Learn how Graham Packaging’s rigid plastic can and bottle offerings can elevate your wine and spirits brand by visiting us at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) Access LIVE event happening February 3 – 6 at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, CO.

This premier industry event brings together wholesalers, suppliers, retailers, service provides, importers and exporters from all three tiers of the beverage alcohol market under one roof.

Graham’s Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Business Development, Kapil Gami, and PET Research & Development Engineer, David Dinius, look forward to chatting with you at booth #1208.

Learn more about the event here.

Graham Packaging, an industry leader in rigid plastic packaging, announces the release of its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. This report highlights the company’s progress, performance and initiatives related to sustainability, social priorities and corporate responsibility.

“At Graham Packaging, we are committed to building a sustainable future,” said Bob Pyle, President and Chief Executive Officer, Graham Packaging.  “Our dedication to sustainability, inclusivity, and transparency is not just about improving our own carbon footprint. It’s also about supporting our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.”

Highlights of the report include:

• Success with a Safety First approach resulted in the lowest number of recordable safety incidents (at 29 incidents over more than 7 million hours worked and more than 5,000 employees) in company history for the second year in a row.
• 1 ESG ranking in the Containers & Packaging industry by Morningstar Sustainalytics. Graham’s negligible-risk rating of 9.6 is a testament to the relentless dedication, innovative thinking and culture of responsibility among its employees.
• Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to sustainability and reducing the impact on the environment.
• GHG emissions reduction of 20% from a 2020 baseline.
• Commercialization of Graham’s patented AccuStrength™ lightweighting technology at up to 15% lighter than traditional bottles.
• Continued investment in people by focusing on employee health, safety and wellbeing, DEI, and employee attraction, training and retention. Progress across each of those impact areas has been driven by Graham’s Blue Culture of excellence and accountability, launched in 2022.

“As a People, Planet and Values-Focused company, we are continuously working to integrate sustainability into our strategies, operations and culture,” said Tracee Auld, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer. “This report reflects our steadfast commitment to driving meaningful change by providing transparent data on performance and progress, solidifying our leadership in sustainable manufacturing.”

To read Graham Packaging’s ESG Report, click here.

Graham Packaging is proud to announce that President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Pyle, is a recipient of The National Safety Council’s 2024 CEOs Who “Get It” Award. Only presented to seven leaders annually, this national recognition celebrates safety leaders who go the extra mile to protect employees both on and off the job.

“I am honored to receive the recognition,” said Pyle. “I’d like to recognize our outstanding safety team and our dedicated employees without whom this recognition would not be possible. At Graham, we believe that if we do the right things, all accidents are preventable, and as CEO, it is my most important job is to create a safe and healthy environment for our employees across the globe.”

In his three years at Graham Packaging, Pyle has reshaped Graham’s approach to safety through his visionary initiatives including the establishment of an Executive Safety Council, adoption of a Safety First, Quality Focused mindset and orchestration of a U.S.-wide employee Safety Perception Survey.

“What sets Bob apart is his unwavering dedication to making sure every member of the Graham Packaging team comprehends the significance of our safety mission,” said Roy Osborne, Graham Global Vice President – Risk Management, Environmental, Occupational Health & Safety. “By constantly reinforcing why our efforts matter – to our associates, their families and the communities we touch – Bob nurtures and instills a culture of safety that extends far beyond our doors.”

In 2023, Graham Packaging achieved the lowest number of recordable incidents – 29 – in company history across an employee population of more than 5,000. On average, a Graham facility operates 1,355 days, or 3.7 years, without a recordable incident. Additionally, Graham’s overall total recordable incident rate is better than the general industry by 85% and its peers in plastic bottle manufacturing by 62%*.

To read Bob’s full Q&A with The National Safety Council in its Safety + Health magazine, click here.

*According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Graham Packaging is now ranked No. 1 in the Containers & Packaging industry by Morningstar Sustainalytics, a global leader in environmental, social and governance (ESG) research, ratings and data. The company also ranked in the top two percent of over 15,000 companies assessed by Morningstar Sustainalytics globally. Graham’s risk score of 9.6 indicates they have negligible exposure to ESG risk.  In addition, Graham Packaging has been recognized as a Morningstar Sustainalytics ESG Industry Top Rated company in 2023, as well as an ESG Regional Top Rated Company.

“We are very proud to have earned this top ESG Risk Rating. This rating is a reflection of our people and commitment to sustainability, propelling us all toward a more viable future,” said Graham Packaging President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Pyle. “This accomplishment reaffirms the value we place on transparency and Graham’s strong environmental stewardship, social responsibility and ethical practices, all of which are woven into our core business strategy and support the values of our customers, shareholders, employees and other important stakeholders.”

Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG risk ratings assess how well a company manages industry-specific material risks related to environmental, social and governance factors, helping them identify and understand ESG risks that could affect their long-term performance.  Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings distinguish between five levels of risk: negligible, low, medium, high and severe, with a lower score equating to a better risk assessment. Graham Packaging’s negligible-risk rating of 9.6 shows they have strong risk-mitigation strategies in place.

“This success is a testament to the relentless dedication, innovative thinking and a culture of responsibility of our employees.” said Graham Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer Tracee Auld. “We remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and contributing meaningfully to a more sustainable future.”

