Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY) has launched its 2021 Impact Report, delivering a comprehensive and transparent assessment of the Company’s progress in meeting its ambitious worldwide Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets.
Following the success of the first Impact Report in 2017 in providing Berry’s stakeholders with a clear roadmap for continuous improvement, the latest iteration demonstrates the considerable strides made during 2021.
The primary focus of the 2021 Impact Report is Sustainability in Action. Among the key achievements highlighted are investments in sustainable packaging, increased use of recycled and circular plastics, and reductions in carbon emissions.
All activities reported contribute toward Berry’s previously published Impact 2025 targets. Across three areas – products, performance, and partners – Berry has already hit eight targets and is on course to achieve the rest.
“2021 was a year of action for Berry. From unmatched access to recycled material and strategic partnerships to innovative products, Berry is taking action on its ambitious sustainability goals to best serve customers,” said Tom Salmon, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Berry Global. “Berry’s culture is rooted in trust and partnerships – internally and externally. To enhance that, we have revised our Global Code of Business Ethics for our own members and deepened our hold on corporate governance.”
In the Impact Report, Berry announced that 86 percent of its fast-moving consumer products are now reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable, on target for achieving 100 percent by 2025. Alongside this, the Company reported increases in the use of circular plastics and light weighting of products.
In terms of performance, Berry has already achieved its target of an eight percent reduction in Scope 3 carbon emissions from a 2019 baseline. Having surpassed the initial goal four years ahead of schedule, the Company has now set a new target aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Under the people banner, Berry conducted its first Global Employee Engagement Survey across our 47,000 employees worldwide, with a 75 percent participation rate. The Company’s employees completed 1.8 million training hours – an average of 40 hours per person, while Berry surpassed its target of bringing the Total Recordable Incident Rate below one – emphasizing our commitment to the safety of our employees.
“We have made impressive progress in almost every aspect our ESG goals, with some notable achievements and partnerships over the past year,” said Tarun Manroa, Chief Strategy Officer at Berry Global. “The success of our actions to date will spur us on to ensure we continue both to meet and exceed our own sustainability targets and support our customers in achieving theirs.”
The 2021 Impact Report is free to download from the Berry Global website.