Zero Waste Role Model - Mountain Rose Herbs

This post contains affiliate links from my favorite brand Mountain Rose Herbs. I love their high quality organic/fair trade products, and am blown away by their commitment to zero waste. 

Mountain Rose Herbs has been my absolute favorite company for years for purchasing incredible quality organic DIY beauty ingredients, teas, spices, herbal extracts, and so much more.  I was floored when I learned how little waste the company produced overall.  When I say little waste, I am referring to a large organic manufacturing company which only produces the waste of a two person family home.  This is truly an inspiration to me, so naturally I wanted to share this with all of my readers of Minimalist Beauty.

Below is the insightful interview that I had with Alyssa Lawless, the Director of Sustainability for Mountain Rose Herbs.  I do hope that you enjoy it.  I also hope that it is inspiring to you to learn more about zero waste, and how making simple changes in your daily life can truly impact the planet in such a HUGE positive way!

Dawn Michelle...

Much of zero waste is about rethinking how we have done things in the past, and better managing our resources.  How was Mountain Rose Herbs able to reduce their waste from producing 3,000 - 5,000 gallons of waste per month (the average amount of similar production facilities) to about 70-80 gallons of waste per month, which is the average for a 2 person household?

Alyssa...

You hit the nail on the head!  Mountain Rose Herbs strives to cut all waste production by rethinking and redesigning our operational procedures to create a more dynamic approach to product design, resource recovery, and recycling.  It’s hard work, but zero waste is one part of our company philosophy, and we feel it’s simply the right way to do business.

The “how we do it” is a difficult question to answer, but every employee plays a role.  Our dedicated purchasing and procurement staff members focus on upstream management, working closely with vendors to reduce waste and unnecessary packaging at the source.  Our facilities staff works tirelessly to divert waste that comes into our building.  They first try to upcycle reusable materials, then compost food and plant matter, and finally recycle what’s left.

We are fortunate to operate in Eugene, Oregon where there are numerous non-profits that help individuals, businesses, local government, and schools upcycle and recycle materials.  Here are a few of our community partners and examples of what we donate/recycle with them.  The list goes on and on!

BRING Recycling (gently used furniture, building materials)

Material Exchange Center for Community Arts (toilet paper rolls, twist ties)

St. Vincent de Paul recycling center (Styrofoam, 60 gallon plastic drums)

NextStep Recycling (old and broken electronics)

SeQuential Biofuels (unusable carriers oils and essential oils)

Dawn Michelle...

Striving for zero waste takes time and commitment.  About how long did the process take to reduce the waste produced by Mountain Rose Herbs?

Alyssa...

We continue to improve our systems one day at a time.  In 2007, Mountain Rose Herbs emptied a dumpster four to five times a month. After instituting a zero waste policy, we began to empty the same dumpster once a month.  From 2008-2015, we have seen an average annual sales growth of seventeen percent, and we still only empty one dumpster a month.

In 2015, we diverted over ninety-six percent of our waste from the landfill.  In 2016, we were recognized as the first business in Oregon to earn a Zero Waste Facility Certification from Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).  Mountain Rose Herbs was awarded the highest available certification -- Platinum.

Dawn Michelle...

What was the most challenging aspect of incorporating a zero waste policy at Mountain Rose Herbs?

Alyssa...

Training employees on zero waste best practices is a challenge.  We’re lucky because most employees have a reduce, reuse, recycle mindset when they start working here.  We educate employees in many ways.

Zero waste training is included during orientation and again at a thirty day Sustainability Training.  Our zero waste commitment is posted on the company website, and frequently highlighted in our blog, social media posts, company bulletin boards, intranet posts and quarterly employee newsletter.  We have three Master Recyclers on staff who completed a nine week (thirty-five hour) class.  In 2014, we started a Green Team which helps to educate employees on zero waste practices.

Dawn Michelle...

Could you please share a bit about the grassroots action team called Mountain Rose River Project which is funded by Mountain Rose Herbs?

Alyssa...

Founded in 2009, the Mountain Rose River Project is a grassroots action team coordinated and funded entirely by our company.  Each year, employees carry out a minimum of six restoration projects through our Paid Time for Community Involvement Program.  In 2013, we went above and beyond by completing thirteen projects!  We partner with numerous state, federal, and non-profit agencies, primarily focusing on riparian ecosystems, stream health, and fish habitat.

Dawn Michelle...

One of the most challenging aspects for striving for zero waste is finding high quality organic products and ingredients that also have sustainable packaging and shipping materials.  All of the items from Mountain Rose Herbs are not only organic or wild harvested, yet are also packaged in glass, compostable, and recycled materials.  Has making these changes greatly affected production costs, or has it balanced out with all of the sustainable practices?

Alyssa...

Offering the finest quality product in the most sustainable packaging available is our top priority.  We seek out farmers and vendors who offer organic and wild harvested products, as well as products that are cultivated without chemicals.  Whenever possibly, we strive to use packaging and shipping materials that are reusable or recyclable by our customer.  We also prefer to source packaging materials that are made with recycled content which is more expensive.  Our mission of “people and planet before profit” resonates deeply with our customers and we believe they understand that recycled content packaging often affects the sale cost.

Dawn Michelle...

What advice or encouragement would you give those like myself who desire to greatly reduce unnecessary waste at home?

Alyssa...

The greatest impact someone can have to lead a zero waste lifestyle is to be a conscious consumer.  Only buy what you need and buy in bulk when possible to reduce packaging waste.  Set up composting and try growing some of your own produce.  Start small.  Every little bit helps.  Get into good habits at home and carry those practices into your workplace, neighborhood, and community.

I absolutely loved this interview with Alyssa!  The zero waste lifestyle can feel overwhelming, yet every small step that you can make to benefit people and the planet is a beautiful one.  Definitely read more in depth information about Mountain Rose Herbs sustainability efforts.  You will be in awe!  You can also enjoy the high quality organic and wild harvested products I love at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Much love!

Images by Mountain Rose Herbs