Bigelow Tea Sustainablity Timeline 2003-2014
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Transcript of Bigelow Tea Sustainablity Timeline 2003-2014
“Caring for the planet and its people is the right thing to do!” Cindi Bigelow Third Generation CEO Bigelow Tea
Timeline
1. Satisfied Consumers:At Bigelow, the consumer is number one. Therefore, it is essential that we provide a product that satisfies all of their expectations. Our primary focus is to produce teas that offer a unique and truly gratifying experience. In this endeavor, we will not allow price to compromise our products. Good flavor and product freshness are the prime considerations in the creation of our teas.
2. Strong Relationships:With our distributors, retailers, and suppliers we continually work to build and maintain strong business relationships. We realize that it is through excellent communication and mutual respect that we grow and prosper together.
Bigelow Tea Mission Statement
Founded in 1945 by Ruth Campbell Bigelow, R.C. Bigelow, Inc. is dedicated to being a premier packer of truly fine quality teas. As a family owned and operated business, our company is guided by these four principles:
3. Satisfied Employees:Bigelow is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to providing our employees with a challenging and positive environment in which to work. Recognizing that each and every employee plays a pivotal role in the success of our company, we seek to attract and retain outstanding individuals who will take pride in all aspects of their areas of responsibility, and understand the importance of cooperation among their fellow employees. We strive to motivate and satisfy our employees as well as promote individuals on merit and contribution.
Bigelow Tea Mission Statement
4. Good Corporate Citizen:Our company has been, and always will be, based upon strong ethical business practices and is dedicated to only the highest standard of behavior in all areas. We feel an obligation to support the local communities where we reside so as to build a good working relationship as well as to contribute to worthy local and national causes. Furthermore, as a good corporate citizen, we remain committed to protecting the environment by continually striving to improve the environmental responsiveness of our packaging.
Supported New Hampshire's Statewide Program of Action to Conserve our
Environment (SPACE) by preserving land in New Hampshire for over 50 years
Purchased the Charleston Tea Plantation in May of 2003 to save the 127 acres
from future real estate development. The plantation is America's only tea garden and is the home of our
American Classic Tea.
No pesticides (herbicides, fungicides or insecticides)are used on the plantation
2003
2006
Installed window laminates
to reduce cooling load in summer months
Utilized Economizers in
HVAC units
Began utilizing recycled pallets
Retrofitted LED bulbs in all exit signs
Installed automatic towel dispensers to
reduce the amount of paper used
Implemented corrugated recycling
program
Installed duct heaters to heat portions of production floors to
eliminate use of portable heaters
Converted to more energy conscience LCD monitors
from CRT’s
2007
880 Solar panels installed, providing 10 to 15%
of our energy
Installed motion sensors throughout facility,
warehouse, conference rooms, office space &
remote locations
Upgraded all fluorescent light from
T12 bulbs to T8
Replaced all incandescent lights with LED bulbs
Purchased a hybrid facility
vehicle
All bulbs are now recycled
Installed an energy efficient air compressor unit & air storage tanks to make
compressed air during off peak hours for use during
peak hours
Installed automatic low flow flushers in
all plant toilets
Converted to green cleaning products obtained from the Imus
Environmental Center
Installed track LED lighting in cafeteria
2008
Installed machine shop switch
-Programmable thermostats on all warehouse heaters
-Hot water heater timers on all hot water heaters
-Low flow water Restrictors
-Occupancy sensors for HVAC system in
low use rooms
-Timers on all dust covers
-Energy efficient Air conditioners
Installed
Replaced cafeteria appliances with energy efficient models
Installed energy efficient dishwasher,
electronic sensing faucets, adjustable
toilet flappers & shut off unused sprinkler heads for water conservation
in Boise facility
Primary overwrap packaging supplier expands its new “Green facility”
2009
2010
Implemented our “No Idle” policy designed to eliminate wasted fuel and harmful emissions
from our delivery trucks
All biodegradable materials are now
segregated at point of use and composted,
resulting in an average of two tons of
compost per month
• A farm in New Milford picks up our compost for further
use
Started an annual employee electronic
recycling drive
Worked with State of CT to provide sidewalk to rear parking lot to enable employees to commute via mass
transit
Shredded five tons of used packaging
material to be used as package filler in our direct
marketing business
Implemented single stream
recycling bins in the cafeteria
Eliminated 300,000 feet of shrink wrap
usage by switching to plastic bands
Implemented recycling programs
for -Metal based
materials-Electronic equipment
Switched all cafeteria paper
supplies to compostable corn starch products
2011
2012
Replaced scanners, fax & copy
machines with multi-function
printers• Ink toner
cartridges are sent for recycling or donated to charity
A grease collection & recycling unit for our foodservice vendor to recycle cooking oil into
biodiesel fuel
Boise facility recognized by DEQ for pollution prevention achievements
Installed a hand washing station on production floor
to reduce paper towel usage
Recycling kits for used fluorescent lamps, ballasts &
batteries
Foil overwrap recycling for tea
bags consumed in our facilities for
other uses
Implemented
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2013
Achieved Zero Waste to Landfill manufacturer status
for all 3 facilities
• 97% of all waste is now diverted
• We diligently track our weights and have created
an internal auditing process
Created a community vegetable garden using some of our
composted soil
• 200 lbs of vegetables donated to Bridgeport Rescue Mission’s Food pantry
Became a member of the
• Supporting a tea industry
that is socially just and
environmentally sustainable.
Recognized by Garick for our commitment to the
environment & sustainability
-Biodegradable materials are turned into compost
Started recycling 100% of all raw tea containers
Boise purchased & modified a shredding
separation machine
Installed waterless urinals in plant
restrooms in Fairfield and Boise saving 40,000 gallons of
water per year
Began converting outside lights to LED based lights-saving 71,000 kw annually
Boise & Louisville conduct an electronics recycling drive
Boise Dumpster diving audit identified plastic corners from inbound shipments can be repurposed for banding outbound cases
2014
• Expanding our community garden with an extra bed to increase
production & donations to the local food bank
• Planting a flower garden along the chain link fence to beautify the surroundings and improve the
habitat for our local bees
Facility Refresh in Fairfield will include the use of local and
recycled building materials for ceiling tiles and flooring. Other initiatives include LED lighting,
ceiling tiles, flooring, hand dryers, motion generated
faucets & flush valves
Increasing # of waterless urinals
Charleston Tea Plantation’s First Flush Festival uses bio-degradable
corn cups to serve iced tea to festival attendees.
Louisville looking to earn Kentucky EPA recognition