Our customers mean a lot to us at Rubicon®. We have partnerships with some amazing companies, with many going above and beyond to ensure a sustainable company and planet.
In honor of Earth Month, we wanted to highlight a few of our customers who have shown dedication towards climate action. Specifically, these companies have committed to efforts in waste diversion—keeping unnecessary items out of the landfill, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
At Rubicon, waste diversion is our bread and butter. To further show our commitment to sustainability, we recently joined the Climate Pledge, an environmental protection initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. Signatories of the Pledge commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the goal set out in the United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement.
We’re grateful to work with these incredible companies in their commitments to waste diversion.
The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
The Atlanta Hawks recently proved that sports organizations are not exempt from sustainability efforts. In fact, the Hawks have already demonstrated the potential impact these organizations have in the fight against waste.
At the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in March, the Atlanta Hawks hosted the first zero-waste event of its kind by partnering with companies including Rubicon. At the game, over 97 percent of waste was diverted from landfills, helping tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
Thank you, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, for breaking barriers and bringing sustainability into the world of sports! Read more about the record-breaking All-Star game here.
Chick-fil-A
Like many restaurants, Chick-fil-A found that the highest volume of waste coming from their company was food. Given this challenge, Chick-fil-A turned to composting as a solution to fighting food waste.
By partnering with Let Us Compost, Chick-fil-A found a way to divert its food waste from landfills and shift operations to prioritize composting. In the company’s pilot program alone, over 140,000 pounds of food waste was collected.
Chick-fil-A is also tackling construction and demolition (C&D) waste that occurs from the development of new restaurant locations. By optimizing their design and complying with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards, Chick-fil-A has seen a 50 percent decrease in construction waste.
Thank you, Chick-fil-A, for finding ways to reduce waste in your everyday operations. Learn more about the company’s efforts here.
Chipotle
Chipotle understands the important role businesses play when it comes to taking action against climate change. From a baseline of a 37 percent diversion rate at the end of 2016 and 47 percent at the end of 2019, the company hit a 51 percent diversion rate in 2020.
To further prove their commitment to the environment, the company recently announced that progress in areas of sustainability and diversity will be directly linked to executive compensation. As of 2021, 10 percent of executive incentives are tied to achieving these goals.
Chipotle is even getting their customers involved—launching a new feature that shows the Real Foodprint of various meal options at Chipotle.
Thank you, Chipotle, for taking sustainability seriously. Learn more about the restaurant chain’s waste diversion commitments here.
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels recognized the huge amounts of waste produced within the hospitality sector, and began working towards waste reduction within its own system of hotels.
By partnering with companies that support their sustainability goals, Hilton has established programs for recycling mattresses and televisions, as well as reduction efforts for food waste, water, and energy consumption.
By 2030, Hilton aims to cut its food waste in half. During their pilot food waste reduction programs, Hilton stopped over six million pounds of food from entering landfills (equal to 11,000 megatons of carbon emissions).
Thank you, Hilton Hotels! Your commitment to sustainability is truly making a difference in the world.
Kroger
Kroger launched a widespread sustainability effort in 2018 known as Zero Hunger | Zero Waste. This initiative targets issues of waste and hunger—two areas that often go hand in hand due to the massive amount of food waste in America.
A core part of the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative is waste diversion. In 2020, Kroger announced 2.3 million tons of waste was diverted from landfills, achieving 80 percent diversion. Recycling also increased 12 percent and zero waste was achieved in all but two of its manufacturing plants.
Thank you, Kroger! These milestones show what is possible when companies commit to sustainability. Visit Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste foundation page to learn more.
Wegmans
Wegmans Food Markets places sustainability at the forefront of its operations. The company has been involved in zero waste efforts since its pilot in 2016. Today, Wegmans has fully launched its Zero Waste Program, which aims to eliminate all forms of waste in its stores.
To accomplish this goal, Wegmans has focused primarily on food waste and, more recently, single-use plastics. In fact, Wegmans is on its way to eliminating 10 million pounds of in-store plastics by 2024.
Thank you, Wegmans, for prioritizing waste diversion in your operations. Visit the Wegmans website to learn more about the company’s zero waste commitments.
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Thank you all for your waste diversion commitments, and for being a part of Rubicon’s mission to end waste.
To learn more about how Rubicon is working to transform the world of waste and recycling, be sure to download our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report.
Jen Clough is Sr. Director of Key Accounts at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.
