Danone plant achieves zero waste status

Danone North America, a White Plains, New York-based producer of dairy- and plant-based foods, announces that its plant in Bridgeton, New Jersey, became the first of its manufacturing locations in the U.S. to achieve “zero waste to landfill” status. According to the company, it has achieved this milestone by optimizing the choice and usage of materials as well as its focus on eliminating waste, not just treating it.

Danone North America defines “zero waste to landfill” as:

• Less than 1 percent of nonhazardous waste is disposed to landfill;
• No hazardous waste is sent to landfill;
• Incineration without energy recovery is prohibited, except for hazardous waste disposal as required by law; and
• Less than 50 percent of waste is processed into a fuel source.

“When Danone North America achieved B Corp Certification in 2018, we made a public commitment that our business decisions would also be good for the planet and the people who live on it,” Mariano Lozano, CEO of Danone North America, says. “We live that commitment in the actions we take every day, and our team of over 100 colleagues in Bridgeton, New Jersey, is setting a great example by [making] our goal of zero waste to landfill a reality. I’m grateful for the dedication our team has shown so far, and I am confident they will be able to support and guide our other manufacturing facilities across North America in establishing a culture of zero waste so that they will also reach the same milestone.”

The first step to achieving zero waste to landfill is increased production efficiency to reduce waste throughout manufacturing, office and research and innovation activities, the company says. Waste includes any material no longer intended for its original use that is required to be recovered (i.e., recycled, reused, composted) or not recovered (i.e., landfilled, incinerated without energy recovery)—this includes sludge, byproducts of food making, food waste, packaging waste, hazardous and other non-hazardous waste. Danone says its zero waste goal was accomplished with support from Veolia, a French-based company that provides counsel and services to help eliminate waste, while increase recycling and reuse.

According to Danone, its zero waste initiative will keep more than 40 tons of waste out of landfills this year alone.