CONTACT:
Stephanie Barger Founder & Executive Director,
USZWBC
714-381-6400 cell phone Stephanie.Barger@earthresource.org
Crystal Yamasaki Bennet Group,
for Whole Foods Market
808-753-7134 cell phone Crystal@bennetgroup.com
PRESS RELEASE: MONDAY MARCH 4, 2013 U.S. ZERO WASTE BUSINESS COUNCIL LAUNCHES FIRST U.S. THIRD-PARTY ZERO WASTE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Whole Foods Market Receives First Zero Waste Certificates
CORONA DEL MAR, March 4, 2013—The U.S. Zero Waste Business Council (USZWBC) announced today that it is launching the first Zero Waste business certification program in the country. The announcement coincides with the organization’s issuance of the first Zero Waste certifications to three Whole Foods Market stores in San Diego County.
The goal of businesses participating in the Zero Waste Certification program is to divert all end-use material from the landfill, incineration and the environment, while achieving a minimum of 90 percent diversion based on the standards set by the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA).
The USZWBC audited the waste diversion processes at Whole Foods Market’s stores in La Jolla, Hillcrest and Encinitas and found that all three stores are successfully reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting. Each of the Whole Foods Market stores received a bronze level Zero Waste certificate for better than 90 percent diversion.