We have an ongoing initiative to be as sustainable as possible. Below are some of the initiatives we are currently working on:
Company Philosophy: Translate Goals into Action
Pacific Coast Producers commits itself to the three “Es” of sustainability: effort, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- Effort: a dedication to cultivate environmental sustainability through project investments.
- Efficiency: the pursuit to improve energy, water, and waste efficiency.
- Effectiveness: our interconnected goals to reduce CO2 emissions, save water, and reduce byproduct waste.
Water Usage Initiatives
PCP has launched several projects to improve water efficiency in its tomato and fruit operations by installing a Miller-Leaman 800 filtration system, reusing evaporated tomato water, converting high pressure hoses to low flow spray nozzles, tightening maintenance measures for conveyers, installing a reverse osmosis water filter, overhauling the tomato steam peeling system by installing three new Buscetto systems, retrofitting a bulk tomato dump, adding piping to boilers, updating fruit boilers with new condensate flow meters, and replacing rinse boxes on fruit peelers with Magnusson Scrubbers.
Water Usage Results
Cumulatively, PCP’s water efficiency projects save 2,750,000 gallons of water per day.
Each project’s contribution to improving water efficiency:
- Miller-Leaman filtration system: 700,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Reused evaporated tomato water: 272,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Converted hoses to low flow spray nozzles: 200,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Tightened maintenance measures: 200,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Reverse osmosis water filter: 80,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Buscetto steam peeling systems: 150,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Retrofitted bulk tomato dump: 250,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Added boiler piping: 290,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Updated fruit boilers: 8,000 gallons of water saved per day.
- Replaced fruit peelers: 600,000 gallons of water saved per day.
Waste Reduction Initiatives
PCP continues to take steps in order to reduce waste byproducts from its tomato and fruit operations by installing tomato peelers equipped with controls that use potassium hydroxide, improving training and marking of waste bins to separate landfill wastes from recyclable materials, and by recycling 168 tons of plastic, cardboard, metal, and paper.
Waste Reduction Results
Through PCP’s ongoing waste reduction initiatives, the company reduces sodium levels in its waste water by 100 percent in addition to reducing its landfill loads by 29 percent.
Each initiative’s contribution to waste reduction:
- Tomato peelers: 100% reduction of sodium levels in waste water.
- Waste bin training and marking: recycled materials reduced loads to the landfill by 29%.
Energy Saving Initiatives
PCP has implemented a number of projects to save energy by replacing inefficient warehouse lighting, insulating steam systems through recovery and reuse processes, investing in a new tomato steam evaporator, using a Central California Traction Co. locomotive, converting Eastern shipments from trucks to railcars, initiating power reduction programs, repairing steam traps, and modifying speed controls for tomato filling lines.
Energy Saving Results
Energy saving programs reduces PCP’s CO2 emissions by over 7,000 tons annually, nitrogen oxide emissions by over 80,000 tons annually; it also reduces transportation fuel by 1 million gallons annually, and results in overall energy savings totaling nearly 4 million kilowatts of electricity annually.
Each project’s contribution to expanding energy savings:
- Lighting replacement: reduces CO2 emissions by 1,900 tons per year.
- Steam insulation, recovery, and reuse: reduces CO2 emissions by 2,100 tons per year.
- Tomato steam evaporator: reduces CO2 emissions by 3,842 tons per year.
- Locomotive usage: reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by 80,000 tons per year.
- Converted truck shipments to railcars: 1 million gallons of fuel saved per year.
- Power reduction programs: saves 438,020 kilowatts of electricity annually.
- Steam trap repairs: saves 10,000 decatherms of natural gas or 2,930,011 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
- Modified speed controls: saves 494,000 kilowatts of electricity annually.
- New evaporator project is projected to reduce overall emissions by 20% annually