“Our high standards and alignment with global best practices underscore our unwavering commitment to a holistic approach to sustainability,” added Vice President of Sustainability Richa Desai. “From supply chain transparency to product development, and from employee well-being to community engagement, sustainability is embedded at every stage. This approach has not only mitigated risks but has also created value and resilience for the company and our stakeholders.”

In addition to its negligible risk rating, Graham Packaging also topped its peers in risk management, reflecting how well the company manages its relevant ESG issues and assesses the robustness of its sustainability programs, practices and policies.

To learn more about Graham Packaging’s sustainability efforts, please visit grahampackaging.com/sustainability.

Lancaster, Pa — (August 30, 2023) — Graham Packaging, a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, is proud to announce its certification under GreenBlue’s Recycled Material Standard (RMS). Graham stands as the first company in the United States to implement multi-site certification for mass balance under the RMS, a reflection of its unwavering commitment to sustainability and its dedication to promoting the use of recycled materials in its products.

RMS establishes robust requirements, ensuring the accuracy and transparency of claims through a rigorous third-party certification system. Graham’s journey towards RMS certification began with a successful pilot program in 2022, conducted in partnership with GreenBlue. This pilot program enabled Graham to pursue multi-site certification under the RMS, leveraging the mass balance methodology to transfer PCR credits across its diverse product portfolio, helping its customers achieve their own PCR goals. Mass balance methodology is a tracking system that allows companies to account for the use of certified materials throughout their supply chains by balancing the purchase and sales of materials. It enables companies to make claims about the use of certified materials without requiring every individual product to contain those materials.

“This certification empowers us to incorporate higher levels of post-consumer recycled content, delivering sustainable packaging solutions to our customers,” said Tracee Auld, chief strategy and sustainability officer of Graham. “The traceability, third-party verification, and flexibility provided by the RMS are invaluable tools that reinforce Graham’s commitment to transparency and environmental responsibility.”

Graham has set ambitious sustainability goals, one of which is to incorporate an average of 20% post-consumer recycled content (PCR) across all its manufactured bottles by 2025. With the RMS certification, the company can optimize the utilization of PCR in its products while ensuring accurate tracking and accountability of all recycled materials. This flexibility is particularly crucial in assisting its customers in meeting their targets for the use of recycled materials in food-grade applications, where the supply can be limited. The RMS certification covers two of Graham Packaging’s facilities: its flagship manufacturing facility and Graham Recycling Company, both located in York, Pennsylvania.

“Our collaboration with RMS and GreenBlue exemplifies Graham’s steadfast commitment to advancing sustainability practices and fostering a more circular economy,” said Richa Desai, Vice President of Sustainability at Graham Packaging. “Together, we are actively shaping a future where recycled materials play a pivotal role in minimizing environmental impact and creating a better tomorrow.”

To learn more about Graham’s sustainability initiatives, please visit www.grahampackaging.com/sustainability.

Lancaster, Pa — (May 31, 2023) — Graham Packaging, a leader in sustainable packaging, announced today that the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global body made up of leading climate organizations, has approved the company’s 2030 absolute emissions reduction targets. This validation reaffirms Graham’s target to reduce its absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions as set out in its ESG strategy.

SBTi establishes a clearly defined pathway for companies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to levels necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement — reduce GHG emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit the increase even further to 1.5°C. With approval by SBTi, Graham is committing to reducing its absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 30% by the end of 2030 from a 2020 base year.

“We are pleased to have our GHG emissions reduction target approved by SBTi,” said Bob Pyle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Graham Packaging. “This milestone underscores our company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and reducing our impact on the environment. By setting ambitious targets in line with the latest climate science, we are taking decisive action to address the urgent challenge of climate change. By gaining this validation, we hope to continue to support our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals while fostering a more resilient future for all.”

Along with target development, Graham has also created a strategy to enable target achievement. That plan continues Graham’s work in reducing emissions through lightweighting technologies, increased PCR incorporation and improved energy efficiency—including the use of renewable energy. Graham also encourages its suppliers to reduce their GHG emissions, creating a positive impact across its value chain. Thanks to these efforts and more, in 2022 the company saw a 6% reduction in GHG emissions from baseline.

“Our goal of reducing our absolute GHG emissions by 30% by the end of 2030 is an important step towards achieving our Strategy for a Better Tomorrow,” said Tracee Auld, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer. “We are proud to be a leader in our industry and look forward to continuing to drive meaningful progress towards a more sustainable world.”

To learn more about Graham’s sustainability initiatives, please visit www.grahampackaging.com/sustainability.

About the Science Based Targets initiative

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reductions targets in line with the latest climate science. It is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. The SBTi defines and promotes best practices in science-based target setting, offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption, and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets. www.sciencebasedtargets.org @sciencetargets

About Graham Packaging

Founded in 1970, Graham Packaging is a global leader in the development and design of creative, sustainable packaging solutions for a variety of industry-leading consumer brands. The company employs some of the best and brightest package designers, who bring inspired, technology-driven solutions to market. Headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a flagship manufacturing facility in nearby York, Pennsylvania, Graham Packaging produces approximately 16 billion containers annually across nearly 65 plants in North America, Europe and South America. For additional information on Graham Packaging, please visit https://www.grahampackaging.com/.