The annual report focuses on the company’s commitment to being a responsible food manufacturer. Highlighted performance and initiatives throughout 2011 include Hormel Foods:

• Being listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the second consecutive year, placing the company among the world’s top 10 percent of sustainable companies.
• Achieving outstanding results from the annual Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best competition among all Hormel Foods locations. In 2011, the competition generated entries throughout all business segments that resulted in the reduction of 695.2 tons of solid waste to landfill, an increase in recycling tonnage by 27 percent and more than 40.4 million gallons of water saved collectively.
• Enhancing the On Our Way to Ending Hunger program, with contributions of more than $5 million in cash and product to aid hunger-relief efforts in the United States and abroad.
• Distributing its Supplier Responsibility Principles, which were designed to ensure the quality of products and services received from suppliers follows the commitment of Hormel Foods to responsible environmental and social performance.
• Expanding the number of facilities that have been certified under the Global Food Safety Initiative-recognized food safety management standards.
• Improving performance on a number of key metrics, including:
• Beating the packaging minimization goal, reducing packaging by 4.2 million pounds;
• Beating the water reduction goal, reducing water consumption by 15 percent;
• Continuing to outperform the industry average for safety rates; and
• Implementing several significant capital projects designed to reduce energy use, expecting to see results in the 2012 fiscal year, as part of the new energy conservation goal.

“I am proud of our team for achieving outstanding results in fiscal 2011,” said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. “We will continue to responsibly conduct business following Our Way – the Hormel Foods values statement that defines how we operate every day in our approach to people, process, products, performance and philanthropy.”

The 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report is the company’s fourth consecutive report that can be found entirely online. Also available is an executive summary that provides a condensed version of the full report along with key highlights. The online report can be accessed and the summary can be downloaded at www.hormelfoods.com/csr.

In alignment with the company’s commitment to philanthropy and in honor of the launch of the report, Hormel Foods will feature an online contest. For every retweet on Twitter announcing the release of the 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report, the company will donate $6 to Feeding America (up to $5,000). Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

Hormel Foods plans to continue reporting on its environmental and social performance annually; the next report will be released in May 2013 for data spanning November 2011 to October 2012.

To date, 21 major brands have distanced themselves from SFI, ForestEthics says. Many of these companies also have made commitments to shift over to products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

For example, Shutterfly says it will give preference to FSC-certified products in all of its new paper purchases, and Pitney Bowes will give preference to FSC in all new paper purchases for internal use Both will avoid reference to the SFI program in external communications.

Read More…

Source: Environmental Leader

Nature of Business radio, created and hosted by Chrissy Coughlin, is a weekly show on business and environment.

This week I had a great opportunity to speak with Matt Gardner, Co-Founder and Director of SustainServ, a global sustainability consultancy with offices in Zurich and Boston. We talked about the current state of corporate sustainability. What does it really mean for companies — particularly the small and medium-sized ones? How has it evolved? What is going to happen to companies who are not paying attention? What is happening with supply chains? And what does the future look like? All fun and interesting questions.

Listen to Chrissy’s interview with Matt Gardner…

Source: GreenBiz.com

Watch Video…

If current water usage trends continue, by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population — or 5.3 billion people — will be vulnerable to water shortages. What many here in the U.S. may not know is that we are far from immune to water stress. One need look no further than Texas, where a record-breaking drought last year created massive water shortages that significantly impacted the state’s water supplies, agriculture and industry.

Although the world’s water supply works in a continuous cycle of consumption and replenishment — we are currently using more at a faster pace — and nature is not able to keep up. It’s no longer enough to conserve water during droughts, or to turn off the tap while we brush our teeth. Water reuse must be part of the long-term solution.

The time has come to look past the “yuck factor” that some associate with treating and reusing “used” water, rather than drawing from our shrinking fresh supplies. The water used in today’s morning shower shouldn’t disappear down the drain, but rather find new life to feed crops or produce electricity.

Read More…

Source: GreenBiz.com
By Jon Freedman

With spring planting well underway, gardeners across the country are up to their elbows in dirt and compost, putting beautiful flowers and healthy veggies in the ground.

For many, the annoying side effect of this very green activity is all the plastic pots left over at the end of the process. Nursery pots are typically made with #5, #6 or #7 plastics, which are difficult or sometimes impossible to recycle.

A Seattle-area company is doing what it can to change that. The McConkey Company, which manufactures and distributes products for plant nurseries, recently released the rEarth line of flowerpots, which are made entirely from recycled water bottles.

Most plastic water bottles are made with #1 plastic, known as PET or PETE, which is quite recyclable. But the remanufacturing process required to turn PETE back into new products is typically done overseas.

“We have these water bottles that Americans recycle, but then they’re put on an ocean container to China, where they turn it into consumer products,” Stina McConkey, McConkey Company’s COO, said in a press release. “So we asked ourselves, can we keep this valuable material at home — and keep jobs in the US by turning them into flower pots? After working with local recyclers, it turns out we could.”

