Kraft Employees Go Green

Kraft Employees Go Green


April 23, 2008 – Yesterday was Earth Day, a celebration for the world we live in and a reminder that we all must play a part in preserving the environment for future generations. Throughout the year, Kraft locations worldwide are holding employee events to raise awareness about the simple steps we all can take to leave the world a little greener. The events are coordinated by the local Green Teams, employees who voluntarily give their time to find ways to bring sustainability to the workplace. Here are a few events the Green Teams have put together:

Australia: In February, the Research, Development & Quality Green Team hosted a green week eco-office challenge. Employees were asked to reduce paper use, turn off lights when leaving a room or office and to carpool.

Brazil: The ABCD Award-winning program, “Atitude Consciente” (Conscious Attitude), works to reduce the solid waste, increase recycling, and reduce energy and water consumption, among other activities.

Canada: Earth Week kicked off on April 21 at the Don Mills location highlighting initiatives that support the focus areas of our sustainability wheel. Activities include: recycling events, eco-kit and tree sapling giveaways, Nabob coffee sampling (now Rainforest Alliance certified) and cafeteria offerings made from locally available foods.

East Hanover, New Jersey, US: Earth Day was declared “no printing day”. Other site activities included establishing a green storage room to encourage the reuse of office supplies, eco-kit distribution and the removal of all Styrofoam coffee cups -- more than 125,000 – from the facility.

Glenview, Illinois, US: At an Earth Day ice cream social (only ice cream cones were served), employees offered sustainability suggestions for the site and collected eco-kits. They could also sign-up to join the local Green Team. And the Glenview-based brand teams showcased their work around sustainability.

Glenview Technology Center, Illinois: On Earth Day, the Green Team distributed eco-kits, a guest speaker discussed the principles of recycling and old cell phones were collected for Keep Chicago Beautiful, an organization focusing on environmental education.

Madison, Wisconsin, US: The campus collected used athletic shoes to be recycled into gym flooring, cell phones that will be donated for good will and other equipment that will be recycled. The site also sold environmentally friendly gas cans that reduce fumes that are released into the air.

Mexico: For the last eight years, Kraft employees and their families have been celebrating World Environmental Day on June 5. They tree planted trees and learn more about recycling, water use and other practices that can benefit the environment.

Northfield, Illinois: The facility participated in Earth Hour on March 29, a global event to shut off electricity for one hour to raise awareness of global warming. On Earth Day, the campus supported a household hazardous waste event, where employees brought in items that cannot be disposed of through regular waste pick-up. In addition, eco-kits were distributed a sustainability technology workshop promoted more environmentally friendly behavior and a network printing initiative was launched.

Rogers Sales Office, Arkansas, US: For more than a year, the Keen on Green initiative was focused on making the site more environmentally friendly. Activities include reusing office supplies, collecting unused toner cartridges, removing all Styrofoam cups and holding recycling drives.

Tarrytown, New York, US: Over the past few months, the Green Team has done a tremendous amount of work to “green” the campus. On Earth Day, employees received wildflower packets, participated in a battery and cell phone collection and learned more about the Kraft River Walk. In addition, the site received an award from Westchester County in recognition of commuter alternative programs for employees that help reduce congestion and improve air quality in the area.

United Kingdom: Green Soul was launched in June 2007 to encourage environmental initiatives around the business. Activities included recycling drives, bike to work week and a Green Soul week where employees were given free energy saving light bulbs, water saving devices and participated in many other green related activities.