Our founders, Robert (RT) and Dorothy Tracy, taught frugality to their children and made it an essential part of the business as well.
In the Tracy's home, aluminum foil was cleaned and used again. At our headquarters, RT constantly walked around the office to turn off lights and copy machines. If you left an empty room with the lights still on, you would hear about it from RT later.
Their legacy of sustainability lives on in our company today. We track everything from utilities and water usage to truck and rail miles to ensure we are doing our part to reduce our impact on the planet.
Our Top Waste Elimination Methods
Food Donations
Since 2014, we've donated over 52 million pounds of food to keep it out of the landfill. Since COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we've donated 934,000 cases, or $21.48 million of product.
Paper Usage
By offering electronic transactions for all customer and vendor communications, we have reduced our companywide paper usage by 65 percent since 2008.
Recycled Materials
We have amplified our recycling efforts, with a 227 percent increase since 2008. In 2019, we recycled 2.97 million pounds of materials, such as plastic and broken pallets.
Repurposed Food Products
We donate food that is near expiration to farmers instead of disposing of it in the landfill. Each year, around 400,000 pounds of protein-free food is converted into hog feed.
Reduced Waste
We work to eliminate unnecessary processes from our work. This translates to less material, energy, and waste in our systems. In 2020 alone, we removed $8 million of waste using Lean methods.
