RACINE, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When it comes to environmental responsibility, Whole Foods Market may be best-known for its efforts to sustainably provide high-quality food and lead with environmentally-conscious operations. To succeed, the company embraces innovation that helps minimize the environmental impact of waste.
Whole Foods Market’s broad environmental commitment led to the company’s early adoption of Grind2EnergyTM, Emerson’s food waste recycling system, in stores in its North Atlantic Region. Through Grind2Energy’s innovative process, food waste at these stores is ground on-site using a customized, industrial-strength InSinkErator® grinder, which is then converted into a slurry and transported to extract methane for energy production and fertilizer.
The Grind2Energy solution, which is now installed at 10 locations in the area, has helped Whole Foods Market in their multi-faceted and ongoing efforts to dramatically reduce landfill waste from their stores. As the company continues to expand use of Grind2Energy, the successful partnership was recently celebrated when Whole Foods Market designated Grind2Energy as the region’s Green Supplier of the Year.
“Whole Foods Market works to minimize waste across our operations and Grind2Energy helps us ensure unavoidable food waste is converted into a renewable energy source,” said Karen Franczyk, Green Mission Coordinator for Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic region. “Emerson has proven to be a strong and energetic partner, passionate about innovation that is truly helping Whole Foods Market advance our environmental stewardship.”
Grind2Energy was initially installed in 2014 in a Whole Foods Market in Andover, Massachusetts handling the store’s food waste from the meat and seafood departments, as well as produce and prepared foods. Since then, Emerson has helped Whole Foods Market produce more than 220,000 pounds of nutrient-rich fertilizers, eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 2.5 million automobile miles and convert enough natural gas to heat nearly 850 homes for one month.
“Whole Foods Market embraced the potential of Grind2Energy early on, and we’re excited with the results they’ve seen in using the process to convert food waste into energy,” said Chad Severson, president of InSinkErator, a business of Emerson. “We are honored by the Green Supplier of the Year designation, and we’re looking forward to a continued strong partnership in the future.”
Grind2Energy is an important part of a growing environmental movement to process food waste with disposers rather than sending it to landfills. Results from Whole Foods Market and other Grind2Energy early adopters have demonstrated the solution’s ability to reduce landfill waste, generate significant energy from renewable resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, all at costs that are equal to or less than composting or other environmentally friendly options.
Food waste is a significant societal problem today, representing the single largest source of landfill waste. When it decomposes in landfills, food waste emits the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which is believed to contribute to climate change if not captured. The United Nations estimates that we waste one-third of the food that we produce globally each year – or 1.3 billion tons, yet various studies show that less than 5 percent of this food waste is recycled today.
“Grind2Energy is a tremendous opportunity for grocers and other large scale producers to reduce the impact of food waste on our environment,” Severson said. “We encourage leaders in food sales and service industries to review the results seen by Grind2Energy customers and consider similar initiatives.”
About InSinkErator
Headquartered in Racine, Wis., InSinkErator, a business of Emerson (NYSE: EMR), is the world’s largest manufacturer of food waste disposers and instant hot water dispensers for home and commercial use. For more information about InSinkErator products, call 1-800-558-5700 or visit the company’s website at www.insinkerator.com.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2015 were $22.3 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.