Our passion to bake doesn’t stop at the quality of our food. It ripples through to our processes, our people, and our impact on the world around us. We’re proud to share that our Woodslea production facility, which makes Stonefire® products (naan rounds, flatbread, pizza crust) , became the first FGF Brands facility to become TRUE certified by Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI) with Silver rating and an overall waste diversion score of 93.4%.
The certifying standard, TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency), helps facilities measure, improve and recognize zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable waste management and reduction practices, which contribute to positive environmental, health and economic outcomes.
“Zero waste is a powerful part of any company’s sustainability strategy,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO of U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “Through their TRUE certification, Stonefire (FGF Brands) enhances their operations in a way that maximizes the lifecycle of every product to promote a fully circular economy.”
As we continuously grow and evolve, we recognize the need to bring environmental sustainability front and center in our business practices. Our environmental policy and ambitious environmental goals have been taken up by the same passionate people who drive our company forward each day.
“At FGF waste reduction and diversion is just the everyday. Every single team member plays a vital role in reaching and sustaining our waste goals, something we are all very passionate about and proud of. Because of this dedication we were able to divert 89% of total waste generated from landfills and incinerators.” Said Darren Rafter, Environmental Sustainability Manager “We recognize that by pursuing zero waste we are helping to build a sustainable future”
We are driving waste reduction and diversion through improved data management, team member engagement, reducing waste at the source, and diverting as much waste as we can back into the circular economy. Some key practices and programs implemented at our Woodslea facility include:
Reuse
We aim to reuse materials wherever possible, and this is especially true in our baking process. As we become more proficient in our baking journey, we are always striving to reduce bakery material being ‘wasted’.
Recycle
At every opportunity, we want to maximize what we get out of our materials while also upholding our commitment to delivering exceptional products.
Diversion
Team members lead the way for waste diversion. The effort is driven by our on-the-ground Production and Sanitation Teams constantly seeking to improve waste reduction and separation practices.
Zero Waste Purchasing
It is no secret that we go through large amounts of flour. After all, it is one of the main ingredients of our world-famous naan products. For our team, it was a no-brainer that it would be inefficient and unsustainable to receive our flour in small, single-use packing. For that reason, our flour suppliers deliver bulk amounts of flour, directly loaded into our on-site silos! This purchasing practice avoids generating any related packaging waste.
Continuous improvement toward Zero Waste
Annual waste audits are a great way to gain a fresh perspective and learn about new opportunities regarding waste diversion. Once a year, we invite an external waste auditor to assess each of our waste streams and help us learn where we can improve.
We are acutely aware of our responsibility to sustainable practices across our organization. That’s why we’ve developed three ambitious goals around waste, water, and carbon, as well as recently joining the Canada Plastics Pact to reduce the impact of our product packaging. The projects and programs associated with our sustainability targets are all part of our transformation to make our company one of the cleanest and most forward-thinking bakeries in the world!