Kinesha Allen, environmental manager at the Smithfield Farmland facility in Smithfield, Va., is part of a team that helps keep the plant's environmental performance on track.

SMITHFIELD, Va. - One of Smithfield Foods' key sustainability commitments is reducing its environmental footprint. As a result, Kinesha Allen, environmental manager at the Smithfield Farmland facility in Smithfield, Va., is part of a team that helps keep the plant's environmental performance on track. She is featured in the latest installment of multi-media "sustainability stories" on www.Smithfieldcommitments.com.

"The environmental performance of all our plants—in the US and internationally—receives a lot of attention, and we work hard to improve every year," said Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer. "Kinesha is part of that effort as are virtually all the employees who work for Smithfield Foods and our independent operating companies."

Allen’s responsibilities range from checking water and energy usage to volunteering at local schools. Regardless of the task at hand, she has a passion for the environment and is proud of her team's performance.

"We've won several environmental awards at this facility,” she says. “The most recent one would be the 2014 Business Partner of the Year through the Virginia Recycling Association.”
Smithfield Foods has been committed to reducing its environmental impact for more than a decade. The company has augmented and improved its environmental management systems over the years, enabling it to reduce its use of key resources, including water, energy and land. The company also sets challenging targets to further elevate its performance around water, energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and solid waste.

The company relays this commitment has made good economic and environmental sense for its business, plus its focus on improvement has resulted in reaching some targets ahead of schedule.
“Sustainability is a journey, not a destination, and corporations must continually strive to exceed what is expected of them,” states a Smithfield press release.