Glanbia Foods.
“We always think about the environment as just water or air, but we’re also approaching how we impact the community and what we can do to better those around us,†Williams said.
Using 2009 as a baseline, the report compares how the company fared at the end of the 2011 calendar year. The report notes that its data is not audited or externally assured.
Throughout those two years, the report concludes Glanbia helped fund 6,600 jobs not directly connected to the company, along with 12,600 local dairy support jobs.
Yet as the cheese company continues to expand, environmental concerns over Glanbia’s plants continue to be an issue.
The company has set goals in 12 different environmental areas, including reducing its carbon footprint, water consumption, chemical usage, and air emissions.
In most cases, the company achieved the goals it set for itself two years ago to reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of producing cheese, according to the report. Yet the company acknowledges that it can continue to do more.
“When you set measurement mechanisms in place, you are going to see results,†Williams said. “We’re continuing to analyze all aspects to better our product and company.â€
For example, nitrogen levels in wastewater continue to be a challenge to Glanbia facilities in Idaho. The company’s new goal is to reduce its wastewater chemical concentration by 3 percent by 2013.
Overall, Glanbia’s success in its future goals is reliant on its employees participating and the company putting more measurement methods in place, Williams said.
“It is a journey,†he said. “We never expect to arrive necessarily, but be conscious of what we’re doing on the journey.â€
Source: Magic Valley
