SMITHFIELD, Va., Aug. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. has honored multiple facilities and employees with Environmental and Sustainability Awards, recognizing efforts that helped Smithfield save more than 1.1 billion gallons of water, more than 8.8 million kilowatts of electricity, and more than 21.1 million pounds of solid waste generation in 2017.

Smithfield President and Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth M. Sullivan, honored the award recipients earlier this week at a ceremony during the company’s annual Environmental and Sustainability Conference. This conference is designed to engage employees on the company’s sustainability program through case studies, presentations, and breakout sessions.

“Sustainability is firmly ingrained in our company’s culture and is integrated into every aspect of our domestic and international operations,” said Sullivan. “Our employees work tirelessly to do things the right way – the sustainable way – and these award-winning teams exemplify those efforts.”

The facilities honored are instrumental to Smithfield’s industry-leading sustainability program. Their efforts to improve resource efficiency support Smithfield’s larger sustainability goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent by 2025 throughout its entire supply chain.

“These teams demonstrate the direct impact that employees throughout the company have on our sustainability goals,” said Stewart Leeth, vice president of regulatory affairs and chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods. “Each of the more than 54,000 members of the Smithfield Family help contribute to our industry-leading position in sustainability. Their hard work not only strengthens our company and sustainability program, but positively impacts the communities we call home.” ­­­

Environmental and Sustainability Award winners received $5,000 and the facility honored with the President’s Award received $10,000. Each winning team donated a portion of the prize to the charity of their choice.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD WINNER
Springdale, Ohio
Implemented a new ingredient purchasing process, which resulted in annual waste reduction of 32 tons and annual savings of more than $520,000.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS
Denison, Iowa
Improved water utilization by capturing water for reuse in three separate operations, resulting in an annual savings of $36,000.

Starachowice, Poland
Reduced water consumption by 20 percent and discharge by 10 percent by utilizing ultrasonic equipment to identify underground water leaks.

Animex Opole, Poland
Improved energy efficiency by 20 percent, decreased hot water production by 185,000 gallons, and decreased natural gas consumption by 6,300 cubic meters per month by expanding and modernizing its steam condensate return system.

Kinston, North Carolina
Improved fuel efficiency by 49 percent and reduced GHG emissions by recognizing and resolving inefficiencies in refrigeration units on trailers. This facility was also recognized for developing an award-winning system to capture product, previously sent to rendering, which reduces waste.

Orange City, Iowa
Reduced annual waste 250 tons by identifying a local biofuel producer to utilize the material as an alternate landfill disposal.

Warsaw, North Carolina
Developed a semi-annual standard operating procedure for cleaning equipment, reducing cost, reducing equipment downtime, and saving 3,000 bushels of corn used for animal feed annually.

Salt Lake City, Utah
Included the local fire department in its mock ammonia release, which included real-world emergency scenarios and facility evacuation.

Junction City, Kansas
Implemented an engaging employee training activity to identify intentionally created errors in refrigeration system flow charts.

Sioux City, Iowa
Volunteered and created a weekly schedule to perform maintenance on a local park for persons with special needs.

East Central Region, North Carolina
Provided a two-day presentation to 800 elementary students in Duplin County, North Carolina, including hog farm demonstrations and activities to support the students’ curriculum. 

Omaha, Nebraska
Eliminated unnecessary packaging from product and reduced waste material by 15,000 pounds annually.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan’s Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, Farmer John®, Kretschmar®, John Morrell®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, Carando®, Margherita®, Curly’s®, Healthy Ones®, Morliny®, Krakus®, and Berlinki®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Contact:
Diana Souder
Smithfield Foods, Inc.
(757) 357-1675
dsouder@smithfield.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/add1d52b-b816-4a34-a90e-7314274cf850.