The company also hopes its product will spur awareness about the wastefulness of single-use plastic bottles and encourage conversations about recycling. Fifty-four percent of Americans drink bottled water regularly, according to McConkey, but only about one-quarter of those bottles are recycled. An estimated 60 million water bottles are thrown away every single day.

rEarth pots are easy to recycle; once you’re through with them you can chuck them in your curbside bin (or, if your municipality does not accept #1 plastic, you can take them to a recycling center with all your other plastics). During the first year of manufacturing, the company diverted 72 million plastic water bottles.

The pots come in eight different sizes, including the six-packs that are popular for vegetables starts and small flowering plants. rEarth has been successful enough that the McConkey Company is planning to add additional sizes to the line later this year.

Consumers will find rEarth pots holding plants from growers such as Colorama, SummerWinds Nursery and Do Right’s Plant Growers in California. They are available for sale (in bulk quantities only) on the company’s website. Want to see them in your area? Encourage your favorite nursery to check them out.

By Sophia Bennett

Many vendors exist to handle large scale e-waste, and they say less than one percent of their business comes from individual consumers. This ruling has got the industry wondering how it will get the consumer on board.

Currently, the Central Pollution Control Board has said that India is expected to exceed 8 lakh tonnes of e-waste this year, which is double of what it was last year. Industry estimates say 70 percent of e-waste generated is from businesses and 30 percent from consumers. While businesses have organized forms of disposing their e-waste, the challenge that lies ahead is the consumer. Here is where the new rules could make a difference if seriously implemented.

The 2011-2012 annual report of the MoEF says, “Producers are required to set up collection systems and meet the costs involved in the environmentally sound management of e-waste generated from the ‘end of life’ of their own products.”

These rules call the producer to have an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Now, producers are supposed to bear the cost of creating awareness among its customers as well as disposing their products in an environmentally-friendly manner. This goes above and beyond their current role of being with the customer until the warranty period expires.

Companies like Dell India have had programs in place where a free pick up of the product along with free recycling is provided to customers who ask for it. Upasana Choudhry, environmental manager, HP India, says: “In 2011, we have had 1,821 enterprise consumer touch points across 150 cities using our e-waste pick-up option. We have been working towards expansion of the program to include more cities and setting up more drop-off locations to achieve coverage over 20 states.”

Read more…

Source: Forbes India Magazine
By Nilofer D’Souza

Here are some of the key findings of the report:

10,000 Computers Disposed Weekly

According to the GAO, the U.S. federal government is the world’s largest purchaser of IT equipment, spending $80 billion in FY 2010, and disposing of 10,000 computers each week. The report found that while federal agencies have made some improvements in how they are managing their e-waste, “federal agencies often have little assurance that their used electronics are ultimately disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Floundering Federal Electronics Stewardship

There have been several efforts by the federal government to promote better “stewardship” of used electronics including two executive orders plus voluntary efforts led by the EPA, the GSA, and an inter-agency task force. The GAO goal for this report was to review these efforts and see if they’ve been effective. For its study, the GAO looked at a cross section of five agencies.

What it found is that while there has been some improvement in management of federal e-waste, none of these efforts can assure that federally owned e-waste is being managed responsibly, mostly because the agencies can’t show what’s ultimately happening to their used products.

Read More…

Source: Environmental Leader
By Barbara Kyle

In September 2011, employees at Sonoco CorrFlex’s Rural Hall, N.C., fulfillment facility formed Team Green, focused on achieving landfill-free status in two years. Since the plant is a fulfillment facility, its materials mix frequently changes based on the current customer and project. One of the major challenges for the team was staying on top of the flux of materials and determining the best outlet for each. To better understand their current program, the team began tracking landfill and recycling tonnage. Dumpster contents were monitored, assessing those areas that needed work to reduce the plant’s landfill tonnage. Common recycling areas were set up in production and office areas, and employees were encouraged to bring in their recyclables from home.

The constant change within the temporary work force at Rural Hall posed another challenge for Team Green when implementing a shift in the plant’s recycling culture, as the personnel within the work force changes daily and many are non-English speakers. By working closely with the plant’s temporary staffing agency and using bilingual labeling, Team Green was able to overcome many recycling issues.

“In just eight months, Team Green was able to divert over 95 percent of Rural Hall’s waste through a mix of recycling, reuse and waste-to-energy,” said Harris DeLoach III, Sonoco Recycling representative for the Rural Hall facility.

A strong component of Rural Hall’s recycling program is the initiative to reuse articles that aren’t recyclable, or are difficult to recycle. Many old inventory items such as bags or boxes, previously slated as waste, are now distributed among employees. This initiative also includes items that can be reused by local non-profit organizations. Used work gloves, scrap bubble wrap and other items that were once thrown away now benefit non-profit educational programs within the community. Used computers, printers and other inventory items are donated to public schools in need of supplies for art or learning.

