Committed to our Natural Resources
You could say our environmental responsibility started with the understanding of reuse and recycle, a lesson Frank Perdue learned from his father and founder of Perdue Farms Arthur Perdue. Arthur Perdue was known for saving the leather from his old shoes to make hinges for chicken house doors. So, reusing and recycling are nothing new for Perdue! That understanding of the importance of being frugal and maximizing the available life of all resources has evolved into one of our company’s core values: stewardship.
For us, stewardship is protecting the environment, ensuring the well-being of our associates, providing for the welfare of the animals in our care, living up to our civic responsibilities and generating earnings for the future of our company. It’s the real driver for our efforts. Through our environmental stewardship scorecard, we have established aggressive goals for reductions in greenhouses gases, water use and solid waste by 2022 and are committed to reporting our progress.
Here are some of our stewardship successes that move us toward fulfilling our Vision: “To be the most trusted name in food and agriculture products” as we navigate into our second century.
We will continue to work toward, and report progress on, our environmental goals. Because, we truly believe in responsible food and agriculture.
Learn how a new partnership with GreenGasUSA in Lewiston, N.C., is furthering our carbon-reduction goals.
We recognize that our consumers, customers and communities expect us to be responsible stewards of our shared natural resources. We also recognize that producing more with less is not the full measure of sustainability, and that we need to take a holistic approach that overlaps with our commitments to food safety and quality, animal welfare, associate well-being, consumer preferences, community concerns and supporting family farms.
In pursuit of our vision “to be the most trusted name in food and agricultural
products®,” we know we must go beyond compliance to actively address the full range of environmental stewardship challenges related to animal agriculture and food production. We know that environmental stewardship includes partnering with and supporting efforts and organizations that bring stakeholders together to protect our natural resources.
We count stewardship among our core company values and incorporate environmental sustainability into our company goals, which the senior leadership team and
board approve.
Being a good steward of the environment has always been a priority at Perdue Farms and is an important component of our company’s stewardship value.
In 2018, we announced aggressive and transparent five-year goals to significantly accelerate our progress to reduce greenhouse gases, water use and solid waste going to landfill by 2023. We knew reaching our goals would require hard work, innovation, partnerships, and continuous improvement.
We committed to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 30 percent, water usage intensity by 25 percent, and decrease our solid waste to landfills by 90 percent.
While we did not surpass all our goals, we have made meaningful progress.
As we progress along this journey to minimize our environmental impact, we remain committed to reporting on our progress. Along the way, we will also announce additional goals as our sustainability efforts expand deeper into our operations and supply chain.
Select a region to learn more about projects and partnerships across some of our communities.
The farmers who raise our poultry retain ownership of their litter because it is a resource that has value to them. For farmers whose crops need the nutrients in poultry litter, it can offset the costs of chemical fertilizers while improving soil quality. For those who cannot or do not want to use their litter, it is an agricultural commodity that can be sold to generate additional farm income or bartered.
Since poultry houses are enclosed and there is no liquid waste, there is no manure discharge from poultry houses. The small amount of manure deposited outside the house on free-range farms helps to support the vegetation in the pasture area.
We require all of our poultry farmers to have a nutrient-management plan for the poultry operation. In addition, state regulations, such as the Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) in Maryland, further regulate the movement and placement of poultry litter and fertilizers. Litter, like any other fertilizer, is used by farmers in accordance with nutrient-management plans that match fertilizer application to the needs of each crop, minimizing the potential for nutrient runoff.
While poultry farmers are responsible for making sure litter from their farms goes to an approved use, crop farming and poultry production are two separate activities.
Perdue Farms Supports Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District in North Carolina
April 26, 2022
Perdue Farms Associates Join Mount Vernon, Wash., to Plant 200 Western Red Cedar Trees in Environmental Initiative
April 15, 2022
Learn about the steps we're taking to reach our goal of becoming the most trusted name in food and agricultural products.