In packaging and more, finding every way to grow sustainability

We grow sustainability the same way we grow our food: with integrity, commitment and creativity. The fact is, when you start doing things the right way for the right reasons, you can't stop short. That's why we were the first in the industry to make our clamshell salad packages from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, and why we keep searching for ways to reduce waste, save energy and employ renewable resources.
 

Goodness in a package

At Earthbound, we believe that the good we do the Earth by producing organic food can't stop there — so we constantly look for ways to extend sustainable practices throughout our business. That explains our zeal in using 100% post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PCR PET) plastic for our clamshell salad packages. PCR PET is made from plastic consumer products like soda or water bottles that were previously used and then recycled. It requires less energy and water to produce, generates fewer greenhouse gases than virgin plastic, and diverts reusable materials out of the waste stream.

What can you do as a consumer? Look for PCR information on the package whenever you buy a product. That way, when you recycle your plastic beverage bottles, you’ll know there’s somewhere useful for them to go.

Keeping score by the numbers

Sustainability isn't just the right idea. We do the math to make sure our choices add up to a measurable difference. This list is just a start; we keep making improvements, and we count everything we do — because the planet is counting on us. 
 

By farming organically on nearly 40,000 acres, in 2012 alone we will keep out of the environment:

• 457,000 pounds of toxic and persistent pesticides
• 13.6 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers
• 2.3 million gallons of petroleum used in petroleum-based chemicals
• 100.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide absorbed by the organic soil in our fields (as much as taking more than 9,200 cars off the road)
   

By using 100% PCR PET instead of virgin plastic for our salad clamshell packages, each year we save:

• 424,224 million BTUs (MMBTUs) of energy
• 16,191 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
• 68,307 gallons of water
• 1.3 million pounds of solid waste
   

By using shipping cartons made from 99% post-consumer/1% post-industrial recycled corrugate, annually  we save:

• 106,594 trees
• 2.4 million gallons of oil
• 18,811 cubic yards of landfill space
• 25 million kilowatts of energy
• 44 million gallons of water