As important as it is to make the healthiest pet food, we strongly believe it is our company’s responsibility to take care of our earth for our children and their pets. Helping our pets to live a long and healthy life takes more than making the healthiest pet food, it means being responsible in our stewardship of the environment which our pets and our children live and breathe in every day. The growing numbers of environmental allergies and sensitivities affecting our children is also having a profound effect on our pets. On every level of our company, we are looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious.
Supporting Local Farmers
We use fresh, regionally sourced ingredients in our foods. Purchasing fresh, safety inspected ingredients from local farmers helps reduce long distance vehicle emissions and supports our commitment to fresher ingredients for your pet’s health.
Environmentally Conscious Company Vehicles
After extensive research, we have begun a transition to more environmentally friendly vehicles with the purchase of our first Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel, which is a clean diesel burning vehicle and the 2008 ‘Green Car of the Year.” Clean diesel engines have advanced emission-capturing technology, drastically reducing the amount of carbon dioxide they release. This commitment is the first of many in our green vehicle transition.
Reducing the Stress on Our Forests
Recently, our company updated some of our smaller format bags to allow them to be shrink wrapped in bales instead of packed into cardboard boxes. It’s a winning situation, since we have reduced our cardboard consumption by 55,000 lbs..... almost 90%! And the shrink wrap we now use is 100% recyclable.
All of our product brochures and coupons are printed on FSC certified paper (either from previously recycled paper or sourced from companies conducting responsible forest practices).
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Working Towards Greener Packaging
In 2008, we made our strongest commitment to making a difference by focusing our efforts on a long term strategy in an attempt to introduce the first recyclable pet food bag. This will be an ongoing major project and requires new technology, new thinking, and commitment from our bag suppliers, but it is our goal and mandate to find a way to supply a fully recyclable bag for our pets, our customers and our environment.
Other Initiatives
Bio-degradable show bags made from starch, the use of electric forklifts, a comprehensive recycling program for paper, plastics, cardboard and glass is a daily practice within our company, along with a concerted minimization of the over usage of natural resources.
These steps to reduce our carbon footprint are just a beginning. It is our goal and mission to change the way pet food is made and supported, with a conscious effort in minimizing the impact our industry places on our planet.