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Campbell Australia

OVERALL

Owned
USA
Rating
Criticisms

Soups, stocks, sauces and juices

Campbells have a manufacturing facility in Shepparton, Victoria. In 2019 Campbell Soup Co sold its international business arm to private equity firm KKR, which included Campbell Soups in Australia and Arnotts Biscuits.

Company Ownership

Campbell Australasia Pty Ltd   AUS     website   email   facebook   
  Arnott's Biscuits Ltd   
   owns 100% of Campbell Australasia Pty Ltd  
AUS     website   email   facebook   twitter

Biscuit makers

Established in 1865 in Newcastle, NSW. Became a wholly-owned subsidiary of US food giant Campbell Soup Company in 1997. 99 percent of their products sold in Australia are manufactured in Australia. In 2019 Campbell Soup Co sold its international business arm to private equity firm KKR, which included Campbell Soups in Australia and Arnotts Biscuits. In 2021 KKR-backed Arnott's acquired Kiwi biscuit maker 180 Degrees, Freedom Foods' cereals and snacks division, and a 75% stake in Australian cereal and snacking manufacturer Diver Foods.

      Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP   
       owns 100% of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd  
USA     website         twitter

Private equity firm

One of the world's largest private equity firms. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010. Acquired Unilever's spreads business in 2017 for 6.83bn euros. Acquired Campbell Soup Co's international operations (including Arnott's) in 2019.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Campbell Australasia Pty Ltd
Environment Packaging Award 2014
This company won an award in 2014 from the Australian Packaging Covenant, for demonstrating their commitment to environmental sustainability by performing 'above and beyond' in their efforts to minimise waste. This company achieved the highest overall score in their category, large food company.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2014)
Social RCMI signatory
This company is a signatory to the Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative (RCMI), which is managed by the Australian Food & Grocery Council and covers products found in retail outlets. Companies that have signed up to the initiative commit to: only advertising healthier choices to children and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through good diet and physical activity; not paying for or seeking product placement television programs, editorial content or interactive games aimed at children, unless the product is a healthier choice; not advertising and marketing to children in Australian schools unless they are asked to by those schools.
Source: AFGC (2019)
Animals RSPCA Approved products
Campbell's use chicken from Australian RSPCA Approved farms for their range of RSPCA Approved chicken stock products. These farms raise their birds in an enriched barn environment. Chickens enjoy space to move, good lighting and can perch, dustbathe and forage.
Source: RSPCA Australia (2020)
Arnott's Biscuits Ltd
Environment Australian Packaging Covenant signatory
Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020)
Environment Renewable energy use
Greenpeace's Reenergise campaign ranks Australia's biggest electricity using companies on their commitments and actions regarding renewable energy use. This company has: not committed to powering their operations by 100% renewable electricity by 2030; not signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy power from a wind or solar project; not invested in on-site solar.
Source: Greenpeace (2021)
Environment Palm oil scorecard - WWF
The WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2019 assesses 173 companies on the commitments they have made, and the actions they have taken, to ensure that there is no destruction of nature including no deforestation along their supply chains; and support a responsible and sustainable palm oil industry beyond their own supply chain. This company failed to respond to WWF's requests for information.
Source: WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2019 (2019)
Social Misleading labelling
In 2015 the ACCC ordered this company to pay penalties totalling $51,000 for alleged misleading claims about the saturated fat content of its Shapes Light & Crispy product. Arnott's also provided a court enforceable undertaking to the ACCC.
Source: ACCC (2015)
Social 2014 CHOICE Shonky Award
Named and shamed in the 2014 CHOICE Shonky Awards. Arnott's peanut butter flavoured Tim Tam earned an award, because, according to Choice, it contained no peanuts (with paprika being a surprising inclusion) and because the pack contained fewer biscuits and weighed 35g less, despite maintaining the same price and package size.
Source: Choice (2014)
Social 2015 CHOICE Shonky Award
Named and shamed in the 2015 CHOICE Shonky Awards for the "school canteen - meets amber guidelines" claim emblazoned on packs of Arnott's Tiny Teddies. Arnott's did the approving all on its own, despite the fact that Tiny Teddies wouldn't pass the National Healthy School Canteen guidelines.
Source: Choice (2015)
Environment Packaging Award 2014
This company won an award in 2014 from the Australian Packaging Covenant, for demonstrating their commitment to environmental sustainability by performing 'above and beyond' in their efforts to minimise waste. This company achieved the highest overall score in their category, large food company.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2014)
Environment Palm oil free products
Some, but not necessarily all, of this company's products are palm oil free, or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). For more details, follow the link to see Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia's list of products which manufacturers have told them are palm oil free or contain segregated certified sustainable palm oil.
Source: BOS Australia (2020)
Social RCMI signatory
