Social

We are responsible to all of our stakeholders - including employees, customers, consumers, the communities in which we operate, and investors. We protect our stakeholders through our commitments to safety, diversity and inclusion, quality, product stewardship, community involvement, the environment, ethics, and corporate governance.

Partners

As a global leader in packaging and protection solutions, we have a responsibility to play a positive role in the communities and environments in which we operate and serve.

Earth Day Scholarship

Building on the importance of individual impact within our communities, Berry proudly awarded six dependents of our employees a $1,000 scholarship to assist in furthering their education. To be awarded a scholarship, the students completed applications, and were evaluated by an independent panel of judges on an Earth Day or sustainability-related project and supplemental essay.

Our strong commitment to the environment, along with the actions of the students who completed projects for our Earth Day scholarships, resulted in many benefits and demonstrated what can happen when we commit to Always Advancing.

“Thank you to Berry Global for helping me pursue my dreams! I am off to Queen's University to complete two degrees concurrently: a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences and a Bachelor of Education with a focus on children at risk. It's my goal to pursue Pediatric Medicine, specializing in children with special needs.” - Emily Phelan | Student, Queens University

Community Involvement

No matter the city, state, province, country, or continent, a common value that is demonstrated at each of our facilities is the commitment of our employees to partner with their local community to create a positive impact.

S?o José dos Pinhais, Brazil:

Over 200 of our employees and their families participated in our 5K Berry Run. This event was open to the community and promoted safety awareness.

Oakham, United Kingdom:

Members of our Oakham Apprentice Academy dedicated their time to build a community garden and shed to support the UK Men’s Sheds organization, which helps to improve men’s mental health to combat issues of loneliness.

Evansville, Indiana:

Dedicated to helping the environment, employees participated in ORSANCO’s (Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission) Clean River Sweep along the Ohio River.

Suzhou, China:

Adventurous employees from our Suzhou plant climbed Mount Huangshan and collected litter along the way to help make a positive environmental impact.

Programs

Our employees are our most valuable asset, and excellence as a company fundamentally starts with people. Employees at all levels can benefit from our talented employee development programs, like Leadership Development, Frontline Leadership, internship programs, and even specialized programs like Certified Plastics Ambassadors.

Diversity & Inclusion

Together, we are building a culture where everyone feels welcome and connected so that we have continuous improvements in productivity, innovation, and employee work experience.

We strive for an inclusive workforce, so that our employees feel welcomed, connected, and included in order to maximize their contribution to our Company through a positive and productive work experience. Our ERGs celebrate diversity, the ways we are both similar and different, and encourage unique perspectives and ideas to help fuel innovation.

Our ERGs include:

Onyx (for employees who decend from the worldwide collection of communities that have originated from Africa and their allies)
Ignite (to connect, educate, and advance women)
AccessAbility (for employees with disabilities of all types and levels)
U.S. Veterans
Spark (for emerging leaders).

Through our diversity and inclusion program, plugIN, the number of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) expanded around the globe. From providing employees with special accommodations in Nashville, Tennessee to promoting gender equality efforts in the EMEIA region, last year’s global performance left us feeling inspired for 2020.

Employee Development Programs

Our employees are our most valuable asset. Fundamentally, company excellence begins with the people who create our products. Employees at all levels can advance their careers through our employee development programs.

Certified Plastics Ambassadors Programs

One of the greatest assets we have in the plastics industry is our employees, so in 2017, we introduced the Plastics Ambassadors initiative. Plastics Ambassadors was built to equip employees, customers, vendors, and even friends to appreciate the power of plastics. Through Plastics Ambassadors, we have shined a light on the benefits of plastics.

Plastics...

Are widely recyclable
Make products that help save and enhance lives
Produce lower greenhouse gas emissions than alternatives
Use a fraction of the energy and natural resources of alternatives
Allow for lightweighting and increased efficiency in transport and freight

Since then, we have taken this initiative to the next level by adding Certified Plastics Ambassadors. This program empowers employees to advocate for the many benefits of plastics. Graduates of our Certified Plastics Ambassadors attended a full week of training at the University of Michigan's Erb Institute. These Ambassadors have since administered projects in their respective areas to make a difference in our sustainable future. From everyday safety and convenience to advanced technologies, plastics offer a pathway to improving sustainability. Expanding upon the shelf life of products and offering a way to support a circular economy through product recyclability, our ambassadors help inform the public about the many benefits of plastics.

Leadership Development Program

We believe that an investment in our employees is not only beneficial for their careers, but is also a great benefit to our Company. For those employees who hope to embrace leadership roles, we created the Leadership Development Program. This program targets key leadership competencies with a goal of driving excellence for mid-level leaders.

Frontline Leadership

For those at the forefront of product manufacturing, we provide training for leaders in our plants. Employees in this program develop their careers through one of our most important values-safety. At the core of our beliefs, excellence in plant leadership can lead to operations productivity as well as a safe and responsible work environment.

Policies & Certifications

At Berry, safety is our number one priority. Through our investments in safety equipment and training, we have lowered our incident rating to one of the lowest in the industry.

Health & Safety Management System

We track our total recordable incident rate as our key performance indicator for this disclosure. Our recordable incident rate is calculated using U.S. OSHA's classification criteria.

Industry average is based on the incident rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for Plastics Product Manufacturing (NAICS 3261) as published by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics:

*2019 industry average data is not yet available. 2018 data was used as an estimate.

Scope of Social Supplier Standards

Berry Global Group, Inc. our affiliates, divisions, and subsidiaries strive to conduct business in a responsible manner. As we expand our business activities abroad and work with suppliers globally to meet customers’ needs, it is important to preserve our collective commitment to human rights in the workplace as well as to a safe work environment.

In order to continue to honor these values and principles, we have decided to conduct business only with suppliers who share a similar commitment. We have created a Supplier Code of Conduct to outline what we expect from our suppliers with respect to labor and employment rights, environmental health and safety, ethics and social responsibility, and global trade practices. Suppliers are expected to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct and must operate in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

When local laws and regulations are less restrictive than our Supplier Code of Conduct, we expect suppliers to adhere to our principles. Failure to comply with internationally recognized standards and the standards set forth in our Supplier Code of Conduct may result in the termination of our business relationship. Berry may conduct on-site audits to ensure compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct.

For further information, please refer to:
Supplier Code of Conduct
Global Acquisition and Accountability Policy
Modern Slavery Act Statement
Purchase Order Standard Terms and Conditions

Discrimination Policy

At Berry, we expressly prohibit discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, creed, national origin, veteran status, disability, age, or any other category protected by law. Berry prohibits any actual or attempted reprisals or retaliation against an employee who raises a concern that this policy has been violated or who cooperates in related investigations. Berry takes all allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation very seriously and is firmly committed to ensuring a workplace free of those discriminatory activities. Anyone engaging in discrimination, harassment, or retaliation is subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

As of the end of fiscal year 2019, we employed approximately 48,000 employees with approximately 20% of those employees being covered by collective bargaining agreements. The collective bargaining agreements covering a majority of these employees expire annually and as a result, are due for renegotiation in fiscal 2020. Our relations with employees under collective bargaining agreements remain satisfactory and there have been no significant work stoppages or other labor disputes during the past three years.