Committed to our Natural Resources
At Perdue Farms, sustainability is a cornerstone of our stewardship commitments, guiding us to make responsible decisions that benefit our people, our communities, and the planet. As we demonstrated in Fiscal Year 2025, we remain steadfast in our mission to reduce our environmental footprint, while delivering high-quality food and agricultural products.
This year, we made meaningful progress toward our stewardship goals, taking critical steps to reduce our environmental impact across our operations. We diverted an impressive 97% of solid waste from landfills, cut water intensity by 0.42%, and achieved an 11% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity compared to FY2024. I am proud of the dedication our teams have shown in advancing our sustainability commitments.
As part of our long-term strategy, we have committed to developing new sustainability goals through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These targets will provide a structured, science- driven framework for measuring and reducing our environmental impact, ensuring that we hold ourselves accountable to meaningful progress in the years to come.
We are also enhancing our approach to carbon accounting and data-driven decision-making by partnering with Sustain abase. This collaboration is helping us refine how we track, measure, and manage our environmental impact, providing better insights and allowing us to extend our management efforts into Scope 3 emissions. Additionally, by advancing our internal data systems, we are enabling real-time tracking and dashboarding, allowing our associates to make informed, proactive decisions.
In March 2025, we hosted our second annual Sustainability Summit, highlighting our leadership in responsible food and agriculture. Industry leaders and Perdue’s regenerative agriculture farmers attended as we introduced Earth Smart Climate Innovation, driving a transformative shift in poultry protein production.
Perdue treats carbon as a “specialty crop,” using regenerative agriculture to boost yields, efficiency, and sustainability. Our “seed to fork” approach allows us to produce low-carbon chicken and oil while enhancing biodiversity, water, and soil health. As the only vertically integrated poultry producer with feed and soy crush operations, Perdue can help companies cut Scope 3 emissions.
Throughout our company, we are embracing new technologies, operational efficiencies, and innovative partnerships to drive lasting change. We will in the months ahead, continue sharing our progress and unveiling new initiatives that further our commitment to sustainability.
Thank you to our associates, partners, and stakeholders who share in our mission to create a more sustainable future. Together, we are making a real difference—one step at a time.
Sincerely,
Drew Getty
*The main reason for this increase was the reduction in total pounds of products or materials Perdue produced. When you make fewer products or materials, but still use a similar amount of water, the water intensity goes up.
We recognize that our consumers, customers, and communities expect us to be responsible stewards of our shared natural resources. We also recognize that producing more with less is not the full measure of sustainability, and that we need to take a holistic approach that overlaps with our commitments to food safety and quality, animal welfare, associate well-being, consumer preferences, community concerns, and supporting family farms.
In pursuit of our vision “to be the most trusted name in food and agricultural products®,” we know we must go beyond compliance to actively address the full range of environmental stewardship challenges related to animal agriculture and food production. We know that environmental stewardship includes partnering with and supporting efforts and organizations that bring stakeholders together to protect our natural resources. We count stewardship among our core company values and incorporate environmental sustainability into our company goals, which the senior leadership team and board approve
Shared Accountability: The environmental goals, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, energy use, recycling, and compliance, are factored into management compensation and represent an accountability that all associates share.
Tracking Progress: We have environmental scorecards for each of our operations to track our progress in reducing energy and water use, increasing recycling, and growing community involvement and associate engagement.
Facility Management: We have environmental managers responsible for each of our large facilities, and each facility has processes and plans in place to reduce environmental impacts and lower our overall carbon footprint.
Each year, every Perdue facility commits to a Facility Sustainability Project that shows a reduction in emissions, wastewater, natural resources consumption or solid waste. The projects, which are a critical part of each location’s Environmental Sustainability Scorecard, are led by our committed associates. Called the “Green Teams,” the groups comprise both hourly and salaried associates who work together to deepen our collective dedication to environmental stewardship while also demonstrating our core value, teamwork, in action.
Here are some of our Green Teams’ latest accomplishments:
Select a region to learn more about projects and partnerships across some of our communities.
Perdue Animal Nutrition, in partnership with a team from Cornell University, is embarking on a groundbreaking initiative to mitigate methane emissions through advancements in animal nutrition. This industry-academia match grant is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. As the leading dairy state in the U.S., California faces unique challenges in managing methane emissions, particularly from dairy cows.
The grant received will help fund Perdue Animal Nutrition’s ongoing scientific research to learn more about how animal feed and nutrition impacts methane emissions. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is a byproduct of livestock digestion, particularly in ruminant animals like cows. Through innovative approaches focusing on dietary modifications, particularly involving the supplementation of fatty acids, Perdue aims to reduce methane production in dairy cows. Research has shown that certain fatty acids can alter the microbial population in the cow’s rumen, leading to decreased methane emissions without compromising animal health or productivity.
This project, which is a core sustainability initiative proposed for the whole dairy industry, is a natural extension of Perdue’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
In our second initiative together, GreenGas has enhanced our existing methane-capture system at Perdue’s Cromwell, Ky., facility, improving operational efficiency and creating local jobs. The Cromwell project was completed and online in December 2023 and aims to reduce GHG emissions by 5,000 MTCO2e annually. GreenGas specializes in renewable energy solutions, helping companies convert waste streams into renewable natural gas (RNG) to offset fossil fuel consumption. Previously, Perdue and GreenGas successfully launched a similar project in North Carolina, reducing carbon emissions by 17%. This extension underscores Perdue’s commitment to sustainability and collaboration with innovative partners like GreenGas.
“Miss Madeline,” a New Liquid Barge from Perdue Farms, Sets Sail on a More Sustainable Supply Chain
November 22, 2024
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay & Perdue Farms Partner to Celebrate Earth Day by Planting Hundreds of Trees on PA Poultry Farm
April 22, 2024
Learn about the steps we're taking to reach our goal of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.
