Kraft Foods Inc. said 12 facilities in North America now send zero waste to landfills, as well as 24 plants in Europe.

The Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft said in a news release it has reduced its manufacturing waste by 50 percent since 2005.  In 2007, the company launched a program with Hartsville, S.C.-based Sonoco Recycling Inc., using its Sonoco Sustainability Solutions (S3) service to reduce facility waste.

The company said employee efforts to find better uses for waste also are extending to turning manufacturing byproducts into energy.  

“Our strategy is simple: Generate less waste and find new uses for the waste we do produce,” said Christine McGrath, vice president, global sustainability.  "And our employees are doing just that."

Other plants have made waste reductions through partnerships, the company said.