Enviroment & Sustainability
Facilities Overview
The last several years have been very exciting for us. Since the move to our new facility, we have been able to concentrate and invest in several of our production areas. The expansion of our new facility has allowed us to make significant investments to improve our ability to efficiently process our products to meet the growing demand, and we are committed to the continuous improvement in our food safety management systems.Environmental Practices
At Lemon Lily, we are aware that all of the decisions we make on a daily basis have an impact on our environment, and we want to ensure that our impact is a positive one. We do this by ensuring that our daily operations are in a manner consistent with the best environmental practices. We believe in the preservation of our planet, and for a healthier, cleaner world for generations to come. We reuse all of our label sheets, turning the backs into shipping labels, we employ Good Foot Delivery who take public transit to make deliveries and we are well on our way to becoming a B Corp Company because of our environmental practices.Energy Consumption
Our new facility has exceptional natural lighting combined with the use of only 4 energy efficient lighting panels. Since our products are handcrafted, our equipment and energy usage is limited to energy efficient blenders. Everything else is done by hand.
We are committed to reducing our energy consumption levels, and we have replaced much of our lighting with new low energy units. We've also added sliding windows and screens to reduce the need for air conditioning and heating.
Recycling and Waste
Our objective with our waste management program has been to maximize our recycling efforts and effectively use our materials, including minimizing our waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We have been recycling much of our waste for years, and in 2015 we implemented a new, very comprehensive recycling and waste management plan, and began to thoroughly measure and track what we recycle and send to the landfill. We are pleased to now recycle 99% of what goes into our bins.
Paper
The major factor in our reduction of paper use has been going digital with all of our order processing. We no longer print order and work off of paper. When we do, it's reusable sheets of paper. We also invoice electronically by email to further reduce paper usage. In 2017, we boldly made the move to enter all of our organic LOT sheets (required for our Organic Certification) into a digital repository eliminating thousands of sheets of paper annually.Packaging and Packaging Materials
Our objective at Lemon Lily is to efficiently use packaging materials (whenever possible) made from renewable materials, that are recyclable and biodegradable. We recycle all cardboard, paper, glass, and recyclable plastic in our facility.We have clearly marked containers in work areas for all RECYCLABLE materials including:
- All copy and printing paper, including all of our product and shipping labels
- Cardboard Boxes (all are recyclable, reusable, biodegradable, and compostable)
- Interior packaging materials including packing paper and bubble wrap
- Aluminum
- Wood scraps
- Plastic
- Glass
We reuse 95% of the boxes we receive in shipments when fulfilling orders, reducing waste. We recycle the remaining 5% which are marked up entirely with supplier branding.
Drums
All of our drums and containers are reusable. We clean and organically sanitize everything before reusing them.
Wood pallets
We donate our wood pallets to a local company which turns them into furniture for impoverish families and small businesses.
Printer cartridges
All of the printer ink cartridges we use are recyclable, and all are recycled.
Electronics
If working, they are often donated to various schools or to our employees and their families. If they are not working, then we work with the e-waste recyclers to ensure proper disposal and/or reuse.
Compost
Our green clippings and any tea consumed within our facility in tea bags are donated to a local business who uses it as part of their mulch to grow fruits and vegetables raising money for after school programs.