Continuing Our Tradition of Sustainability: Healthy Products from a Healthy Company
Healthy Planet
Our company was founded on one of the principles of sustainability – finding a valuable use for waste. Originally a packing-house operation, our fresh-squeezed juice business began when the company was trying to find a use for citrus fruit that was not quite attractive enough for grocery store shelves. The tradition of sustainability continues, and we are always striving to improve.
Our Florida plant, which opened in 1999, helped us optimize our national distribution system, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions and oil use associated with transportation. It also helps us support our nearby economies. In Florida, 100 percent of our oranges are sourced from within the state, and mainly within about a 100-mile radius of the plant. In Arizona, we source nearly 100 percent of our oranges and lemons from Arizona and California.
Because of our comprehensive recycling programs, each year we avoid putting almost 140 tons of waste into landfills in our Florida plant alone. Our zero-citrus-waste program helps us save more than 26,400 tons of citrus by-products from landfills each year. The citrus peels and seeds are removed from the juice production process, and then used by cattle and hog ranchers as healthy, all-natural feed for their animals.
In June 2009, continuous improvements and capital investments in our production processes resulted in a reduction in water usage exceeding 2.6 million gallons per year.
All of our bottles are made of HDPE plastic, which are recyclable under recycle code 2, as well as being impact and temperature resistant. We use corrugated cartons as secondary packaging, which are also recyclable and made with 30% minimum post-consumer recycled content.
October 2009, we invested in energy efficient lighting throughout our Tempe facility, which decreased energy use associated with lighting by approximately 55 percent. For our environment, this reduction in energy use is equivalent to:
- Taking 25 passenger cars off the road for an entire year, or...
- Recycling 39 tons of waste rather than placing it in a landfill, or...
- Taking 164,558 pounds of carbon-dioxide out of the atmosphere, or...
- Not using 13,309 gallons of gasoline.
