Sustainability
Sustainability isn’t just a program, it’s our driving force.
From plastic and metal recycling to investments in energy efficiency, we’ve engineered our day-to-day business across all of our facilities to limit environmental impact and maximize savings. Individual facilities have developed innovative approaches to implementing sustainable business practices. Our Chandler, Minnesota facility is solar-powered. Our facilities in Martinsville, Virginia have a clean energy wastewater treatment facility that converts methane gas into electrical energy. Our Bristol, Indiana facility converts the used fryer oil to biodiesel. We continue to focus on sustainability in our ongoing efforts to make smart business decisions and be good neighbors to our communities.
Clean Energy Project
In 2017, we began to pretreat process water and other organic food wastes generated at Monogram Snacks Martinsville, LLC. Through the use of anaerobic digestion, the system can break down these wastes and convert them into methane gas. The methane gas is then used to fuel a CAT CG132-08 gas generator set capable of producing 400 kW of electric power. This project won the 2017 Biogas Project of the Year Award and the 2022 W. Bruce Wingo Conservation Award from the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Intermittent Showering
Intermittent showering is used in our smokehouses to reduce water usage. The water used to cool our microwaves and the heads of our roll stock machines is recirculated. Our boilers’ efficiencies have been maximized by reducing the cycles of concentration and therefore reducing water usage.
Cooking Oil Recycling
EnviroTek USA Inc. coverts our used cooking oil to biodiesel production and other green products custom-designed for environmental sustainability. At all other locations, organic wastes are rendered and typically used to make pet foods.
Land Application
Our Martinsville, Virginia, facility generates industrial byproducts through the treatment of their process water. These industrial byproducts are land applied, providing valuable nutrients to the fields of local farmers.
Cardboard Recycling
We have a partnership with Rand Whitney to recycle all corrugated cardboard and to create cardboard boxes with 100% post-consumer waste. Rand Whitney uses 100% post-consumer raw material, water and paper in this process.