Additionally, management agreed to set up an Employee Recycling Account to collect funds from the new programs. The account is split at the end of the year among all permanent employees.

Created to recognize customer and Sonoco facilities for achieving significant milestones in landfill diversion and waste stream reduction, the Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program is composed of three tiers:

• Gold Star Awards, which recognize facilities that have achieved 99 percent landfill diversion;
• Silver Star Awards, which are given to facilities achieving 95 percent landfill diversion; and
• Bronze Awards, which recognize facilities that have made significant waste reduction achievements.

Learn more about our Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program at http://www.sonoco.com/productsservices/sonocorecycling/sustainabilitystarawards.aspx.

A recycling leader with 50 locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects approximately 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals and plastics. In addition, the Company has experts who provide secure, reliable and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers. Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates six material recovery facilities (MRFs) and serves nearly 150 communities in which curbside-collected residential and commercial materials are processed. The Company also provides recycling programs which identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the U.S.

The project is a joint effort between PSE&G, the NJMC, which manages the landfill, and SunDurance Energy, an Edison-based solar developer, which did the construction. It was funded in part by an $8.5 million New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act State Energy Program grant awarded to the NJMC.  The installation of more than 12,500 solar panels on the closed landfill illustrates how clean energy projects can breathe new life into otherwise unusable sites, according to PSE&G’s president, Ralph LaRossa.

“This project opens a new chapter in New Jersey lore,” LaRossa said. “These landfills have sat dormant for years, and have been a familiar site to northern New Jersey residents for as long as I can remember. This project updates that story, showing how 21st century technology coupled with public-private partnerships can return even the most unusable space to a productive purpose.”

“With the support of the Christie administration, we hope that this is the first of several landfill solar projects that transform sites all over the state into a source of pride and clean renewable energy,” LaRossa added.

PSE&G owns and operates the solar farm and leases the land from the NJMC, creating a new source of revenue for the commission. The facility began operations in December 2011.

NJBPU President Bob Hanna, who attended the dedication ceremony, also noted: “Today’s dedication of the first solar project developed on a state-owned landfill is a major milestone in the Christie administration’s efforts to support renewable energy projects. “This project is a great example of the policies contained in the 2011 State Energy Master Plan because it supports the development of solar power with the added benefit of making productive an otherwise useless site.”

The NJMC is a regional leader in the production and promotion of renewable energy. In addition to creating the NJMC 1A Landfill Solar Project, the Commission in January unveiled a 120-kilowatt carport solar canopy consisting of 504 photovoltaic panels covering a section of the Commission’s main parking lot in Lyndhurst.

“The Christie administration, the Meadowlands Commission and PSE&G are leading by example in pursuing smart, effective and realistic renewable energy policies that help to improve the environment and boost economic growth,” said Marcia Karrow, executive director of the NJMC. “The Commission is happy to help advance the governor’s energy goals and pleased that the NJMC 1A Landfill Solar Project is now part of PSE&G’s Solar 4 All program.”

The Kearny Landfill Solar Farm joins three other PSE&G Solar 4 All projects (in Linden, Trenton and Edison, NJ) that utilize brownfields. Another brownfield solar farm is in development on PSE&G property in Hackensack. As with all Solar 4 All projects, power from the Kearny Meadowlands Landfill Solar Farm flows directly to the electric grid for the benefit of all PSE&G electric customers.

Solar 4 All is a $450 million program to develop 80 MW of solar capacity while creating good jobs, helping New Jersey reach its renewable energy goals and increasing the state’s reputation as a national leader in solar development. More than 64 MW already are in service, with the rest expected to be in service by late 2012 or early 2013.

The program is equally divided into two segments. The first consists of developing more than 20 centralized solar installations and includes the Kearny Landfill Solar Farm. The second consists of installing up to 40 MW of pole-attached solar panels in neighborhoods on utility poles in PSE&G’s service territory.

About PSE&G
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population. PSE&G is the winner of the Reliability One Award for superior electric system reliability.  PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).

About NJMC
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is the planning and zoning agency for the 30.4-square-mile Meadowlands District, which includes parts of 14 towns in Bergen and Hudson counties. The Commission’s objectives include promoting economic growth and development, including the redevelopment of brownfields, and environmental preservation and enhancement. Through its renewable energy initiatives the NJMC has shown that economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive goals and can go hand-in-hand to improve the economy and quality of life of New Jersey residents www.njmeadowlands.gov .

About SunDurance Energy, LLC
SunDurance Energy, LLC is a solar energy company that develops, designs, builds and operates megawatt-scale solar power solutions for the commercial, government, and utility-scale markets. An affiliate of The Conti Group, SunDurance Energy is a leading national solar provider, ranked #38 on Inc. Magazine’s list of America’s 500 fastest-growing private companies and #3 in the Energy Sector. SunDurance Energy is the recipient of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s 2009 Innovation Award and The Utility & Transportation Contractors Association’s 2010 Construction Safety Award.  For more information please visit www.SunDuranceEnergy.com.