Berry Global Group, Inc. released its 2022 Impact Report, delivering a comprehensive and transparent assessment of the company’s progress towards its global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments. The 2022 Impact Report is focused on celebrating record achievements, leveraging key learnings to achieve “More Together,” and highlighting how Berry is advancing its Impact 2025 strategy. To date, Berry has reduced its operational (Scope 1 and 2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an impressive 21%, expecting to achieve its science-based target of a 25% reduction from 2019 prior to its 2025 goal.
“With growth and leadership comes responsibility. We take our role as a responsible corporate citizen seriously – throughout our company and across the global value chain,” said Tom Salmon, CEO and Chairman of the Board at Berry Global. "The compilation of efforts from our 46,000 team members to prioritize our ESG commitments is evident at every level of our business, from making meaningful progress toward achieving our climate change goals to bolstering our commitment to safety with a Total Recordable Incident Rate considerably below the industry average."
The company made significant ESG strides in 2022, compared to 2021, including:
- Increased purchase of post-consumer recycled plastic by 28% thanks to significant customer collaborations
- Increased circular plastic purchased by 21% through investments in Berry Circular Polymers and partnerships with key resin suppliers
- Achieved Scope 3 GHG emissions target four years in advance and increased the target accordingly
- Reduced Scope 1 and 2 (operational) GHG emissions by 5% and Scope 3 (value chain) GHG emissions by 5%
- Increased percentage in women in salaried roles by 5% and of people of color in U.S.-based salaried roles by 6% making progress against the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals
- Increased average training hours per team member by 35% a result of greater investment in workforce development
- Increased the number of suppliers evaluated in our risk management software by 353% scoring each company on environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement
In the environmental section of the report, Berry announced 79% of its fast-moving consumer products are now reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable and its European flexible films division more than doubled the use of recycled content in packaging products to 10,500 metric tons. To date, Berry has reduced Scope 3 GHG emissions from its supply chain by 9%, making progress against its SBTi-validated 2025 goal to decrease absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 25% (from a 2019 baseline). The company also reported an overall reduction in product weight, landfill waste, and water use.
Regarding the company's social goals, Berry reported surpassing its target of reducing its Total Recordable Incident Rate below one, achieving a rate of 0.82 – well below the industry rate of 3.5. The company conducted its second Global Employee Engagement Survey across its 46,000 employees worldwide, exceeding its survey participation goal of 85% globally by 2025 with an 86% participation rate. Berry employees also completed an average of 54 training hours per team member, up from 40 hours in 2021 – with more than 99% of all employees completing the company’s Global Code of Ethics training.
