To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Follow Your Heart’s manufacturing facility, Earth Island, is proud to announce it has been upgraded from a Gold to a Platinum Level Certified Zero Waste facility. We are now diverting 98% of our waste from the landfill through recycling, composting, reduction, and re-purposing of materials
Not only is 2020 the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, it’s also the 50th anniversary of Follow Your Heart. Our commitment to sustainability is our way of celebrating Earth Day every day and our ability to achieve Platinum Level status comes with the daily actions taken by each of our dedicated employees. Here is just a small list of the things we’ve done at Earth Island to earn credits towards our new Platinum Zero Waste status:
- Over 2,000 solar panels generating 1.73 million kW in 18 months that power our entire facility.
- Product label backings have been changed from a nonrecyclable, mixed-material, wax-coated paper to a clear, recyclable plastic.
- Cheese shred packaging was redesigned to use 14% less plastic.
- Reusable utensils have been provided in our breakroom areas for all employees.
- New partnership with TerraCycle helps us recycle hard-to-recycle waste items into a variety of new products such as park benches, bike racks, shipping pallets and recycling bins.
- Participation in community outreach events with organizations including Tree Care Griffith Park, Community Clean Up, Heal the Bay, LA River Clean UP, and more.
- New partnerships with California State University Northridge, Champions for Change, Food Forward and Freedom Church for pop-up events where we distribute 10 pallets of fruits and vegetables each month to local food banks and community service organizations.
- Collaboration with Homeboy Recycling to recycle over 2,000 pounds of electronic waste which included TVs, monitors, computer equipment and accessories, cell phones and landline phones, and cables and wires and rechargeable batteries.
We are always looking towards the future to find new and innovative ways to continue our support of the environment. In the near term, we are working to reduce our plastic packaging by 20% and identify packing materials that will improve recyclability. Additionally, we will continue to encourage individuals, organizations, and businesses to achieve sustainability in their own practices.
