Perdue Farms has established aggressive and transparent “2022 Goals” to reduce greenhouse gasses, water use and solid waste.
Perdue Farms will commit to reducing Scope and Scope Two greenhouse gasses by 30 percent and potable water use by 25 percent. It will divert 90 percent of solid waste from landfills and achieve zero solid-waste certification for at least five facilities.
The company announced its goals in advance of the April 22 observation of Earth Day.
“Earth Day reminds us that the modern environmental movement, born 48 years ago when 20 million Americans rallied together across the country, demands action and accountability, especially on the part of companies,” said Steve Levitsky, vice president of sustainability for Perdue Farms. “Our 2022 sustainability goals will make those components of Earth Day an increasingly important part of our company’s culture.”
A history of environmental stewardship
A conscious effort to reduce environmental impact is not new to Perdue. The company’s internal environmental scorecard has factored into management compensation.
“We’re already taking steps to reduce our environmental footprint, but our 2022 goals will significantly accelerate our progress,” said Levitsky.
Perdue already has a history of major environmental initiatives, including solar energy installations in Maryland and Delaware, a biogas project in Kentucky that uses methane from a wastewater lagoon to generate electricity and hot water, and a biomass-fueled co-generation and boiler project in North Carolina. Perdue’s recently opened soybean crushing plant in Pennsylvania uses steam from an adjacent county waste-to-energy system, eliminating onsite fossil-fuel boilers.
Sixteen years ago, Perdue became the first – and still only – poultry company providing farmers on the environmentally sensitive Delmarva Peninsula alternative uses for their poultry litter. Last year, with a move to large-scale composting, that project expanded to include a broader range of nutrient-rich by-products from poultry production and processing.
“Reaching our 2022 goals will require innovation and continuous improvement,” said Levitsky. “We will report annually on our progress. Along the way, we’ll also announce additional goals and initiatives as our sustainability efforts expand deeper into our supply chain.”
