Greif Releases 2018 Sustainability Report, Announces Gasser Award Winner

DELAWARE, Ohio, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Greif (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B) today announced the release of its online 2018 Sustainability Report. The annual report details Greif's commitment to continuous improvement through an integrated approach to environmental and social responsibility. The report provides the company's 2025 sustainability goals, while highlighting progress and active strategies in achieving its goals.

"Sustainability is defined in our company's guiding principles, The Greif Way, as using financial, natural and human resources wisely without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs," said Pete Watson, Greif president and chief executive officer. "As a global leader in industrial packaging and services, it is our duty to protect the health and safety of our people, our customers and our environment, while minimizing risks across our value chain. This responsibility guides our commitment to sustainability with everything we do."

The online 2018 Sustainability Report features comprehensive pages, interactive charts and examples of how Greif colleagues are actively committed to sustainability and The Greif Way. Highlights from the report include:

• Sustainability strategies: delivering superior customer service, reducing our footprint, addressing risk, valuing our people, advancing the circular economy, financial performance and profitable growth
• Greif's value chain and how that relates to stakeholder engagement and materiality
• Goals, performance and highlights

The report is prepared in full accordance with the GRI Standards Core guidelines and fulfills the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) annual Communication on Progress (COP).

In addition to the report, Greif announced its Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services (RIPS) business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as the Michael J. Gasser Sustainability Award winner. The company award celebrates a business or team that creates sustainable benefit across Greif's value chain. The RIPS EMEA team was recognized for its efforts in reducing its fuel costs and overall CO2 emissions by modifying its company car policy. The policy revisions resulted in a CO2 emission reduction of 35 percent. The results were achieved by standardizing the types of cars used in the fleet to select more environmentally friendly cars across the affected region.

"We are proud to see our commitment to sustainability is making a positive impact around the world," said Ole Rosgaard, senior vice president and group president, Rigid Industrial Packaging & Services - Americas, and global sustainability. "The efforts of our RIPS EMEA team strongly support our organizational sustainability goals and will help inspire our other business units to strive for ways to achieve sustainable improvement."

About Greif

Greif is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services and is pursuing its vision: in industrial packaging, be the best performing customer service company in the world. The company produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, flexible products, containerboard, uncoated recycled paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and a diverse mix of specialty products. The company also manufactures packaging accessories and provides filling, packaging and other services for a wide range of industries. Greif also manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. The company is strategically positioned in over 40 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. Additional information is on the company's website at www.greif.com.

Greif

Investor contact

Matt Eichmann, 740-549-6067

matt.eichmann@greif.com

or

Media contact

Debbie Crow, 740-657-6992

debra.crow@greif.com

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SOURCE Greif, Inc.