Doing Good: Yogi Tea Named 2020 Bold Steps Award Winner
We’re honored to be named the winner of the 2020 Bold Steps Award!
The Bold Steps Program – a sustainability-focused partnership between The City of Eugene, Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and BRING’s rethink business program – recognizes Eugene businesses that are taking “bold steps” in each area of the triple bottom line: People, Planet, and Profit.
“For us to be involved in the Bold Steps Award and to be a finalist again this year is exciting because the more companies can be recognized for what they’re doing – including us…the more it spreads this culture throughout Eugene of businesses doing good and being recognized for that,” said Yogi Sustainability Manager, Briana Buckles.
Taking Bold Steps to Support Quality, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility
For over 30 years, Yogi Tea (and our parent company, East West Tea Company), has worked hard to create products that are good for the people and the planet.
As a certified B Corporation (one of only four in our hometown of Eugene, Ore.), we strive to support quality, sustainability, and social responsibility on a local, national, and global level.
As part of our commitment to this triple-bottom-line approach, we:
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Implement environmentally preferred practices
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Support organic farming practices in our supply chain
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Work with organizations in our local community and across the globe through partnerships that empower others to achieve their greatest potential and live vibrant lives
Efforts in taking these “bold steps” are of particular importance at our LEED-certified tea production facility in Eugene – the first LEED-certified tea production facility in the world.
Built in 2018, this production facility has enabled our team to implement new practices that help to minimize waste, reduce emissions from natural gas, and maximize water efficiency.
This targeted focus on sustainability has also encouraged team members to be more mindful of our environmental impact, leading them to suggest and implement sustainability efforts of their own.
“One of the things that’s key to having a successful sustainability program is to really have buy-in from everyone throughout the company,” Buckles explained.
“And part of that is creating a culture where employees feel empowered and excited to share in that sustainability passion.”
For example, Buckles explained how one employee noted that we were using new plastic bags for our recycling bin, while at the same time discarding bags from raw materials, which could instead be re-purposed for bagging the recycling.
By sharing this feedback, this employee highlighted yet another way to minimize our environmental impact, which ultimately led to reducing our plastic consumption and minimizing waste.
As winners of the 2020 Bold Steps Award, we’re proud to lead the Eugene community in taking bold steps towards making more sustainable choices that benefit people and the planet.
Here are just a few ways in which we’ve minimized our impact on the planet in the past year:
