With a 25-year history of corporate responsibility, Healthy Pet is no stranger to sustainable initiatives. Keenly aware of the positive impact even the smallest programs can have on employee satisfaction, process efficiency and the financial health of the company, they are experts at identifying opportunities that capitalize on existing resources and have low barriers to entry.
The most recent example of their ingenuity is the introduction of their Zero Waste Program on Earth Day. Healthy Pet leveraged the expertise of Sustainable Connections and the Pet Industry Sustainability Coalition to explore how a zero waste program could be implemented company-wide in a timely and cost-efficient manner. As a result, they created a program in just a few months that took less than $1000 to launch, and will save the company $10,000 a year with no impact to their manufacturing processes.
At the core of Healthy Pet’s Zero Waste Program is the company’s determination to fully utilize all free recycling avenues: zero waste at no cost. The program identified multiple waste streams that are now diverted from landfills including compostable materials, metal recycling, broken pallets, cardboard boxes and more. With all of this material being redirected, the company will now only empty their trash dumpsters twice a year instead of twice a month.
“We believe sustainability is an economic decision that benefits all aspects of our business,” says Karl Thomas, Director at Healthy Pet. “ It also allows us to have a positive impact on the environment and align our values more closely with those of our employees.”
– Originally see in Pet Age Magazine. Sarah Julian is owner of OffLeash Communications and is on the Board of Directors for the Pet Industry Sustainability Coalition.