What is Kraft Heinz's Plan to Be a Sustainable Superpower?

When it comes to sustainability, the size of Kraft Heinz’s challenge is stark. Roughly 80% of its carbon footprint sits within its supply chain, with agricultural emissions representing the lion's share of that.

For the firm to build a sustainable future, it is going to have to help transform farming practices on a global scale.

The US-headquartered company has pledged to achieve net zero across all three emission scopes by 2050, aiming for a 50% reduction by 2030 as a stepping stone.

"To be the leader in elevating and creating food that makes you feel good," says Carlos Abrams-Rivera, the company’s CEO. Translating that aspiration into measurable progress is going to require focused and coordinated action.

Focusing on the farms

For most people, Kraft Heinz instantly calls to mind tomatoes – and rightly so. The firm is the world’s leading corporate tomato buyer, with much of its agricultural footprint concentrated on that single crop – a remarkable thing for an company of its scale.

The business has pledged that by the end of 2025, all Heinz Ketchup tomatoes will be sourced sustainably against its own Sustainable Agriculture Practices Manual. This is a goal it says remains well within reach, despite 2026 fast approaching.

Its sustainable farming framework sets clear criteria across seven areas, covering soil health, water use, pest management and more.

Carlos says his company’s approach is “equally focused on productivity, environmental stewardship and prosperity.”

This commitment draws inspiration from Henry John Heinz’s century-old principle: “In order to improve the product on the shelf you must first improve the produce in the ground.”

Kraft Heinz's approach to Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Across 75 manufacturing sites, Kraft Heinz has cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions significantly through decarbonisation investments and expanding renewable electricity sourcing.

The 2024 ESG report notes that 22.3% of its electricity now comes from renewable sources, up from just 7% in 2021. This momentum has been backed by a series of shrewd power purchase agreements, including investments in a mammoth 158 MW wind project in Texas.

In Indonesia, two of its facilities have recorded emissions cuts exceeding 95% from 2021 levels by swapping coal for sustainable biomass, installing solar panels and contracting renewable power.

The company has also nearly achieved its goal of reducing water usage by 20% in high-risk areas, recording a 19.5% drop since 2019. These goals have largely been achieved through recycling and efficiency upgrades.

However, Kraft Heinz continues to face hurdles on other manufacturing targets, particularly packaging.

The problem of packaging

In 2023, the company unveiled a commitment to reduce virgin plastic use by 20% by 2030 relative to a 2021 baseline. By that same year, 87% of its packaging was already recyclable, reusable or compostable.

Kraft Heinz also co-founded the Circular Action Alliance, a non-profit advancing producer responsibility legislation in California and Colorado.

Among its recent packaging breakthroughs are the recyclable ketchup caps introduced in the UK and the move to 100% recycled plastic in Kraft mayonnaise bottles across the US.

Scope 3, supply chains and systemic change

Like many multinationals, the bulk of Kraft Heinz’s emissions fall under Scope 3, amounting to 24.3 million tonnes CO₂e.

The company is working to instil sustainability practices throughout its supplier network. In 2023, it hosted its first supplier sustainability webinar, where it shared its net zero roadmap and offered suppliers a starter toolkit for decarbonisation.

Kraft Heinz also maintains strict human rights oversight across its global network, partnering with assessment platforms such as EcoVadis and Sedex to conduct regular checks.

A major milestone came with the achievement of sourcing 100% certified sustainable palm oil through trusted suppliers.

Still, the company acknowledges there is much more to do, particularly in validating its targets through the Science Based Targets initiative and improving Scope 3 data reliability across its vast supply chain.