Goals & Metrics

Staff at the facility and corporate levels measure Sara Lee’s progress each quarter through our intranet based system, Global Environmental Performance Measures (GEPM) by collecting the following types of data for our own operations:

• Energy (type, quantity, costs)
• Water and wastewater (source, quantity, destination and cost)
• Waste (type, quantity, destination and costs)
• Compliance (number of notices of violation and associated costs)

Our GEPM system includes controls for validation, approval and protection of historical data. To further ensure data quality, data verification steps are included in the protocols for the corporate environmental audits of facilities requiring auditors to review all environmental metrics while on site. Annually, the Sara Lee Internal Audit Department carries out an independent audit of the environment and safety data, the data sources, information systems and associated records.

To see a table detailing our metrics and key performance indicators, please click here.

We are committed to improving our environmental performance. Over the past two decades, business-specific environmental goals were set at a facility level for conservation of energy and water and reduction of waste. In fiscal 2009, Sara Lee established global environmental sustainability performance goals. The baseline is fiscal 2005. The target year for achieving our goals is 2012, the end of the current three-year Long-Range Plan (LRP) cycle.

Sara Lee 2012 Goals - Manufacturing Environment

Energy Consumption 2% - Use of all energy sources

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2% - Scope 1 and 2 CO2

Water Intake 10% - Use of purchased and withdrawn water

Waste-to-Landfill Disposal 12% - Disposal of materials in managed, covered landfills

Packaging Goals

• Increase the percentage of Post-Consumer Recycled Content;
• Increase the amount of recyclable materials;
• Increase the compostability and biodegradability of packaging materials;
• Increase the use of renewable materials in flexible and rigid packaging;
• Reduce the overall carbon footprint of our packaging; and
• Together with our suppliers, actively work to eliminate Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packaging and Bisphenol A (BPA) from packaging when an appropriate replacement is available and has been quality tested.

Our Progress toward Meeting Our Goals: