Conagra Brands Honors Employee Innovation with Its Sustainable Development Awards

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Conagra Brands (NYSE: CAG) announced winners of its 2025 Sustainable Development Awards on November 13, 2025, recognizing employee projects across Climate Change, Water Reduction, Waste Reduction, Packaging, and Responsible Practices.

Selected projects reported concrete savings: inbound logistics saved ~$250,000 and cut 123 metric tons CO₂e; Irapuato palm oil line changes saved ~$78,000 and 53,280 gallons of water; Waterloo waste initiatives returned $1.29M savings and diverted 948 tons; packaging changes saved $63,000 and cut 126,000 lbs paper; award winners receive $5,000 community grants from the Conagra Brands Foundation.

 Awards focus on Climate Change, Water Reduction, Waste Reduction, Packaging and Responsible Sourcing

CHICAGO, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands (NYSE: CAG) announced the winners of its annual Sustainable Development Awards, honoring employees for their exceptional contributions that encourage sustainable behaviors across the organization. The program recognizes initiatives in five key areas, Climate Change, Water Reduction, Waste Reduction, Packaging, and Responsible Practices, and includes an overall "Award of Excellence" for the project that best reflects Conagra's six Timeless Values: Integrity, External Focus, Broad-Mindedness, Agility, Leadership, and Results.

The program invited cross-functional employee teams to submit projects completed during Conagra's fiscal year 2025. Each submission was evaluated by a panel of peers, with the final winners selected by the company's sustainability leaders.

"At Conagra Brands, we're inspired by the ingenuity our employees bring to advancing sustainability across our operations," said Christine Daugherty, vice president of sustainability at Conagra Brands. "The Sustainable Development Awards celebrate their innovative ideas that not only make our operations more efficient and responsible, but drive cost savings, reinforcing our ongoing commitment to environmental progress and leadership."

The Sustainable Development Awards acknowledge exceptional performance, motivate continuous improvement and foster a positive culture by celebrating shared successes. Conagra's 2025 Sustainable Development Award winners include:

• Climate Change : Omaha, Neb., Chicago, Ill. – Conagra's Inbound Logistics Team improved transport efficiency by consolidating underutilized shipments into full truckloads using Oracle Transportation Management tools – a tool that provides transportation planning and execution capabilities. This zero-cost initiative saved approximately $250,000, cut 241 truck trips, reduced 123 metric tons of CO₂e, and fostered cross-team collaboration. The project's scalability and data-driven approach showcased cost-effective logistics operations.
• Water Reduction : Irapuato, Mexico – The Irapuato team optimized palm oil line cleaning, making the process more sustainable and cost effective by reducing both palm oil and water usage. The new method cut cleaning frequency by 75%, reduced palm oil use by 82,540 lbs and water use by 53,280 gallons annually. The zero-cost method saves approximately $78,000 per year, reduces waste, and supports Conagra's deforestation commitments through more sustainable, efficient operations.
• Waste Reduction : Waterloo, Iowa – The Waterloo plant reduced landfill waste by further controlling microbial activity through steam quality monitoring, digital audits, and cross-functional reviews. With a $70,000 investment, it achieved $1.29M savings, diverted 948 tons from destruction, improved reliability, and created a scalable, data-driven sustainability model shared across plants.
• Packaging : Omaha, Neb., Chicago, Ill., Fayetteville, Ark. – Teams reduced Evol® and Gardein® frozen meal bowl thickness by 25% and removed ink, saving $63,000 annually and cutting paper use by 31% (126,000 lbs.). Achieved with no operational changes, it maintained quality and showcases a transferable, low-cost packaging innovation for sustainability and efficiency.
• Responsible Practices : Waterloo, Iowa – The Waterloo facility repurposed sunflower seeds that did not meet production standards by donating them to the Prairie Rapids Audubon Society for bird feeders, avoiding landfill or feed disposal. To date, this zero-cost initiative has donated 1,200–1,800 lbs. of seeds, reduces disposal fees, supports local biodiversity, benefits community spaces, and strengthens ties with local nonprofits.
• Award of Excellence : Maple Grove, Minn. – The Maple Grove team created a closed-loop recycling system for paper rolls that did not meet quality specifications, returning them to the supplier for reuse in new production. At zero cost, it diverts 50 tons of waste annually, saves $7,000, and strengthens supplier collaboration while advancing a circular economy and sustainability initiatives.

Each winning project team will receive a $5,000 grant from the Conagra Brands Foundation to invest back into their surrounding community, empowering employees to make a tangible difference where they live and work.

For more information about Conagra's ongoing sustainability initiatives, please see the company's 2024 Citizenship Report.

About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading branded food companies. The company combines a 100-year history of making quality food with agility and a relentless focus on collaboration and innovation. Conagra's portfolio is continuously evolving to satisfy consumers' ever-changing food preferences. Conagra's brands include Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, and many more. As a corporate citizen, we aim to do what's right for our business, our employees, our communities and the world. Headquartered in Chicago, Conagra Brands generated fiscal 2025 net sales of nearly $12 billion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com. 

For additional information, please contact:
media@conagra.com 

 

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SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.

FAQ

What did Conagra Brands (CAG) announce on November 13, 2025 about sustainability awards?

Conagra announced winners of its 2025 Sustainable Development Awards recognizing employee projects across five areas with reported cost and waste reductions.

How much did Conagra's inbound logistics project reportedly save and cut in emissions?

The inbound logistics initiative saved approximately $250,000 and reduced 123 metric tons CO₂e by consolidating shipments.

What water and cost savings did the Irapuato plant report for CAG's 2025 awards?

Irapuato reduced cleaning frequency by 75%, saved about 53,280 gallons of water and ~$78,000 annually.

What were the reported results of Waterloo's waste-reduction project in Conagra's awards?

Waterloo invested $70,000, achieved $1.29M savings and diverted 948 tons from destruction.

What packaging improvements did Conagra report for Evol and Gardein products?

Teams cut frozen meal bowl thickness by 25%, removed ink, saving $63,000 and reducing paper use by 126,000 lbs.

What do award winners receive from Conagra Brands Foundation after the 2025 Sustainable Development Awards?

Each winning project team will receive a $5,000 grant to support community initiatives.