(source: FullBloom Baking Company website)
It's not just what you eat or where it comes from that qualifies your food as sustainable. It's also important to consider how it's made. Since it was founded in 1989, FullBloom Baking Company has built its business around sustainability and wholesome products. Last week the San Francisco Bay Area-based wholesale bakery upped its own ante in green and sustainable business when the US Green Building Council awarded Platinum certification—the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) recognition—to their new 95,000 square foot plant in Newark, Calif.
In a press release announcing the new designation, FullBloom CEO and Founder Karen Trilevsky said the choice to pursue LEED certification for the new facility was a given. Long before being green became a sought-after business attribute, FullBloom was quietly following sustainable practices. According to Trilevsky that means “doing what’s right for customers and consumers, for employees, and for the Earth.”
FullBloom began developing their new site in 2006 on a brownfield with existing parking lots in Newark. Landscaping now covers 300% more of the site to increase groundwater recharge, and outdoor lighting is designed to avoid light pollution. FullBloom also easily met their target of 30% reduction of water use below a benchmark of standard use. The company purchases renewable energy certificates to help push the market towards producing more renewable energy. Energy usage for the new plant is 18% below the Title 24 limit.
The FullBloom Baking Comapny facility received Platinum
LEED certification from the US Green Building Council
in April 2010.
When sourcing materials for the project, the interior designer, LEED consultant and contractor worked hard to exceed targets with respect to recycled content, re-use of onsite materials and equipment, use of regional materials and rapidly renewable materials such as bamboo floors, cork tiles and wheat-core doors.
In the end, the new facility re-used 100% of existing floors, exterior walls and roof, and maintained 50% of interior walls. Nearly 100% of construction waste was diverted from landfill, in keeping with local practices. 25% of material sourced was manufactured within 500 miles, 15% of material was from rapidly renewable sources, 15% was recycled content, and nearly 40% of furniture and furnishings were re-used.
Environmental quality considerations extend to the working environment as well. Inside, 100% of office spaces allow employees to control temperature and lighting, and the offices have daylighting for 75% of spaces with exterior views from 90% of spaces.
In operational terms, FullBloom already had policies in place for recycling, and at the new facility, composting and recycling remains a top priority. In keeping with their adherence to the 'Conserve, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' mantra, every week 100% of the food waste from the facility is collected by a local farm.
FullBloom Baking Company brand
As a private label manufacturer, FullBloom does not disclose the names of the companies whose products they produce, but you will see the FullBloom Baking Company brand on their own line of baked goods in stores around San Francisco. According to their website, they use fresh, natural, and pronounceable ingredients that are locally grown whenever possible, including pure butter and cage-free eggs. The facility is certified organic by CCO. Their products carry the USDA Organic stamp and are, predictably, free of trans fats, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors. FullBloom is also a member of the Whole Grains Council.
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