In Freshpet, we consider every day as Earth Day. That’s because we’re on a mission to do the right thing – including towards a cleaner, more sustainable world. To celebrate Earth Day 2022, let’s take a look at how we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible from our kitchen to yours.
How our ingredients support the planet
We believe in supporting local farmers whose labor and environmental practices align with our own. And when we say local, we really mean it. While 96% of our ingredients are sourced from North America, more than half of this comes from farms 200 miles from our kitchen. By sourcing locally, we are able to support community well-being and reduce the amount of transportation needed.
We are also looking for creative ways to improve the quality of the ingredients we get from these local farmers. One way we’ve done this is by working with farmers to provide Animal Welfare Certified Chickens and turkeys. This means that every animal lives in a cage and is raised without antibiotics. In addition to providing our birds with a happier life, this commitment also helps limit the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
How our kitchen supports the planet
When designing the Freshpet Kitchen, we looked for every opportunity to reduce our impact on the environment. We’re proud to say that the time we spent on design has paid off, as all the recipes from our kitchen are made with water, wind and CO2 savings in mind. integrated.
We have recently invested in a modern wastewater treatment plant and stormwater collection system. This allows us to harvest rainwater to irrigate the landscape around our kitchen, creating underground reservoirs that hold nearly half a million gallons of rainwater — enough to irrigate 62,000 square meters. This new system also allows us to filter wastewater on site, removing vegetables, meat and fats left over from the cooking process, which are then broken down by bacteria through a process known as composting. air-resistant. In 2020 alone, we removed more than 200 tons of solids from our wastewater. Not only will this reduce the burden on the city’s water facilities, but we estimate that this treatment would prevent 108 tons of CO2e emissions compared to burying the same amount of waste.
In the kitchen, we use electricity generated from renewable wind or solar energy, which reduces CO2 emissions and achieves carbon neutrality. In fact, in 2020 alone, our renewable energy pledge has prevented 46,567 tonnes of CO2e emissions – the equivalent of taking 10,208 cars off the road for a year!
How our pet parent’s kitchen supports the planet
When pet parents switch to Freshpet, they are helping the planet every time they serve a meal. That’s because our packaging is designed to keep each recipe dish safe and nutritious while using as few ingredients as possible. We use between 2-10g of packaging per 30lb, about 20 times less than the average wet food competitor, using 80-120g of packaging per 30lb of dogs.
Not only do we use less packaging, but the packaging we use is also BPA-free – a known endocrine disruptor in humans – and 100% recyclable. Thanks to our partnership with Terracycle, Freshpet parents can recycle plastic that local cities don’t accept. Simply fill in this sample and we’ll send you a 10” x 13” USPS postage paid shipping envelope that you can use to return your used packaging to us. We’ll then pass it on to TerraCycle, who will recycle it into a raw material that can be used to create everything from park chairs to garden beds. How cool is that?
Want to learn more about what we’re doing to reduce our environmental impact while providing our pets with the freshest, healthiest food? You can read about it this.
