SUSTAINABILITY EXCELLENCE IN MANUFACTURING
In 2021, Bob’s Red Mill’s recycling diversion rate, or rate of materials diverted from the landfill, was 90.8%; 4,201 tons of materials were recycled or upcycled. “While we would practice the food waste rescue and recycling programs regardless of ROI, the programs were able to generate net revenue in 2021,” explains Person. “This revenue figure is after waste disposal costs are subtracted.” The company saw costs for manpower and waste disposal, but generated value for baled cardboard, baled plastic film, reused pallets, recycled metal, and upcycled feed. The project timeline was approximately two months to collect data from a variety of sources and an additional two months to onboard a new commodity recycler and feed upcycling company. In addition, uncalculated savings for this program included reduced carbon emissions related to food waste not reaching the landfill or compost facility. “In total with upcycling, reuse, and recycling efforts, we diverted 4,201 tons (8,402,599 lb) in 2021,” Person says. “Knowing that our local community needs nutritious food, we connected with non-profits to get our rescued food donated. In addition, in 2021, we examined our feed upcycling program and found opportunities for improvement by working with a new partner to ensure the maximum amount of feed is upcycled.” With the start of its official sustainability program in 2021, Bob’s Red Mill measured its baseline and collected information on all materials flow. Person says having this data lets the company know what it is not yet diverting from the landfill and focus on improvements. Bob’s Red Mill set up processes with machine operators to intercept product from the waste stream and trained the material handling team to identify donatable items. For scrap product going to the animal feed stream, Person recommends thoroughly vetting any sustainability partners to ensure that material flow is timely, and communication is strong. THIRD PLACE
PROGRAM CATEGORY
Pizza Yield Improvement Project at Conagra Brands Comes With No Cost Conagra Brands’ Troy, Ohio, team implemented a comprehensive continuous improvement program on the site’s bakery line when running pizza, and have set up new process and operating standards, organization, and line planning. Ongoing efforts are expected to deliver more than $325,000 in cost savings by reducing yield loss by 13.4% and eliminating 267,000 lb of meat, cheese, and breading waste. “Every opportunity to manufacture food more 24
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CONAGRA BRANDS
Conagra Brands’ Troy, Ohio, team has strong foundational knowledge on the Conagra Performance System principles and effectively applied it to a pizza bakery line.
efficiently will allow us to use water and energy resources [Scope 1 and 2 GHG] more efficiently,” says Kate Pitschka, director of supply chain sustainability. “However, they are not directly quantified in this submission. Also, by eliminating food waste, we reduce the amount of Scope 3 GHG emissions [EPA WARM] that the food waste would create downstream.” Meat toppings process and planning analysis took six months and concluded in August 2021; cheese process and planning improvements took five months and concluded in November 2021; extra toppings and cheese reuse took one month to implement in September 2021; and over a two-month period, employees’ continuous improvement skills were developed, beginning in November 2021. The reduction of the weight average per case is forecasted to deliver annualized savings of more than $325,000. “Programs similar to this have been implemented at other Conagra facilities, but the Troy team is one of the most effective,” Pitschka explains. “They have strong foundational knowledge on the Conagra Performance System principles and applied it to their bakery line, equipment, and staffing circumstances.” “Any manufacturing facility can implement the problem-solving tools used in our continuous improvement program, but it would take a long time to develop the continuous improvement culture like we have at the Troy facility,” says Plant Manager Jeff Erwin. “For example, it would take another facility with a less-developed culture many months instead of just the two months it took us,” he adds. The Troy facility demonstrated that it is worth investing in the development of all team members.
| August 2022 | www.profoodworld.com
7/27/22 1:26 PM
