Our Sustainability Approach

At Eco-Products, sustainability is not a marketing gimmick or a stand-alone initiative. It’s at the heart of who we are.

Our strategic objective is to advance our position as a leader in sustainability and Zero Waste, through a reimagined approach to foodservice packaging. While we know that we can only control some impacts and simply influence others, we won’t stop demonstrating sustainable business practices and helping others to do the same.

As a certified B Corp, we have third-party validation of meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

Each year, we set goals and disclose our progress in this report. We also consult with B Lab (the organization that runs the B Corp movement), our Sustainability Advisory Committee, industry leaders, and our own employees and customers on steps we should be taking to operate more responsibly and sustainably.

Additionally, we look to global initiatives and practices for guidance on our journey, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 15-year goals included 169 targets that any institution could implement to improve humanity and our planet by 2030. Many of our sustainability strategies align with the SDGs. (See chart below.)

Why Do We Report?

We publish this report because we don't feel right about calling ourselves “a green company that happens to operate in disposables” unless we publicize our social, environmental, and operational performance.

Developing a sustainability report forces us to look at things differently and holistically. By setting public goals, we are holding ourselves accountable for raising the bar and being transparent about our progress. It also led to the formation of cross-functional teams who meet regularly to discuss emerging issues and address challenges. Looking at our operations through a sustainability lens helps us reduce risks and align our business strategies to succeed long term. And finally, we think that our customers deserve to know the progress we have made.

About this Report

This sustainability report highlights Eco-Products’ key sustainability achievements and challenges during calendar year 2017 related to our direct operations, products, employees, supply chain, and customers. It chronicles activities that occurred within our walls, in the field with our customers, and with industry organizations as we help push toward Zero Waste.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Goal	Applicable Targets	How We're Addressing
	Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices.	Using compost instead of fertilizers enriches soils, increases crop production, and helps to sequester carbon. We are working with customers to divert food scraps and our packaging to composters instead of landfills, as well as partnering with industry associations to expand composting infrastructure.
	Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.	Installed solar panels and are pursuing net-zero electricity consumption at our headquarters. Some suppliers are converting their energy sources from coal to natural gas as well. While we hope our suppliers will get to renewable energy sources as quickly as possible, we applaud the positive step of moving away from coal.
	Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men.	Stimulating our local economy through the wages and taxes we pay, and the products and services we procure. We also are striving to make our workplace as inclusive as possible.
	Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to waste management.	Engaging community leaders and policymakers to invest in infrastructure and implement policies that will divert organic material and foodservice packaging from landfills.
	Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.	Helping customers deploy and promote Zero Waste programs and engage municipal and community leaders on the benefits of material diversion.
	Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.	Teaching customers, employees, and community leaders how to reduce wasted food, which is the source of more greenhouse gases than any country, with the exception of the U.S. and China.