Apr 16, 2024

Zero waste achieved by biologicals provider

Biologicals provider Pro Farm Group Inc. (ProFarm) has achieved Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) certification for its reduction of waste.

Guided by Ingenium Group LLC (Ingenium) and its Destination Zero team, ProFarm attained TRUE Gold certification for the zero waste efforts of its Davis, California, campus, according to a news release.

TRUE is a zero waste certification administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). The certification evaluates how businesses perform in minimizing their non-hazardous, solid waste and maximizing their resource efficiency. In achieving TRUE Gold, ProFarm earned 54 points in a variety of categories including: redesign, reduce, reuse, compost (re-earth), recycle, zero waste reporting, diversion, zero waste purchasing, leadership, training, zero waste analysis, upstream management, hazardous waste prevention, closed loop systems, and innovation, according to the release.

Stephanie Barger, TRUE’s director of market transformation, praised ProFarm’s achievement,

“We honor ProFarm’s zero waste leadership,” she said in the release. “Their facility is the first TRUE-certified project in the city of Davis, California, and the first TRUE-certified company in the biologically-based agricultural products research and development sector.”

ProFarm partnered with Ingenium to determine its baseline waste diversion rate in 2021. Together, the Destination Zero and Davis Sustainability Teams began implementing critical changes to ProFarm’s organizational processes and procurement to achieve zero waste. By prioritizing reduction and reuse initiatives, the Davis campus successfully eliminated more than 94,000 pounds of material that would have been wasted and directed an additional 49,800 pounds to recycling and organics outlets. Now, more than 93% of all solid waste materials generated at the campus are diverted away from landfills and waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration facilities, according to the release.

“While promoting grower adoption of our biologically-based agricultural inputs is our single greatest contribution to a more sustainable food system, achieving TRUE certification for zero waste at our Davis, CA, campus highlights one of many initiatives ProFarm has undertaken to invest in operational solutions focused on mitigating the negative impacts of climate change,” Levon Sarkissian, ProFarm’s managing director – North America, said in the release. “This certification, coupled with our recent conversion to zero-emission, all-renewable energy sources at our North American manufacturing sites highlights our commitment to produce products that promote climate resilience for our customers and the global food system.”

A subsidiary of Bioceres Crop Solutions, Davis, California, based ProFarm Group Inc., is a pioneer in the discovery and development of biological products for crop protection, crop health and crop nutrition. Formerly Marrone Bio Innovations, ProFarm globally markets a large portfolio of biological crop solutions.

Based in Escondido, California, Ingenium Group LLC is a waste management and sustainability products supplier.