Green is good as Hawaiian Host Group aims to become a more environmentally conscious company.
In keeping with our purpose to make the Islands’ future flourish, sustainability has long been on the forefront of our business — economic, social, and environmental. In celebration of Earth Day, we wanted to shed light on the current efforts being made to reduce our impact on the environment.
For years, our Mauna Loa plant in Kea‘au has been utilizing discarded macadamia shells and waste for energy. By cleanly burning macadamia waste products and channeling the steam generated by the factory’s nut-drying tanks, our renewable biofuel takes care of more than half of the facility’s electric needs, reducing our dependance on fossil fuel. In addition, solar panels are also being installed to increase the plant’s use of renewable energy and is scheduled for completion this year. The combination of the two means that soon, 85 percent of our energy consumption will be sourced from renewable resources.
Aside from facility improvements, Mauna Loa has also made the switch from cans to 100-percent recyclable plastic. Previously, cans were not completely recyclable, as they comprised both metal and cardboard. With the new cups, aside from being able to recycle them completely, cups also prove more efficient for packing and transport due their space-saving ability to nest into each other. This structural change has reduced fossil fuel in transportation usage by 82 percent!
At company headquarters in Honolulu, we’re working towards going paper-free. By foregoing individual printers, converting to a digital payroll system and having 90 percent of our customers on paperless billing, we hope to reduce our paper consumption considerably as compared to previous years. Our kitchen and breakroom will also be stocked with reusable plates and utensils; disposable wares will soon be a thing of the past. Additionally, a still-and-sparkling water dispenser in our breakroom will replace single-use bottled water and water delivery services. The result? Less plastic waste and zero transport for bottled beverages here at HHG.
Solar panel installations, packaging revamps, and eco-friendly office amenities are just the start of our journey towards a more sustainable company, as we strive to shrink our carbon footprint each step of the way.
For more info, please contact:
Margie Jacinto
Director of Corp. Communications
mjacinto@hawaiianhostgroup.com
(808) 255-7192
Image Credits
Photo by Jose G. Ortega Castro on Unsplash
