Circular Economy Circular Economy

Two More Hershey Plants Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill Status

The Hershey Company announced two more of its plants have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWL) status. The chocolate maker now has six U.S. plants that no longer dispose routine waste into landfills. With the addition of the Y&S Plant in Lancaster, Pa., and the Robinson Plant in Robinson, Ill., Hershey has exceeded its goal to convert five plants to ZWL by 2015 well ahead of schedule.“Converting plants to ZWL is challenging, but our plant employees have shown how deeply dedicated they are to environmental stewardship,” said Terence O’Day, SVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Hershey Company. “They have worked extremely hard to reach this important milestone.”

By Jennifer Elks | Published 11 years ago | About a 2 minute read

“Converting plants to ZWL is challenging, but our plant employees have shown how deeply dedicated they are to environmental stewardship,” said Terence O’Day, SVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Hershey Company. “They have worked extremely hard to reach this important milestone.”

To achieve ZWL status, Hershey’s manufacturing facilities reduced their overall waste streams and increased recycling rates to approximately 90 percent. All remaining waste is sent to nearby waste-to-energy incinerators, which also reduces overall reliance on fossil fuels.

Hershey now has eight facilities that have achieved ZWL status — six in Pennsylvania; the Robinson plant in Robinson, Ill; and a plant in Stuarts Draft, Va.

To further reduce its carbon footprint, the company has further reduced its reliance on fossil fuels through the addition of biogas-capturing equipment at four U.S. facilities, and two sets of solar arrays at facilities in Hershey, Pa, which eliminate more than 200 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year — equivalent to taking approximately 50 cars off the road each year.

The Hershey Company says it is continuously advancing its environmental sustainability programs and seeking innovative approaches to reduce waste and the environmental impact at all of its facilities around the world. The company’s management encourages employees to continue to look for new solutions for waste management and recycling.

While Hershey has been working to reduce its operational footprint, it is also now making moves to reduce its impacts throughout its cocoa supply chain, as well. After several years of pressure and criticism from NGOs and human rights groups for not cracking down on the use of child labor, the chocolate company announced last fall a goal of sourcing 100% certified cocoa by 2020. Though Hershey did not specify which type of certification it would pursue, the company committed to having all of its cocoa verified through independent auditors to assure that it is grown in line with the highest internationally recognized standards for labor, environmental and better farming practices.