New “Culture Shipping Bunkers” to Reduce Environmental Impact
Middleton, Wisc. – Nov. 15, 2024 – Foremost Farms, a leading dairy cooperative and dairy food manufacturer, is celebrating America Recycles Day (Nov. 15) by announcing an advancement in sustainability with partner Novonesis, a leading global biosolutions company.
The companies have developed an innovative, reusable shipping solution to address the environmental challenges of single-use packaging while reducing operational costs and enhancing the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Previously, Novonesis provided Foremost Farms with frozen starter cultures, a natural component used to make its award-winning cheeses, in single-use food-grade containers that are accepted only by select municipal recycling facilities. Foremost Farms, dedicated to “Taking Care of Our World,” requested to collaborate with Novonesis on a better solution.
Through combined efforts, the partnership resulted in a new reusable container system called the “culture bunker,” specifically designed to minimize waste and lower costs. Each bunker can hold three times the amount of culture as the previous containers, which also significantly reduces the volume of packaging materials used.
“Novonesis, a key strategic supplier, has been instrumental in providing innovative solutions based on our needs. Using reusable bunkers reduces our environmental impact and landfill contributions,” said John Hoffman, Senior Supply Chain Director at Foremost Farms. “This partnership highlights Foremost Farms’ dedication to sustainability and innovation.”
Novonesis creates a closed-loop system that cuts down on waste and environmental impact by collecting, cleaning and reusing the bunkers. This reusable shipping initiative is one of many important steps in Foremost Farms’ sustainability journey and demonstrates innovative partnerships can lead to meaningful environmental and operational improvements.
For more information on Foremost Farms sustainability initiatives, please see our Sustainability Report.
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About Foremost Farms USA
Foremost Farms USA® is a dairy cooperative representing hundreds of Midwest dairy farmer members located across seven Midwest states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin – America’s Dairyland. It is a leading dairy cooperative in the United States and a major food manufacturing business, including award-winning cheese, butter and dairy ingredients.