Dive Brief:
- Greif has committed to developing near-term and long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and submitting them to the Science Based Targets initiative, the company announced Wednesday alongside the release of its 2025 sustainability report.
- As part of this work, Greif plans to add its first target for scope 3 emissions, as well as submit more ambitious scope 1 and scope 2 targets.
- The company will submit the goals to the Science Based Targets initiative this year for approval, a spokesperson said via email. Greif plans to publicly disclose the specifics after the targets have been validated.
Dive Insight:
The company undertook a detailed target-setting project in fiscal year 2025 “to determine what SBTi-aligned targets would entail for Greif, pathways to achieve the targets, and a review of the targets against the expectations of our customers,” according to the spokesperson. After that internal process, the company committed to submitting targets to SBTi.
The report covers a shortened period from Nov. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, due to Greif changing its fiscal year.
In 2018, the company first set its 2025 goals; in 2022 it released updated goals tied to 2030. Greif’s existing 2030 goals include reducing scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 28% compared with a 2019 baseline. In FY 2025 it recorded 297,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent for scope 1 emissions and 259,000 mt CO2e for scope 2.
Total emissions declined sharply in FY 2025, 24.9%, compared with the prior year. The trend was similar for all the individual categories. Greif noted in a supplemental portion of the report that in FY 2025 it excluded data for emissions generated from the containerboard business because it divested that unit during the reporting period. That sale to Packaging Corporation of America for $1.8 billion closed late in the fiscal year, in September 2025.
Another 2030 goal is to achieve an average of 60% recycled raw material content across products. In FY 2025, 55% of materials were from recycled sources across fiber, plastic and steel — down slightly from 56% the prior year. While the shares of fiber and plastics from recycled sources each declined one percentage point to 70% and 5%, respectively, the share of steel from recycled sources increased five percentage points to 21%.
The sustainability report noted that steel is carbon-intensive to produce and is a significant contributor to the company’s scope 3 emissions. It highlighted a product Greif introduced in September 2025: EcoBalance drums made from low-carbon emissions steel. These are made from ArcelorMittal’s XCarb recycled and renewably produced steel. The drums are made with at least 75% recycled steel and reportedly offer a 60% cradle-to-gate carbon footprint reduction.
In late 2024, Greif also introduced ModCan, wedge-shaped plastic containers that fit snugly together inside a drum, and that product “gained significant traction in 2025,” according to the sustainability report. The company says this product reduces empty space during shipping, thus requiring fewer shipments and providing environmental benefits.
