Adobe Systems, the San Jose-based software giant, has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pacific Southwest region for its aggressive in-office waste management program, which diverts 100 percent of the solid waste generated at its nearly million-square-foot headquarters from local landfills.
Mike Bangs of Adobe Systems Inc. (right) receives the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 Zero Waste Advocate Award from EPA Region 9 Administrator Jared Blumenfeld (left). The San-Jose-based hi-tech firm was honored for its waste diversion program, which keeps 100 percent of solid waste out of local landfills. The results of a recent study conducted by the State of California show that private companies generate nearly three-quarters of the state’s solid waste.
By Bill Picture
Published: December, 2012
Adobe Systems, the San Jose-based software giant, has received top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pacific Southwest region for its aggressive in-office waste management program, which diverts 100 percent of the solid waste generated at its nearly million-square-foot headquarters from local landfills.
"Office waste is a significant part of the Bay Area’s trash and landfills," said EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Jared Blumenfeld in a written statement. "EPA commends Adobe for its outstanding work as an industry leader in reducing waste, setting an example for other companies to follow suit." The 2012 Zero Waste Advocate Award was one of 12 environmental awards given out last month by the EPA to showcase those groups and individuals doing their part (and more) to protect public health and the environment.
Businesses generate even more solid waste than households. EPA Public Affairs Officer David Yogi pointed to the results of a 2008 study conducted by the State of California. According to that study, the commercial sector accounted for nearly three-fourths of all the solid waste generated in California. Another more detailed study showed that the average desk jockey in California generates more than 10.5 pounds of trash per day.
Multiply that number by the millions of people occupying desks and cubicles throughout the state (government agencies and private sector companies), and you’re talking about a serious amount of trash. That’s why the EPA, in addition to recognizing the efforts of companies going the extra mile to divert their waste from landfills, is working with companies all over California to help them find ways to curb their trashy ways.
"We have several programs that allow companies to partner with us to reduce waste, including the Food Recovery Challenge, which targets food waste reduction, and E3, which helps companies improve their performance in environmental, economic and social responsibility," Yogi said.
A two-pronged attack
According to Yogi, eliminating waste requires attacking the problem from every possible angle, and that’s what Adobe’s done. In addition to keeping the end waste generated by its 2,500 employees out of local landfills, Adobe has also revamped its purchasing policies with source reduction in mind, so that the equipment and supplies purchased for use on-site also don’t end up in a landfill.
"There is no one set way to integrate sustainability, but we like to prioritize strategies based on the waste reduction hierarchy," Yogi said. "The hierarchy identifies ‘waste prevention’ or ‘stopping waste before it is created’ as the most preferred strategy."
Using the backside of printer/copier paper is a good start for any company, he said, but eliminating printing altogether and going entirely electronic is even better.
The next strategy down on the waste reduction hierarchy is "reuse." A good example would be replacing the cardboard boxes that companies use to transport equipment and supplies between offices with sturdy plastic crates that can be reused over and over again.
On a lower rung is recycling. Even though cardboard, for example, is a recyclable material, a considerable amount of energy is used in the transport and recycling process. That’s why recycling and composting are considered the least preferable way to achieve zero waste.
A preference to stop waste before it starts—even if that waste might be recyclable—is also why Adobe removed all of the bottled water from its campus. Instead, the company installed filtered watered dispensers throughout its headquarters, where employees can fill up canteens they bring with them from home. Voila, no more plastic! "But recycling and composting are still better than sending materials to landfills," Yogi added.
E-waste, or the tons of broken or just-plain-out-of-date electronic equipment that get discarded each year, is a growing problem that the EPA is already working to address. In 2009, 2.37 million tons of old electronics, including televisions, cell phones and computers—many of which contain lead and other environmentally unfriendly contaminants—were discarded into the American waste stream. Only 25 percent of those were recycled. The rest, presumably, ended up in landfills.
EPA officials hope to change that with the agency’s Sustainable Materials Management Electronics Challenge. Under the program, electronics manufacturers and retailers pledge to collect used electronic equipment from consumers and send 100 percent of it to a certified third-party recycler. Reports are submitted regularly to the EPA for verification and posted online to show the progress of each participating company’s e-waste collection program. Awards are also given out each year to those participants who made exceptional contributions in the areas of innovation, education and outreach, and leadership.
Successful companies think alike
Adobe isn’t the first big company to shoot for zero waste. General Motors has 100 facilities in the U.S. that have already achieved zero waste. Walmart has set an impressive zero waste goal for all 4,400 of its U.S. stores, distribution centers and Sam’s Club locations by 2025.
Yogi noted that, despite serving very different industries, these companies’ green game plans are surprisingly similar. "Looking at them all, you can identify several common best practices," said Yogi. "Engage all levels of staff and put employees in charge of identifying and implementing new practices, set and track goals, measure results and conduct audits, set a zero-waste procurement policy to avoid waste before it enters the office, provide composting and recycling bins at desks or wherever the most material is generated, invest in reusables, use electronic forms and paper saving software, specify take-back of carpet, furniture, copiers, refrigerators, and other large purchases at their end-of-life, integrate continuous improvement and celebrate your successes across the organization."
"This year’s Environmental Awards winners, green heroes all, prove there are many ways to protect our air, water and land," added Blumenfeld. "Each one has taken up the challenge to improve our environment, and we all stand to benefit."
Among this year’s other honorees was the 2012 Climate Change Champion, Grid Alternatives. The Oakland-based company has trained more than 8,000 people in low-income communities to install solar panels and has installed some 2,000 solar power systems, preventing 180,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information on the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 Environmental Awards, visit www.epa.gov/region9/awards.
