ADM Reports Significant Progress in Reducing Energy and Water Use

28 May 2015 --- Through the implementation of hundreds of energy efficiency projects and major operational improvements in water reuse and recovery at large processing plants, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has been able to sharply reduce its use of water and energy per unit of production—known as water and energy intensity—in recent years.

In its latest Corporate Responsibility report, now available at www.adm.com/responsibility, the company reports that it has reduced water intensity 19.1 percent since 2008, and that energy intensity has declined 17.3 percent since 2010. Both of th ese figures put the company ahead of its goal of achieving a 15 percent reduction in each area by the years 2018 and 2020, respectively. 

Carbon emissions since 2010 have fallen 8.6 percent per unit of production; this progress puts the company on track to reach its goal of a 15 percent intensity reduction by 2020.

“Driving operational efficiencies is a pillar of our efforts to deliver even better earnings and returns to investors, and it’s also an essential element of our work to lessen ADM’s environmental footprint,” said Bill Manley, the company’s Technology Center Lead. “We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made on both fronts to date, and with hundreds of additional projects in our pipeline, we believe there remain significant opportunities to deliver strong shareholder value and improved environmental performance.”

In addition to the company’s environmental achievements, the Corporate Responsibility report includes the company’s newly adopted No Deforestation policy, which sets forth ADM’s commitment to developing traceable, transparent agricultural supply chains that protect forests worldwide. 

The report also notes that more than 90 Brazilian soybean farmers are participating in the newly launched ADM Responsible Soy Standard, which requires adherence to a broad set of social, environmental, legal and agronomic standards, and which enables ADM customers in Europe and other regions to source protein meal made from sustainably grown soybeans.