SUSTAINABILITY IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY
Fieldale Farms recycles for poultry
sustainability, cost reduction
Recycling as part of environmental sustainability is good for the poultry producer’s
corporate brand, community relations and ;nancial bottom line.
BY RICHARD LOBB
Shane Williams of Fieldale Farms (left) and
Phil Kitchens of Southern Waste & Recycling
keep tally of the bales of corrugated paper
headed for recycling.
Fieldale Farms of Baldwin, Ga., is practicing
a key sustainability concept – recycling – to
strengthen its poultry brand image, improve
its standing with customers and save money
in the bargain.
“Sustainability is de;nitely a business,”
said Shane Williams, Fieldale’s director of
sustainability. “We were looking at ways to
save money.”
The company moved to improve its
❯❯
environmental pro;le in 2010. This was in
keeping with corporate goals and the image
of its all-natural Springer Mountain Farms
brand, which has antibiotic-free, American
Humane Certi;ed and all-vegetarian diet
among its chief brand attributes. The company also promotes its careful environmental
management of the farms that produce the
Springer Mountain Farms chickens.
corrugated paper to recycling to some extent,
but there was no overall, company-wide
program. Fieldale’s search for a sustainability
partner led it to Southern Waste & Recycling
of Atlanta.
“We are a management company that
provides comprehensive waste and recycling
services to clients,” said Phil Kitchens, presi-
Springer Mountain Farms is a signi;cant
and growing portion of Fieldale’s overall
production, Williams said, with a “higher-end
customer” and a more expensive product. The
brand is increasingly moving into foodservice
channels, where a “green” reputation can ap-
peal to consumers.
Comprehensive waste and
recycling services
While the concept of sustainability covers
many concerns, waste avoidance and recycling are high on the list. If a company can
keep material out of the land;ll, that reduces
its environmental footprint.
Recycling not only reduces costs, but also supports Fieldale Farms’ corporate image and
brands like Springer Mountain Chicken, says
Director of Sustainability Shane Williams.
The immediate challenge in trying to
improve Fieldale’s envi-
ronmental performance
stemmed from the simple
fact of its location in rural
northeast Georgia, where
the local waste and recycling service is not
as well-developed as it typically is in metro-
politan areas. Fieldale’s processing plants sent
dent of SW&R, which he founded ten years
ago. The company ;nds vendors to recycle
materials from its clients, and, if the volume
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Read how Keystone Foods manages its environmental risk at www.WAT TAgNet.com/26017.html t
is big enough, can actually share revenue
with the client.
“You can ;nd a recycler to do certain
Richard L. Lobb is an independent writer based in Fairfax, Va. He worked previously for the National Chicken Council. He can be reached at
(703) 626-7087 or rlobb2011@gmail.com.
