Principles

Crown has been innovating every day since our founder, William Painter, invented the bottle cap (originally called a “crown cork”) in 1892. That spirit is what continues to fuel our commitment to helping customers build their brands regionally and globally with packaging innovations that respond to the evolving needs and values of consumers and enhances how they use and interact with products.

Sustainability is also a priority for all of the innovations we bring to market. As a global leader in our industry, we have led the way in reducing the amount of metal used in consumer metal packaging. We commercialize hundreds of innovations each year that represent incremental improvements in our technologies by saving metal and/or other materials (e.g. coatings and compounds), ensuring our products are more sustainable tomorrow than they are today. We have also introduced new manufacturing practices that improve productivity, reduce spoilage, improve safety and reduce energy use. These efforts all contribute to making our products more sustainable and, in turn, helping our customers meet their own sustainability targets.

In addition to investing in the growth and safety of our employees and their families, we firmly believe in being a good corporate citizen and giving back to the communities where we work and live. This commitment manifests itself in a variety of ways, large and small, and includes environmental protection, education, science, health and wellness and other important social issues.

While three of our plants were recognized as part of the 2016 Chairman’s Sustainability Awards for their social sustainability efforts, many other facilities in our global network make meaningful contributions to their local communities. Here are just a few examples of the good work they have been doing through local initiatives during this reporting period:

• Our Crown Food Packaging North America facility in Omaha, Nebraska, donated 450 pounds of canned food to Food Bank for the Heartland.
• Our Orizaba, Mexico facility contributed 1,500 person-hours to a reforestation project in a nearby neighborhood. The employees also revitalized the area by planting an orchard.
• Each year, our specialty packaging plant in Mansfield, United Kingdom, hosts a group of packaging students from Michigan State University and provides them with a behind-the-scenes look at the business and the design possibilities that metal packaging offers.
• In Kankakee, Illinois, our beverage can facility is actively engaged in helping educate students of all ages about manufacturing careers. Efforts include delivering a presentation to Purdue University MBA candidates, participating in Career Day at Kankakee High School, providing students at Bourbonnais Junior High School with a canmaking demonstration and sponsoring an apprenticeship program with students at Kankakee Community College.
• Employees in our three Cambodian plants have supported their communities by providing internships for students at local vocational schools, donating funds to support the restoration of a sewage canal and participating in Cambodia Charity Rides.
• The YMCA recognized our Superior Multi-Packaging Limited subsidiary, based in Singapore, with several awards during this reporting period for its continued support.
  • Volunteer Award (2015) for volunteer contributions at Melrose Home (Children’s Aid Society);
  • Corporate Volunteer Excellence Award (2016) for ongoing contributions at Melrose Home; Corporate Long Service Award in recognition of the subsidiary’s 10-year service record.

On a global scale, Crown is an ardent supporter of education in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields.

For example, Crown is a STEM 150 member of the Franklin Institute, a leading science and technology museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with an extensive STEM education program. Its efforts include training science teachers, running the PACTS (Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science) program for 150 students in grades 6-12 each year through after school and weekend activities, and a STEM Scholars program for high school students. In addition, the Institute’s programs and world-renowned museum directly reach more than one million people each year, including nearly 200,000 underserved schoolchildren.