Business Operations
Dashboards, metrics and waste reduction
After completion of our carbon footprint study in 2007, we created baseline measurements and reporting mechanisms that allow us all to share the responsibility for waste reduction and energy efficiency. The creation of the dashboard allows employees to measure and track our successes and failures. This sort of transparency leads to resource and money savings.
How we chill: GreenChill partnership
When it came time to replace the old coolers in our retail store in La Farge, Organic Valley partnered with “GreenChill,” an alliance between the Environmental Protection Agency and industries that rely on refrigeration.
The work we do with GreenChill benefits our world, our communities and our wallets. We have reduced emissions of ozone-depleting substances by replacing old, possibly leaky, refrigeration units— that are often charged with dangerous substances— with equipment that uses environmentally friendly refrigerants. Old refrigerants are also big culprits in greenhouse gas emissions, so upgrading them reduces our carbon output. It’s not just about saving the ozone and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Older refrigeration systems are huge energy burners, which means they cost more money to run.
The alliance is educational, as well. GreenChill partners are taught how to monitor and graph the performance of their equipment so that leakage is caught quickly and the performance of the units can be tracked over time. The ability to quantify our performance across many areas is critical to our efforts. Our dedication to “continual improvement” means that we can pinpoint areas in which we are weak, as well as highlight the areas in which we are strong.
Recycled content
In our continuous quest for better, responsible shipping containers, we counted coup when we consolidated our corrugated carton needs with one company, Kell Container. We realized cost savings from Kell because of the increased volume in business, and they were able to provide us with cardboard cartons (the boxes used to ship our packaged products) that boast a minimum of 81% recycled content, 72% of which is post-consumer waste.
Following a similar path, the Organic Valley Design Department has been working for years to achieve a more sustainable use of paper and printing. Because this involves outside printer- partners, we’ve relied on our powers of persuasion to build a network of area printers who are willing to stock 100% post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free papers for all of our ongoing printing needs. Specifically, these are the traditional materials (sell sheets, brochures, pamphlets, folders, newsletters, etc.) that are needed to support our sales efforts.
Last year was our most successful so far, with more than 95% of all our materials printing on these sustainable papers. Furthermore, our design team has worked closely with the sales support and fulfillment teams to convert as many materials as possible to electronic formats, reducing the need for printing, saving both natural resources and warehousing space.
Shrinkwrap recycling
Our new Distribution Center in Cashton, Wisconsin presented us with new challenges. Shrinkwrap waste from the facility had been blowing into neighboring yards and roads, and the disposal cost for shrinkwrap waste is high. We solved the problem with a baler which allows us to recycle shrinkwrap. The cost of waste disposal is reduced by onethird, our waste doesn’t blow around the neighborhood, 1,500 pounds of shrinkwrap waste are diverted monthly from the landfill, and employees no longer spend time wrestling all that plastic into the dumpster. This solution is a great example of how incorporating all three aspects of sustainability into everyday problem-solving creates multiple benefits.
Space efficiency
By early 2008, La Farge HQ was on track to reach capacity by 2009. Even if a new facility was added, as planned, it wouldn’t be ready in time to accommodate the overflow. Rather than build, we reorganized our existing space more efficiently.
To date, two sections have been converted to what are known as open collaborative work areas. Instead of the one-cubicle-per-person scenario of old, 6 people now work comfortably in square footage that used to accommodate only 4. Broadening the sustainability already inherent in the move, we contacted Titus Yoder, a nearby Amish member of our Egg Pool, to build the desks for the new areas. The beautiful pieces he built for us were half the price of industrial furniture we considered ordering—and they’re local!
Steps to Sustainability
introduction
on the farm
humane animal treatment
operations
water stewardship
employees
partnerships
giving
sustainable trade
Excerpted from the Organic Valley/ CROPP Cooperative 2008 Annual Report.
