OUR COMMITMENT to SUSTAINABILITY
FRONTIER CO-OP ORGANIC PRAIRIE Central to the way we think about sustainability at Frontier Co-op is that it involves a long-term commit- ment and an active effort to take great care of our re- lationships – with the people with whom we work and impact, with the resources we use, and with the land we inhabit. Thirty-two years ago, in 1992, Frontier Co- op employees hand sowed the seeds of native prairie grasses, wildflowers, and shelter shrubs on 21 acres of the land that’s home to the company’s headquarters in Norway, Iowa. The land, which was previously made up of corn and bean fields, now contains dozens of species of grasses and forbs, and is a thriving habi- tat for birds and insects. Named the “Kathy Krezek Larson Tallgrass Prairie” in honor of Frontier Co-op’s former Vice President of Sustainability, the prairie serves as a consistent reminder of how we aim to live out our long-term commitment to sustainability.
DIVERTING OUR WASTE FROM LANDFILL Minimizing our waste and handling the waste we do produce responsibly – both from our manufacturing operations and our office and cafe activities – are crucial components of fulfilling our environmental respon- sibility. Our goal is to meet the zero waste certification standards, which require 90% of waste produced at each of our facilities be diverted from the landfill. We track three major waste streams: landfill, compost, and recycling. The sum of recycled and composted material tonnage equals our waste diverted from the landfill, and the diversion rate is this number divided by the total tonnage of all the waste we generate.
Target: Divert more than 90% of waste from landfill from each of our four Iowa facilities by 2025.
PROGRESS TOWARD 90% DIVERSION FROM LANDFILL:
FY22
FY23
FY24
WASTE DATA*
WASTE INTENSITY (TONS/1000 UNITS)
0.0153
0.0211
0.0233
LANDFILL DIVERSION RATE (%)
71%
81%
82%
*Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our facilities had been making steady progress toward our 90% diversion goal. However, the pandemic heavily impacted this work in FY20 and FY21. Additionally, in FY22, the primary industrial composting facility utilized by manufacturers across the state of Iowa closed, sending the state’s composting streams reeling. We are continuing to work with a state-wide consortium to create more composting facilities in the state.
Photo (left): Frontier Co-op’s organic prairie at the company headquarters in Norway, IA. Photo (right): A Frontier Co-op employee disposes of compostable material in Frontier Co-op’s Cafe in Norway, Iowa.
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