Crown Accelerates Sustainability Commitments With Twentyby30 Program Launch

To elevate its global commitment to sustainability, Crown Holdings, Inc. debuted Twentyby30, a program that outlines 20 measurable environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals to be completed by 2030 or sooner. 

The program identifies five distinct pillars of action—Climate Action, Resource Efficiency, Optimum Circularity, Working Together and Never Compromise—that represent topics of urgent global concern and areas of the business in which Crown can create notable impact. 

As part of the company’s pledge to advance its contribution to climate action, it has had its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. All pillars are underpinned by the company’s well-established governance and ethics principles and practices.

“Our spirit of innovation and commitment to operating efficiently and responsibly have guided our business since we were founded, and we are proud of the sustainability progress we have made to date,” said Timothy J. Donahue, president and CEO of Crown. “Yet, we must continue to raise the bar for our performance. It is our duty as a global manufacturer to serve as a steward to our environment, our communities, our customers and our workforce. The Twentyby30 program is a bold, comprehensive initiative that represents the next chapter of our sustainability journey. The program’s ambitious goals, which touch all aspects of our business, will help us accelerate our progress over the next decade, allowing us to make the greatest impact possible while reducing our footprint.”

Under the program, Crown aims to accomplish the following by or before 2030 (using a 2019 baseline):

Climate Action

1. Reduce Scope 1 GHG emissions, targeting a 50% combined reduction in absolute Scope 1 (fuel) and Scope 2 (electricity) emissions.

2. Reduce Scope 2 GHG emissions, targeting a 50% combined reduction in absolute Scope 1 (fuel) and Scope 2 (electricity) emissions.

3. Reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its supply chain (Scope 3) by 16%.

4. Source 60% renewable electricity by 2030, 90% by 2040 and 100% by 2050.

5. Reduce Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions by 10% per unit of product.

Resource Efficiency

6. Reduce water usage in its operations by 20% by 2025.

7. Maintain a 100% track record of meeting local wastewater standards.

8. Ensure all employees have continued access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

9. Replenish 100% of the water consumed in its operations back to high scarcity risk watersheds.

Optimum Circularity

10. Send zero waste from its operations to landfill.

11. Reduce packaging material use by making its aluminum and steel cans 10% lighter in weight.

12. Support increased metal packaging recycling rates in its major markets in collaboration with industry associations and other partners.

13. Maintain or improve the industry-wide average of recycled content in metal cans and transit packaging products in collaboration with suppliers, industry associations and other partners.

14. Increase the recycled content of the plastic strapping it makes by 10% globally.

Working Together

15. Reduce its Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) by 20% by 2025.

16. Continuously encourage, inform and empower every employee to be an active participant in Crown’s Sustainability Program, creating meaningful connections between their daily tasks, their personal lives and the impact they can make in the environment and society.

17. Evolve toward a more employee-centric organization where Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) awareness is embedded in the organizational culture, allowing our people to be authentic at work. Encourage our top management to be D&I role models as a source of inspiration for all.

Never Compromise

18. Decrease the lifecycle footprint of its products and processes through eco-design and manufacturing innovation. Crown commits to devoting at least 50% of its Research & Development technology developments toward minimizing the footprint of its products and manufacturing processes.

19. By 2022, all operations meet a new consolidated “One Crown Standard.” This new standard will unify existing standards of migration, toxicology and safety utilized in our various geographical locations. By 2025, Crown will have screened all food contact materials for the presence of Chemicals of Concern (COC) and will take action to eliminate them where necessary.

20. By 2025, all suppliers determined as high risk are assessed by third-party verification assessments. By 2030, 100% of Crown’s core raw materials and service suppliers, by spend, are assessed and comply with Crown Responsible and Ethical Sourcing policies and requirements, with an interim target of achieving 75% by 2025.

“In designing the Twentyby30 program, we are redefining our approach to sustainability and the role the packaging sector plays in bettering our environment,” said John Rost, Ph.D., VP, Global Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Crown. “This plan anticipates where the industry is headed and demonstrates a commitment to proactive advancement. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve through this strategy and to collaborating with our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible.”

To make progress toward each Twentyby30 program goal, Crown will take steps to improve operational efficiencies and establish new processes and procedures as needed. 

The company will report its progress against the Twentyby30 program goals annually through global reporting standards including CDP and its sustainability reports. 

Its performance is also scored by various ESG ratings providers such as Sustainalytics and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.