Mountain Rose Herbs has won many accolades for its Zero Waste program
along with efforts to drive the growth of organic agriculture, fair trade and
other environmental initiatives such as a progressive car-pool program, a 100
percent chemical-free facility, use of 100 percent renewable energy, biodiesel
distribution trucks and extensive work with nonprofits. Most importantly
“Zero waste is the concept that
if a material canbe redistributed,
recycled, reused or re-injected
back into the manufacturing
though, the authentic, holistic approach this company takes to sustainability
has earned it the respect of thousands of eco-conscious consumers and re-
stream then it”must.”
cently, it received Co-op America’s People’s Choice Award for 2008 Green Business of the Year.
And, being green seems to be good not only for the planet, but for business
as well. Today the company, which offers a wide array of organic herbs and
spices, essential oils, teas and health- and body-care products, has grown from a
small home operation and teaching facility to one of the largest organic herb
manufacturers in the world. In fact, when many companies were seeing a drop
in sales last year, Mountain Rose Herbs continued to grow by more than 35 percent. Throughout all of this, the company’s commitment to sustainability in
every aspect of the business—from farm to factory and beyond—not only helps
it connect with eco-conscious consumers but inspire other businesses as well.
“We hope that what we are doing will set an example for other businesses
out there and inspire change in the business world,” said Shawn Donnille, co-owner of Mountain Rose Herbs. “If we can do this, they can, too.”
Getting to Zero
The Zero Waste Program is one way this company is setting the bar for
green businesses. While in today’s stream of commerce there are many materials that cannot be saved, such as mylar plastic film or soiled Subway sandwich
wrappers, Donnille said, “Zero waste is the concept that if a material can be redistributed, recycled, reused or re-injected back into the manufacturing stream
then it must.”
Plastic, even that which is not able to be recycled via most municipal programs—such as bottle caps, bubble wrap and computer casings—is taken to a
local company that recycles it into plastic lumber and other goods. Wood from
broken shipping pallets, which can add up to 100 or 200 gallons a month according to Donnille, is given to another company that uses it to make landscaping mulch. Scrap metal is salvaged. Styrofoam peanuts and other packaging
goods are reused to send out products.
By going through the trash, Harrington is quite literally the final filter, but
he also has helped find new ways to reduce waste before it gets to the garbage.
Prior to working with Mountain Rose
Herbs, this environmental studies student worked on the composting program for the University of Oregon
campus. He applied this know-how to
figure out Mountain Rose Herbs’
paper towel situation—which due to
frequent hand washing needed for
food processing was piling up to
around 180 gallons of trash every day.
Harrington was able to eliminate all of
this waste by ensuring the company
used only natural, unbleached fiber
towels, and then rerouting these towels
from the landfill to a commercial composting center.
On the front end of the program,
Felicia Colden, environmental and social responsibility coordinator, serves as
the gateway, ensuring that the company
only orders compostable or recyclable
products, which are often made of
post-consumer waste. She also makes
sure that all furniture and most office
equipment is refurbished, reclaimed or
second-hand.
While Harrington and Colden are
leading the effort on the Zero Waste
Program and other eco-initiatives,
Colden stressed that the reason the
company is able to make these programs work so well because everyone,
from management to each employee, is
dedicated to the company’s sustainability efforts. Marisol in quality control
was the first to share the idea of zero
waste with management. Ray in wholesale came up with a way to make sticky
notes out of office paper scraps. Irene
in marketing found the pens used
throughout the company which are
made out of recycled plastic, wood and
cardboard. Megan in production discovered the biodiesel, which is made
locally using waste oil from Kettle
Chips and is now used to fuel the company’s distribution fleet. “It really is a
group effort here. It makes it easy to
live by these guidelines because everyone really believes in what we are
doing,” Colden commented.
