Vital Farms' Egg Central Station Earns Prestigious LEED® Gold Certification Recognizing Environmental Excellence in Manufacturing Standards
AUSTIN, Texas, May 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vital Farms' (NASDAQ:VITL) 2022 expansion of its egg washing and packing facility, Egg Central Station (ECS) in Springfield, MO, has been awarded LEED® Gold Certification for New Construction and Major Renovations. LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) internationally recognized green building rating system and a symbol of excellence in environmental stewardship. This prestigious acknowledgment underscores Vital Farms' commitment to raising the standards in the food industry and progress made towards the company's impact goal of reducing operational greenhouse gas intensity by 25% by 2027.
"When we designed Egg Central Station and its expansion, we challenged ourselves to build a facility that fully embodies our purpose—to improve the lives of people, animals, and planet," said Russell Diez-Canseco, President & CEO, Vital Farms. "ECS is a critical part of our differentiated, resilient supply chain. And it's a competitive advantage for us to deliver high quality, ethically produced products across the country. This award is a testament to both the team that designed and developed ECS, as well as the talented crew that works there every day."
Egg Central Station is at the heart of Vital Farms' supply chain and operations. Pasture-raised eggs from the company's network of over 300 family farms are transported to the facility to be washed, sized, graded, and packed before their journey to retailers and foodservice operators across the country. After ECS' initial opening in 2017, Vital Farms expanded the facility's footprint in 2022, nearly doubling its original size to support over $300 million in additional revenue and the future growth of the company. ECS currently processes up to 6 million eggs a day and recently achieved an important milestone to meet zero-waste-to-landfill production standards.
The overall project was intentionally designed with the company's crewmembers, community, and the planet in mind. Inside the facility there are features such as daylighting and climate control to improve the crewmember experience, food safety practices that go above and beyond current regulatory requirements, and advanced water filtration systems. On the facility's grounds, solar panels generate renewable energy while providing parking shade, bioretention elements clean and cool rainwater, and natural landscaping thrives with vegetation native to the Ozarks. Additional construction elements including the use of low-VOC emitting materials and finishes made from high recycled content helped the expansion earn LEED® Gold Certification.
Buildings can earn one of four LEED® rating levels—Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum — based on criteria including energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and indoor air quality. Egg Central Station notably scored extra points in the "Innovation in Design" section for crewmember education, green cleaning protocols, and pest management.
Learn more about Vital Farms' various impact efforts in the company's 2024 Impact Report and discover more about LEED® Certification and USGBC: here.
ABOUT VITAL FARMS
Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) is a Certified B Corporation that offers a range of ethically produced foods nationwide. Started on a single farm in Austin, Texas, in 2007, Vital Farms is now a national consumer brand that works with over 300 family farms and is the leading U.S. brand of pasture-raised eggs by retail dollar sales. Vital Farms' ethics are exemplified by its focus on the humane treatment of farm animals and sustainable farming practices. In addition, as a Delaware public benefit corporation, Vital Farms prioritizes the long-term benefits of each of its stakeholders, including farmers and suppliers, customers and consumers, communities and the environment, and crew members and stockholders. Vital Farms' products, including shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs, are sold in approximately 24,000 stores nationwide. Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs can also be found on menus at hundreds of foodservice operators across the country. For more information, visit https://vitalfarms.com/.
About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to transforming how buildings and communities are designed, built and operated to create thriving, healthy, equitable and resilient places that advance human and environmental wellbeing. USGBC leads market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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