Hillenbrand's Mission to Strengthen Supply Chain Resilience

As a global manufacturer of automation machinery, Hillenbrand supplies processing equipment and solutions to clients across more than 100 countries worldwide.

The company prioritises embedding sustainable practices throughout its operations, aiming to ensure its products benefit both communities and the environment while adhering to ethical and compliance standards.

The organisation has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, which outlines its sustainable and responsible accomplishments throughout the previous fiscal year.

Tory Flynn, Chief Sustainability Officer and VP Corporate Affairs at Hillenbrand, writes on LinkedIn: "A sustainability report represents months of work – capturing operational improvements and collaboration across customers and our supply chain.

"What is often less visible is the effort behind building the report itself: aligning disclosures, frameworks and data to deliver meaningful insights to our stakeholders."

Progress in reducing emissions

Central to Hillenbrand's operational strategy is supporting customers in addressing challenges related to waste, plastics, energy and food security through engineering equipment designed to enhance efficiency whilst reducing energy consumption, waste and raw material usage.

The company has reportedly mitigated a portion of its absolute emissions by expanding renewable energy across its facilities.

According to the report, clean electricity accounts for an increasing proportion of Hillenbrand's total electricity usage on an annual basis, with renewable energy representing 23% of its total energy mix in fiscal 2025.

These initiatives, alongside other company efforts, have contributed to a 16% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 27% decrease in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by revenue when compared to its fiscal 2022 baseline.

Kim Ryan, President and CEO of Hillenbrand, says: "At the centre of the actions we take and the commitments we make is our Purpose to Shape What Matters For Tomorrow, which reminds us that we manufacture industrial equipment and systems that positively impact the world around us.

"We are determined to face global challenges head-on, support the circular economy and help our customers meet their critical needs in the areas of durable plastics, food and recycling.

"I am proud of what we accomplished together in 2025, including how our cross-functional teams worked to mitigate the impacts of tariffs on our business, launched a global performance review process to provide even greater clarity into our strengths and weaknesses and remained resilient through our continued transformation and uncertainties."

Prioritising energy efficiency initiatives

Following a challenging year, Hillenbrand concentrated on developing a pipeline of cost-effective, robust and actionable energy efficiency initiatives designed to deliver energy reduction and cost savings within a five-year timeframe.

The company states that its objective, both within its own operations and for its customers, is to minimise energy consumption across processes.

Hillenbrand collaborates with clients to extend product lifespans through recommended and preventative maintenance alongside its aftermarket services.

This approach encompasses examining the total cost of ownership, optimising effective energy consumption and aligning services with customer sustainability objectives.

By collecting data from various processes throughout its value chain, Hillenbrand reports it has identified priority areas for improvement, enabling the implementation of product optimisations aimed at reducing emissions, resource usage and costs.

All supply chain, procurement and logistics leaders should attend:

• Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Sustainability LIVE, these events bring together COOs, CSOs, and senior decision-makers at a moment when supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Strengthening supply chain resilience

The Sustainability Report acknowledges that a resilient and collaborative supply chain is essential to shared success and the long-term wellbeing of communities and environments where the company operates.

Hillenbrand states it works to uphold human rights, fair labour practices and ethical conduct across its network of suppliers and partners.

Throughout fiscal 2025, particular focus has been placed on building resilience across its supply chain by anticipating disruptions, reducing volatility and ensuring service continuity.

The company's reported efforts include a commitment to local-to-local sourcing and production, which reduces the distance materials travel, minimises emissions, supports regional economies and creates more predictable lead times and tariff exposures.

Tory says: "Accurately reporting on our progress and demonstrating our commitments in the face of changing requirements is a vital piece of this ever-changing environment.

"While these regulations have continued to become a moving target due to a broader geopolitical background, we have spent time ensuring that our actions, and the data that we collect in support of those actions, paints a robust picture of how we uphold our sustainability programme.

"We have embraced data collection and automation, as well as the shift to AI to further support our programme."