This company is a signatory to the Responsible Children's Marketing Initiative (RCMI), which is managed by the Australian Food & Grocery Council and covers products found in retail outlets. Companies that have signed up to the initiative commit to: only advertising healthier choices to children and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through good diet and physical activity; not paying for or seeking product placement television programs, editorial content or interactive games aimed at children, unless the product is a healthier choice; not advertising and marketing to children in Australian schools unless they are asked to by those schools.
Source: AFGC (2019)
Social Cocoa sourcing commitments
Arnott's announced on 29 Oct 2010 that it will source ethical cocoa that has not been made with the use of child labour for all of its chocolate-based products, including the iconic Tim Tam biscuit, after being the target of a public campaign by World Vision earlier in the year.
Source: World Vision Australia (2010)
Animals Cage-free eggs commitment
This company is listed on the RSPCA Australia website as 'cage-free and proud', signifying a commitment to source 100% cage-free eggs. Essentially cage-free means barn laid, which is better than cage eggs, but still much worse than free-range or organic eggs when it comes to animal welfare.
Source: RSPCA Australia (2020)
Business Ethics Arnott's Foundation
The Arnott's Foundation is the charitable arm of Arnott's Biscuits Ltd. Supported projects include Camp Quality, Foodbank, Driver Reviver and Fairy Sparkle.
Source: company website (2020)
Business Ethics CSR claims
This company has Corporate Social Responsibility claims on its website in the areas of limiting emissions to the water, air and land, and the efficient use of resources. Also available are policy statements regarding sustainable palm oil and sustainable cocoa.
Source: company website (2020)
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP
Social 100% on Corporate Equality Index
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
Environment 0% in Forest 500 Rankings
Forest 500 identifies the 350 companies and 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to tropical deforestation risk, and annually assesses them on the strength and implementation of their deforestation and human rights commitments. This financial institution received a score of 0%.
Source: Forest 500 (2021)
Social Pillaging American retail
In 2005, Toys "R" Us was purchased in a US$6.6 billion leveraged buyout by private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado Realty Trust. While Toys "R" Us' revenues remained steady over the next 13 years - US$11.1 billion in sales in 2017 - the retailer was saddled with debt it couldn't repay. By 2007, 97% of the company's operating income was consumed by interest, which left the company unable to upgrade technology or evolve its business model. The heavy debt load eventually led Toy "R" Us to file for bankruptcy in 2018. The company liquidated in June of 2018 and closed their remaining 800 stores. Over 33,000 employees of the company lost their jobs and their severance payments in bankruptcy court. The PE companies controlling the Toys "R" Us bankruptcy refused buyers that would have saved thousands of jobs and instead chose liquidation to maximize the financial extraction. The private equity firms that owned Toys "R" Us collected more than $470 million in fees and interest from the retailer over the ownership period, while a total of 64,000 jobs were lost.
Source: United 4 Respect (2019)
Business Ethics 15/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 15/100 in the Diversified Financial Services and Capital Markets category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 7 Feb 2021). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2021)
Business Ethics Breach of fiduciary duty
On 29 June 2015 the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission charged this company with misallocating more than US$17m in 'broken deal' expenses to its flagship private equity funds in breach of its fiduciary duty. KKR agreed to pay nearly US$30m to settle the charges, including a penalty of US$10m.
Source: US SEC (2015)
Business Ethics Collusion lawsuit
In 2014, this company, together with other private equity firms Blackstone and TPG, agreed to pay US$325m to settle a lawsuit that accused seven private equity groups of conspiring to fix the prices of some of the world's biggest leveraged buyouts.
Source: Financial Times (2014)
Business Ethics 44.2% at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2022 rankings the public identified 19 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 632nd of 954 companies, and 27th of 33 Capital Markets companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2022)
Social Sweatshops in China
This investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals how KKR turns a blind eye to the human impact of the massive production outsourced by Dollar General and other companies in its portfolio. CLW Executive Director Li Qiang states that DG has 'the worst labor performance in China of all major US retailers'. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: China Labor Watch (2009)
Business Ethics 10.0% in Newsweek Green Rankings 2016
This company received a score of 10/100 in the Newsweek Green Rankings 2016, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2016)
Business Ethics ESG claims
This company has environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims on its website.
Source: company website (2016)
Social Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2016)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Wholly-owned subsidiary
Aus Manufacturing Yes

Contact Details

Address Locked Bag 55, Silverwater, NSW, 2128, Australia
Freecall 1800 663 366
Website www.campbells.com/anz

Products / Brands

Campbell Australia
Campbell's Pasta Sauce
Campbell's Stock
Campbell's Soup
Fray Bentos Canned Meat/Meals
Fruits & Roots Juice & Fruit Drinks
V8 Juice & Fruit Drinks


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