Environmental Milestones
Join us on a walk along the path (and an occasional meandering slightly off the path) as we figure out how to make a product, make a profit, and help the environment.
1983
Stonyfield Farm is born in Wilton, New Hampshire, with the dream of building a thriving yogurt business that will fund The Rural Education Center while advancing its educational and agricultural missions. The founding premise: A company can make a great product, make money, and at the very least not harm the planet!
April 9th, the first 50-gallon batch of whole-milk plain yogurt is made!
1985
The farm’s original wood-fired boiler is traded in for an oil-fueled rig, and the 2 environmentalists eat a lot of humble pie as they enjoy the modern convenience.
A new filling machine is added that enables us to make yogurt in single-serving cups.
1987
The business outgrows the 1500 ft2 at the Wilton farmhouse, and a lease is signed for 21,000 ft2 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The founders work on the design for the new “Yogurt Works.”
1988
Stonyfield moves into the new “Yogurt Works” in Londonderry.
1990
Awarded the Corporate Environmental Steward Award from the Council on Economic Priorities.
1991
Gary’s sister Nancy is hired for a 3-month stint to help open the company’s first Visitors Center. Once that job is done, Gary taps into her environmental background to lead the company’s pro-active environmental efforts. Nancy still hasn’t left (at least as of this writing, not yet…).
The company has 66 employees, one of whom is an environmentalist. That’s a pretty huge commitment for a small company.
1992
The recycling program is expanded at the Yogurt Works, including giving waste yogurt to pig farmers and used buckets to beekeepers for honey.
A system is set up to track energy use, water, and waste.
1993
We dive deep into environmental initiatives, conducting an energy retrofit of our Yogurt Works and reducing the material in our packaging.
Stonyfield Farm begins its Profits for the Planet program, setting aside 10% of its profits for programs that protect and restore the Earth.
1994
Stonyfield Farm pursues its first (and one of the first in the nation) Ecological Audit of its environmental impacts by third party (GreenAudit).
We also start selling our used cardboard boxes for reuse instead of recycling.
1995
Launched our first organic product!
Started tracking carbon dioxide emissions from our facility energy use.
1996
Recognized by the EPA’s Waste Wise program for our comprehensive waste prevention program.
1997
Became the first manufacturer in the U.S. (and likely the world) to offset 100% of facility energy GHG emissions, and wrote a “cookbook” for other businesses on how to do so.
1998
Received the Climate Wise Achievement Award from the EPA.
1999
Award Mania! Received the Global Green USA’s Green Cross Millennium Award, inspired by Mikhail S. Gorbachev, for Corporate Environmental Leadership; the Robert Rodale Environmental Achievement Award for personifying the quest for better public health and heightened environmental responsibility; and the National Award for Sustainability in the Category of Atmosphere and Climate from the President’s Council on Sustainable Development and Renew America.
2000
Completed our first comprehensive Stonyfield Farm Carbon Footprint.
Began working with Recycline to make Preserve toothbrushes out of our recycled yogurt cups.
2001
Hired the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems to perform a groundbreaking Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Stonyfield Farm packaging systems.
2002
Held an Energy Charette with experts from across the U.S. to identify ways to reduce our facility energy use and GHG emissions.
Recycled over 1 million pounds of yogurt manufacturing by-product with local pig farmers.
2003
Replaced plastic lids on our small cups with foil seals, decreasing our packaging by more than 100 tons annually.
2004
Reached the milestone of 1,000,000 yogurt cups recycled with Recycline and made into toothbrush handles.
2005
Installed the largest photovoltaic solar array in New Hampshire on the roof of our Yogurt Works!
2006
Began operation of wastewater pretreatment with an anaerobic digester that converts our waste into energy.
Launched our Mission Action Program, and a transformation begins within our ranks.
More awards! Received the Green Power Leadership award from the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, recognizing leading national green-power purchasers and suppliers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s green-power market; the EPA’s Business, Industry and Professional Organizations’ Environmental Merit Award, recognizing significant contributions to environmental awareness and problem solving; and the National Wildlife Federation’s National Conservation Achievement Award in Corporate Leadership for the company commitment to sustainability.
2007
Marked our 10th year of offsetting 100% of facility energy GHG emissions with an investment in wind energy and manure methane digestion.
All Stonyfield Farm products are certified organic!
Named to Top 10 Greenest Companies by Greenbiz.com.
Inspired “Yogurt Brigades” to collect Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups that are then used to create planters by our partner Terracycle.
To show consumers how to fight climate change with their purchases and investments, we fund a new non-profit called “Climate Counts,” with a website where consumers can see which companies are taking their climate responsibilities seriously.
2008
Opened our “green” office and manufacturing support building, which was designed to use 40% less energy than a similar building built to code. It also has a solar hot-water system for domestic water heating.
Named to the list of Best Green Companies for America’s Children by Working Mother magazine.
Received the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership’s Business Leader Award, 2008.
Named Manufacturer of the Year for Global Supply Chain Excellence by World Trade magazine.
2009
Received “Best of Green” award from Treehugger.com—"Best Practices by a Bog Food Brand"
Received a Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for our practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transporting our product.
Launched the Greener Cow pilot project—a revolution in the field of dairy. The first enteric emissions (cow burps) reduction program in North America. The results mean healthier cows, healthier people, and healthier planet! Great “moos” all around.
The Environmental Protection Agency gave us a “SmartWay Excellence Award” and a “Clean Air Excellence Award.”
NH Business Review named us the state’s “Best Environmentally Friendly Business.
2010
A new “depackager” at our Yogurt Works makes the disposal of packaged yogurt efficient and earth-friendly. The new machine separates our yogurt cups, which we recycle, from the waste yogurt, which goes to our wastewater treatment facility—a greenhouse-gas reducing, anaerobic digester.
We introduce the first yogurt cup made from plants! Now consumers can feel as good about our multipack yogurt cups as they do about the organic yogurt inside. And the awards start coming in!
For shrinking our corporate footprint with plant-based plastics, we receive Nutrition Business Journal’s 2010 Sustainability Award.
The Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association gives us a “Responsible Packaging Award,” for reducing weight and material-use for our yogurt cups.
New Hampshire Business Review recognizes us as a “Best Green Business.”
2011
The awards for our plant-based multipack yogurt cups keep coming in!
- Greener Packaging Awards – Winner of Environmental Impact Award and Innovator of the Year
- DuPont Packaging Awards – Silver Winner
- Institute of Packaging Professionals AmeriStar Award
- PAC Sustainable Packaging Competition - Bronze Award
We begin using biodiesel fuel—made from waste vegetable oil—in some of the trucks delivering our yogurt.
We hold our inaugural Earth Day 5K Road Race and Fair at our Londonderry, New Hampshire Yogurt Works. Despite the freezing spring rain, nearly a thousand Stonyfield fans show up to participate!
