Sustainability

Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that minimizes our environmental impact, particularly in the areas of agricultural practices and water management. We believe that a focus on strong environmental management as an integral part of the way we manage our business will strengthen performance and ensure a sustainable future for our stakeholders.

Agriculture

We’re growing smarter every day.

At Ocean Spray, we have been providing good-for-you products straight from the land we farm and care for, since we began 80 years ago. And as a farming cooperative, we’re always looking for ways to become more sustainable and grow more responsibly. Our goal is to develop a standard to help us improve our farming practices. Here are some other ways we’re growing smarter:

• Cranberry growers have been at the forefront of improving agricultural processes for generations to ensure the long-term health of the land they farm as they look to pass it on to future generations.
• Ocean Spray’s Wisconsin growers cultivate about 18,000 acres of vines and set aside an additional 120,000+ acres or surrounding lands. This means that for every acre of cranberries, there are approximately seven acres of land that is set aside, often as wetlands and conserved habitat that support plants and wildlife.
• Several of our Massachusetts growers are investing in renewable energy projects, including solar-powered irrigation systems and wind turbines capable of producing enough energy to power nearly 10,000 households.

Water

Making the most of every drop. It's just how we do things.

Everyone knows that water is our most important natural resource. Especially for people who wear waders all day. That’s why we’re doing our part to make the most of every drop. Our goal is to reduce the amount of water we use in manufacturing by 15%. Here’s what else we’ve been up to:

• We’re working with The Nature Conservancy to find new ways to conserve water and ensure that we are protecting our surrounding watersheds in the best way possible.
• Ocean Spray growers reuse and recycle water that is used for irrigation and harvesting, carefully managing the process to ensure the highest quality of water in and around their bogs.
• Our Henderson, Nevada, bottling plant plays an active role in replenishing the water supply at Lake Mead by participating in the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s water efficient technologies program. By cleaning cleans bottles using ionized air, we can save 8 million gallons of water each year.

Climate & Energy

The climate is changing. So we are too.

Combating climate change is one of our top priorities. And we mean it. Our goal is a 25% reduction in our carbon footprint by 2016. How are we shrinking it down?

• Our Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, manufacturing facility reduces greenhouse gases by fueling their boilers with methane gas captured from a local landfill. This alone is the equivalent of taking 9,500 cars off the road. That’s right, 9,500! And that’s only the beginning.
• Our data center in Lakeville, Massachusetts, has restructured their server and storage systems, reducing power and cooling needs by 42% since 2005.
• Ocean Spray is a U.S. EPA-certified SmartWay® transportation partner and we transport 88% of our freight using cleaner, more efficient SmartWay carriers. Furthermore, by changing our approach to bottle sourcing, we’ve avoided over 15,000 truck shipments a year.

Packaging & Waste

We're shrinking landfills, one bottle at a time.

The smaller the landfill, the better off we all are. And at Ocean Spray, we’re getting serious about our packaging choices. So we’re looking to cut 25% more of our waste by 2016. Take that, landfill.

• Within the past two years, we’ve reduced the amount of plastic in our bottles by 10%, saving 18.7 million pounds of plastic. We also recycle about 2,500 tons of corrugated plastic and metal every year.
• In our ongoing effort to reduce packaging impact, we’re constantly searching for new ways to use alternative materials from renewable resources.
• There is very little waste from the manufacture of cranberry products, primarily the skins and seeds. Since these do still have nutrient value, they are sent to local farmers to add to their cattle feed.