Recycling’s Role in Corporate Sustainability Goals Long Term Return:  Recycling’s Role in Corporate Sustainability Goals 2011 SERCD Symposium October 26, 2011 Gail Tavill

who is ConAgra Foods? ConAgra Foods started in 1919 as Nebraska Consolidated Mills. In 1971 it was renamed ConAgra, Inc., and the company became ConAgra Foods in 2000. ConAgra Foods is a Fortune 500 company with more than 24,000 employees, with the company’s world headquarters located in Omaha, Nebraska In fiscal year 2010, ConAgra Foods brought in $12+ billion in net sales.

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Download our 2011 report at: Corporate Responsibility Download our 2011 report at: http://thomson.mobular.net/thomson/7/3004/4534/

Where Does Recycling Fit In?

Corporate Responsibility Themes Our Pillars of Corporate Responsibility CONAGRA FOODS MISSION/REPUTATION Food you love ConAgra Foods Operating Principles and Governance Simplicity | Accountability | Collaboration | Imagination Corporate Responsibility Themes Good for you Food safety & quality Sodium reduction Obesity Nutrition Bio-tech foods Labeling Advertising & consumer education Good for the community Governance and ethics Health & safety Learning & development Diversity & inclusion Supplier code of conduct Foundation efforts Good for the planet Climate & energy Water resources Solid Waste Packaging Material sourcing Transportation Sustainable agriculture

Food

No trade offs to performance, quality or cost Next, examples of what CAG has done in support of these goals

The Fundamentals of Packaging Containment – of the PRODUCT to avoid spills/waste and to facilitate use Protection – of the PRODUCT from damage, spoilage, tampering, etc. Distribution – get the PRODUCT from point A to point B Communication – of PRODUCT attributes

A Brief History of Modern Packaging 1920’s-1950’s Small stores, bulk containers and high levels of customer service 10

A Brief History of Modern Packaging 1950’s-1980’s Canning boom of post-war era evolving to supermarket boom and the advent of plastic packaging 11

A Brief History of Modern Packaging Today Average stores have >10,000 items to choose from, everything from apples to X-Box games - complicating the total system and demanding more from packaging materials and technologies.

Our Philosophy on Packaging Although packaging is widely regarded as a source of waste… Considerably more PRODUCT would be wasted without it. So… we embrace the value of packaging and strive to maximize that value to its fullest potential Strategically, and using lifecycle thinking, strive to improve packaging with focus on these 5 “Rs” REMOVE Remove unnecessary packaging or complexity REDUCE Source reduce raw materials where possible RECYCLE PUSH: Design for compatibility with Recycling Infrastructure PULL: Use Recycled Content where possible RENEW Use Renewable raw materials where appropriate Reduce reliance on non-Renewable resources REUSE Use Returnable systems where appropriate

Examples…

REDUCED 2 Million Pounds of Packaging

260,000 pounds of RENEWABLE Material

Approved for up to 40% PCR rPET

Better Compatibility with bottle-to-bottle recycling PET EVOH PET w/oxygen scavenger Traditional Passive Barrier New Active Barrier

Challenges for Recycling…

end-of-life scenarios Must be mindful of downstream impacts as well Just because it’s recyclable, doesn’t mean it gets recycled Educating consumers is key to increasing recycling rates – we have a long way to go end-of-life scenarios

“RECYCLING” Message Confusion

Other End-of-Life messages add to confusion

Our Strategy to Simplify Communication This carton is made from 100% recycled fiber This carton is recyclable This carton is made from 100% recycled fiber and is recyclable

Cross-Sector Collaboration… more conversations between government & industry heightened awareness and education learning how to better engage and collaborate changing the dynamic of how we influence & operate Discussions around EPR and waste / recycling legislation – some people are alarmed, but we see it as a good thing regulatory activity has fostered more conversation between industry, government and trade organizations GMA sustainability working group

Thank you! Gail Tavill Gail.Tavill@conagrafoods.com ConAgra Foods More information in our corporate responsibility report New one comes out next month