Valence Surface Technologies is the world’s leading aerospace product finishing company. They provide surface finishing processes including metal etching, chemical treatment, and painting of titanium, stainless steel, composite, aluminum, and plastic parts to the commercial and business aerospace, military and defense, space and satellite industries, and medical sciences. With over 200 employees, their two Seattle locations process small to medium-sized precision parts for the aerospace industry.

Valence Seattle has two wastewater pretreatment systems, which include a pH Neutralization System and a Batch Treatment System. Their wastewater discharge volume is approaching their maximum discharge limit. Valence wants to reduce their water usage and hazardous wastewater generation to ensure they stay below their permit limits and avoid costly non-compliance.

Taylor Farms is a premier processor of salads and healthy fresh foods supplying many supermarket chains and food service restaurants in the United States. It’s headquartered in Salinas, CA, operates twenty-six processing plants nationwide, and employs over 20,000 workers.

Taylor Farms Northwest, located in Kent, WA, has over 500 employees and is focused on the deli food production sector of Taylor Farms. The packaged foods are stored in a refrigerated warehouse until shipped to the retail outlets.

Toray Industries, Inc. is committed to zero carbon emissions by 2050 and pursues measures to reduce its environmental impact and minimize hazardous waste.

Taylor Farms Northwest’s “Healthy Environment, Healthy Community, Healthy Business” motto guides its commitment to environmental sustainability. They look for opportunities to invest in continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives, focusing on reducing water usage, waste output, and resource consumption.

Toray Industries, Inc. is a multinational company based in Japan that produces industrial fibers, textiles, performance chemicals, and carbon fiber composite materials using organic synthetic chemistry and polymer chemistry. The company also develops products for environmental engineering and life science advancements. Toray Composite Materials America, Inc. (Toray), a subsidiary, manufactures carbon fiber and thermoset epoxy prepreg for use in aerospace, industrial, automotive, and defense industries.

Toray Industries, Inc. is committed to zero carbon emissions by 2050 and pursues measures to reduce its environmental impact and minimize hazardous waste.

Toray aims to reduce waste and lower operational costs with operational performance targets to reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced by 10% by the end of 2024. These goals include:

Recycling hazardous waste instead of shipping it off-site for treatment.

Optimizing solvent usage to reduce costs.

Implementing a process to reduce hazardous waste volume and shipping expenses.

The Boeing Company is a leading aerospace company servicing over 150 countries. Boeing is a top U.S. exporter and has been a leader in advancing economic opportunities and creating sustainable practices. They continue to innovate for the future, focusing on sustainability and community impact, by fostering their core values of safety, quality, and integrity.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes has been a leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes for decades. Boeing represents almost half of the world’s fleet with more than 10,000 commercial jetliners in service today. Currently, Boeing manufactures the 737, 767, 777, and 787 families of airplanes.

Boeing is committed to reducing their total waste footprint. They created the Global Enterprise Sustainability (GES) organization, which guide’s Boeing’s efforts to reduce waste and conserve environmental resources.

The Boeing Company has operational performance targets to meet by 2025, using 2017 as a baseline. These goals include reducing:

1. Greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent
2. Water consumption by 20 percent
3. Solid waste to landfill by 20 percent
4. Energy consumption by 10 percent
5. Hazardous waste by 5 percent

Canyon Creek Cabinet Company manufactures premium semi-custom cabinetry in Monroe, Washington, and markets its products to designers, builders, and a select network of independent dealers throughout the United States. Canyon Creek Cabinet Company has been a recognized leader in the kitchen and bath industry since 1981 and has won many industry awards for its cabinetry as well as for its commitment and efforts towards safer environmental practices.

The company has focused on sustainable manufacturing for more than 30 years and constantly looks for better materials and ways to cut energy use and create less waste. Current manufacturing processes prioritize efficiency over the conservation of valuable materials. This prioritization cost the company a previously unquantified sum of money that could instead be invested into more environmentally and financially beneficial business practices.

Canyon Creek’s emphasis on sustainability led them to look at the large quantity of wood scraps they were generating. Wood remnants that are larger than 9 x 5.5 inches are considered “usable scrap” and are recyclable. If a wood remnant is smaller than 9 x 5.5 inches, it is considered “scrap” and is not recyclable. The “scrap” is ground up and turned into wood chips or sawdust for easier transport out of the facility. Previously, Canyon Creek sold this waste as biofuel to a papermill that is now closed, so they are trying to minimize the amount of waste and find alternate disposal options.

SEKISUI Aerospace specializes in the design and manufacture of composite products for the aerospace industry. SEKISUI offers innovative and cost-effective solutions for aerospace structures, systems, and interiors, catering to a wide range of customers.

SEKISUI Aerospace, a part of the SEKISUI Chemical Group, has over 700 employees spread across three sites in Renton and Sumner, Washington, and Orange City, Iowa.

SEKISUI actively prioritizes social and environmental value by decreasing their material use and process costs, thus lowering its environmental impact. These goals align with their parent company, SEKISUI Chemical, which has been selected as a 2023 Global 100 Sustainable Corporations in the World for the sixth consecutive year.

Wilcox Farms is a family-owned and -operated farm based in Roy, Washington, that manufactures egg products. Wilcox Farms is dedicated to providing the highest quality eggs and raising happy, healthy hens. Through this mission and commitment to sustainable agriculture, they’ve developed a trustworthy and socially responsible brand image. Wilcox Farms follows the Certified Humane standards and offers free range, pasture raised, and certified organic eggs and egg products.

Wilcox Farms’ dedication to the livelihoods of their hens extends to preservation of the environment. They follow water reclamation and conservation guidelines and are certified salmon safe. Wilcox Farms are participants in Stewardship Partners, protecting wildlife that reside in the Nisqually River that runs directly through their property. Their core values include transparency, integrity, and humane practices. They value their chickens, employees, and the ecosystem where they operate.

As part of their commitment to sustainable agriculture, Wilcox Farms saw an opportunity to reduce levels of total nitrogen discharged into groundwater. Wilcox Farms believed reducing the amount of liquid egg waste discharged would significantly contribute to this reduction. Wilcox Farms also wanted to pursue alternate disposal options for the fiber and corrugated cardboard waste stream. In addressing these two waste streams, Wilcox also anticipated an increase in resource efficiency, maximizing product output while minimizing labor and reducing costs.