INITIATIVES

Our Corporate Responsibility Initiatives

ENVIRONMENT

Waste Diversion and Recycling: Heartland manufacturing facilities process improvement (2021 baseline)

• Reduce wastewater at the production facilities
  • Current: 2022 Full Year – 10% reduction in water use to 2021 baseline
• Reduction of nonvalue added movement of material
  • Use of silos will annually avoid 13 tons of CO2 (carbon footprint)
• Reduction of plastic totes
  • Approximately 500 tote inventory. Plant on-demand blending will remove 200 to 400 totes
• Repurpose spent raw materials avoiding going to landfill
  • Drying coffee grounds for resale averts and average of 91 tons going to landfill each month
• Increase waste diversion from Landfill at the Heartland manufacturing campus
  • Current: 2022 Full Year – 118% improvement in waste diversion to 2021 baseline
• Working towards 100% recycling product packaging
  • Current: 2022 Full Year – 52% of our packaging is recyclable

EMPLOYEES

Development and Healthcare Benefits: Heartland created the Center of Excellence Training Center

• Heartland implemented an internal Career Path Program (CPP) for all hourly production employees
  • Goal – production operator positions filled through CPP: 50%
  • Current positions filled through CPP: 2022 Full Year – 59%
  • Link to Indiana Business Journal article: https://www.ibj.com/career-ready
• Heartland is the only organization in this Township offering English as a Learned Language classes on site for employees
  • Goal- Retention rate goal: 75%
  • Current ELL participant retention rate: 2022 Full Year – 78%
• Heartland implemented Compliance Wire Learning Management System
  • Goal- Total hours of training per year: 11,000
  • Current total training hours: 2022 Full Year – 25,722 hours
• Heartland implemented LinkedIn Learning for all salaried professionals
  • Current total training hours: 2022 Full Year – 460 hours
• Employees enrolled in health benefits eligible to receive no cost on-site Health screenings
  • Goal: Increase health screening employee participation annually
• Provide comprehensive health plans and controlling cost to employees
  • We provide comprehensive health plans at an affordable cost to employees
  • We offer competitive healthcare benefits on first day of employment

SOURCING/SUPPLIERS

Made in America: Becoming Less Dependent on Overseas Suppliers

• Carbon emissions reduction from the import of raw materials
• Current: Heartland uses 135 ingredients to make its products – 90% domestically sourced
• Reduction in non-value added warehousing of raw materials and finished goods

Sustainable Farming: Stevia Farming in the United States of America

• Goal: to be the sole source of Stevia for Heartland and the Lake Panasoffkee, Florida and Gainesville, Florida Stevia Farms spent stevia leaf converted into commercial product
  • Current: Elements of sustainable farming in place
    • Purchase of 1,465 acres in Florida
    • Stevia planted and thriving
    • Support buildings completed
    • Green houses constructed and producing Stevia seedlings and plants
    • Irrigation systems operational

CUSTOMERS

Nutrition: Reduction of Calories

• Current: 1,000,000,000 (1 trillion) calories reduced through the use of Splenda brand sweeteners replacing 300,000,000 (300 million) pounds of sugar

Product Quality:

• Goal: Annually attain Safe Quality Foods (SQF) certification
• Current: 14 consecutive years certified SQF supplier

COMMUNITY VIABILITY

Engagement: The Volunteer Time Off (VTO) program is geared towards supporting volunteer activities to enhance and serve the communities in which we live and work.

• Current volunteer hours: 2022 Full Year – 567

Growth: Heartland offers employment opportunities for residents within a township with the lowest family per capita income in the Indianapolis area

• Goal: Hire hourly production operators within a 15-mile radius of the 84th street manufacturing campus
• Current hourly production: 2022 Full Year – 90% live within a 15-mile radius of the manufacturing campus

Commitment: Heartland purchased our manufacturing facilities to solidify our long-term commitment to the community

• Current: All United States Heartland manufacturing is performed in Indianapolis, Indiana

Health: Recreation, nutrition, and mission aligned charity sponsorships

• Current: All Heartland philanthropy is aligned to our mission: To Help People Live Happier, Healthier, and Longer Lives By Making It Easier To Reduce Sugar (H2L2)

Tracking Our Progress

Our Corporate Responsibility Committee, which includes senior level representation from sourcing, manufacturing, innovation, human resources, legal, and finance, has direct responsibility for Corporate Responsibility strategy development and implementation.

Our Corporate Responsibility leader manages day-to-day implementation of Corporate Responsibility strategy, tactics, and tracking tools to ensure we are advancing our measurable Corporate Responsibility goals.

Splenda Stevia Farms – April 2023