Purina achieves its firm’s 2020 aim of zero waste for disposal
100 percent of U.S. animal care factories and Purina headquarters now have no waste to dispose of
Purinas The robust portfolio of pet care products for dogs and cats is now able to sustainably obtain feed bowls and litter boxes for pets. Known for trusted brands that include dog food, cat food, treats and trash, and multiple winners of the World Branding Awards, Purina announced that it has achieved the company's 2020 goal of no waste for disposal at all manufacturing operations and corporate headquarters.
"Purina is passionate about pets and the planet, and sustainability is central to our business and product development," said John Bear, vice president of Manufacturing. “I am incredibly proud of the effort that has gone into achieving this goal of not creating waste across our operations. This achievement is testament to the passion and dedication of our 8,000+ employees across the country who work to create a better world we can share with our pets. "
Achieving zero waste for disposal means that all of Purina's 21 manufacturing facilities and St. Louis headquarters have found ways to take advantage of materials that would otherwise have been thrown away. All sites now recycle, reuse, recycle or compost waste from day-to-day operations.
In certain cases, sites can also use targets that convert waste into energy to generate electricity. Purina products feed 49 million dogs and 66 million cats each year. It was therefore no small matter to achieve 100 percent across all Purina brands and factories.
Company-wide engagement was achieved thanks to local teams and local solutions. Each site started with an in-depth review to understand its waste streams. This led to a passion within the facility to identify solutions and improve processes to minimize waste generation at the source, while identifying credible vendors who could support efforts to manage remaining materials in a sustainable manner.
Some of the materials from Purina factories are even morphing into the company's Yesterday & # 39; s News alternative cat litter, which uses recycled cardboard as the main ingredient.
"Animal lovers care about how their pets' food and waste are produced and that it is done responsibly, and we can no longer agree," said Gopi Sandhu, director of sustainable operations at Purina.
“By focusing on reducing waste and finding useful uses for materials that would otherwise have been thrown away, Purina employees are leading the way in innovating towards a circular economy. Some of our previous wastes are now becoming the soil amendments required to grow our healthy ingredients. Others are converted to methane, which is then captured to create the types of climate-neutral energy we increasingly rely on. "
Purina has a global goal of zero pollution by 2030, and achieving zero waste is an important step on that path. Purina is also committed to responsibly sourcing ingredients, caring for water, making the packaging of all pet care products 100 percent recyclable or reusable by 2025, and tackling climate change to get 100 percent renewable electricity on all of our websites .
