WhiteWave Foods Celebrates First Year as an Independent Company by Issuing Inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report at the GRI G4 Core Level

DENVER, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The WhiteWave Foods Company (NYSE: WWAV), the global consumer packaged food and beverage company that makes Silk®, Horizon®, International Delight®, Earthbound Farm® and Alpro® products, released its first biennial Corporate Social Responsibility report today for 2012-2013 in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines at the Core level. GRI is a widely used reporting standard that provides a common framework for organizations to report on sustainability strategy, performance and metrics. GRI's newest guidelines, G4, focus on stakeholder engagement, identifying and reporting on material issues as well as the environmental, economic and social focus areas of importance to holistic sustainability reporting. 

"As a newly independent company, WhiteWave is proud to publish our first Corporate Social Responsibility report, setting high standards for our organization around transparency and continuous improvement," said Gregg Engles, Chairman and CEO of WhiteWave Foods. "We are committed to growing our business while minimizing our environmental impact, and improving our responsible sourcing and sustainable packaging platforms. We challenge ourselves every day to redefine what 'good' food means and to help change the way the world eats for the better."

The WhiteWave 2012-2013 Corporate Social Responsibility Report discloses economic, environmental and social impacts informed by a dialogue with experts and NGOs in sustainable agriculture and dairy, health and nutrition, packaging, waste and other areas. The report establishes the company's vision and reports progress across three key areas: "Making Better Products," "Reducing our Footprint" and "Creating a Culture of Caring." Included below are highlights from each section of the report.

"Making Better Products" illustrates the company's commitment to quality, food safety, responsible sourcing, sustainable agriculture, transparent labeling, third-party assurances and sustainable packaging.

• In 2012, WhiteWave met its 2015 goal of sourcing Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, with the purchase of mass balance Certified Sustainable Palm Oil for 100 percent of its liquid creamers.
• WhiteWave redesigned carton packaging caps to use 33 percent less material, resulting in 920,000 pounds of resin saved in 2013 alone. The company's partnership with the Carton Council has helped increase carton recycling access to 50% nationwide. Additionally, all branded cartons carry the qualified recycling symbol to increase consumer awareness about recyclability.

"Reducing Our Footprint" highlights the company's environmental achievements to date, including resource conservation, renewable energy and water conservation.

• In North America, WhiteWave has reduced greenhouse gas emissions 32 percent per gallon of product while increasing production volume by 57 percent since 2006 and reduced waste to landfill by 28 percent since 2007.
• WhiteWave has reduced transportation-related emissions by more than 40 percent since 2006.
• WhiteWave has offset 100 percent of the water used to manufacture International Delight Iced Coffee products and Silk plant-based beverages at company-owned facilities. The company's efforts have helped restore more than 485 million gallons of water to critically dewatered ecosystems.
• In Europe, WhiteWave has increased onsite renewable energy production by 30 percent since 2007, reduced emissions nearly 40 percent and decreased waste to landfill by 47 percent.

"Creating a Culture of Caring" focuses on employee education, wellness, philanthropy, and community engagement.

• In 2013, WhiteWave provided three million meals to those in need through product donations and financial support for hunger relief efforts.
• WhiteWave reported more than 24,000 employee volunteer hours across the globe.

For more information, visit www.whitewave.com/csr.

ABOUT THE WHITEWAVE FOODS COMPANY
The WhiteWave Foods Company is a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company that manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells branded plant-based foods and beverages, coffee creamers and beverages, premium dairy products and organic produce throughout North America and Europe. The Company is focused on providing consumers with innovative, great-tasting food and beverage choices that meet their increasing desires for nutritious, flavorful, convenient, and responsibly-produced products. The Company's widely-recognized, leading brands distributed in North America include Silk® plant-based foods and beverages, International Delight® and LAND O LAKES®* coffee creamers and beverages, Horizon Organic® premium dairy products and Earthbound Farm® certified organic salads, fruits and vegetables. Its popular European brands of plant-based foods and beverages include Alpro® and Provamel®.

To learn more about WhiteWave, visit www.whitewave.com; and for more information about Earthbound Farm, visit www.ebfarm.com.

*The LAND O LAKES brand is owned by Land O'Lakes, Inc. and is used by license.

For more information, contact:
Sara Loveday
WhiteWave Foods
(303) 635-4680
[email protected]

SOURCE The WhiteWave Foods Company