Skip to content
Corporate
Menu
Close
2017 Report
Our Food Journey™
Search
Search
< Environment

Recognition

Explore
Down Arrow

In 2017, we received project entries from across the company in our Sustainability Best of the Best competition.

Through our internal Sustainability Best of the Best annual competition, we recognize and reward Hormel Foods teams that have identified improvement opportunities and implemented changes.

Internal Recognition

In 2017, we received project entries from across the company in our Sustainability Best of the Best competition. The Austin (Minn.) Plant team was chosen as the champion for a water reduction project, which documented an annual water savings of 7.9 million gallons. To learn more about this project, please visit the water section of this report. Also see our Environmental Sustainability Policy for more information about the commitment our company has made to environmental sustainability objectives.

External Recognition

In 2017, our continued dedication to reducing our environmental footprint resulted in recognition by a number of independent sources.

  • Energy Award

    Alliant Energy’s Energy-Efficiency Award

    Our Osceola (Iowa) Food location received an Energy-Efficiency Award from Alliant Energy.

  • Achievement Trophy

    Colorado Department of Public Health And Environment Gold Award

    The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment awarded our Mountain Prairie Farms location (Las Animas, Colo.) with a Gold Award. The Environmental Leadership Program recognizes Colorado organizations for going above and beyond compliance with state and federal regulations and for their commitment to continual environmental improvement.

  • Plant in hand

    North American Meat Institute

    The North American Meat Institute recognized several Hormel Foods locations for implementing an environmental management system (EMS). These locations received Tier 3 recognition, indicating full EMS implementation without third-party certification.

  • Waste

    Sustainability Excellence In Manufacturing Award

    ProFood magazine recognized our Beloit (Wis.) Plant with a Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Award for its solid waste stream optimization efforts.

Employee Engagement In Environmental Initiatives

We are dedicated to fostering an environment at Hormel Foods where employees are engaged in our sustainability initiatives.

Our Grow Team is an internal group that aims to assemble and evaluate sustainability metrics, increase awareness with education and events, and improve sustainability at our Corporate Office campus (Austin, Minn.). In 2017, the team successfully implemented a number of projects, including:

  • Energy Award

    Beat The Peak Week

    The Beat the Peak Week aimed to increase awareness of energy peak alerts and reduced electrical usage at the corporate campus. The final event during Beat the Peak Week was Lights Out Day in which employees were asked to reduce their electrical usage by limiting nonessential lighting and equipment.

  • Lunch and Learn

    Education

    Throughout the year, the team organized and hosted several lunch-and-learn opportunities for employees on environmental topics.

  • Adopt a Highway

    Adopt A Highway

    Hormel Foods employees volunteer to clean a section of the highway in the Austin, Minn., area. In addition, several of our manufacturing locations have also adopted sections of roadways in their communities.

  • Waste

    Recycling Initiatives

    The team held a denim and an athletic shoe recycling drive for employees. The denim was donated to an organization that recycles denim into insulation. This keeps textile waste out of landfills and helps with building efforts in communities around the country. The shoes were donated to a company that grinds down worn-out athletic shoes and turns them into surfaces such as running tracks.