ADM prioritizes sustainability practices

Sustainable practices are a top priority for the ADM, and the Red Wing plant makes sure to implement those practices every day. 

Each day they strive to produce little to no waste. The entire flaxseed product gets used and made into products sold by ADM with almost nothing left over.

At the end of the day, the only waste that leaves the plant is sticks and stones that are sorted out during the production process. 

“Our seed comes in on trucks or rail cars primarily and because it is a farmed product there are some sticks and stones and all of the seed gets screened before it comes into the plant so we can screen out all of those undesirable items,” plant manager Bill Simmons said. 

“That is really the only thing that goes in the trash from the process,” he continued

“We have quite a few separation steps in our process where we are removing the natural components out of the seed or oil, but even the byproducts get reintroduced or put back into some of the finished product and it is perfectly OK to do that,” Simmons said.

“So as we are purifying throughout the process there is literally no waste,” he said. 

The company has major goals for each plant to reach sustainable goals year after year. They have plans in place to reach sustainable development goals put forth by the United Nations Development Program. 

“At ADM we have undertaken a mapping exercise to determine which goals align with our business objectives and in turn, allow us to make the greatest contribution toward achievement,” the ADM website states. “Specifically, we are focusing our efforts toward Zero Hunger, Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Climate Action, and Life On Land.”

ADM has a strong sustainability initiative to reduce emissions by 2035. 

“We are doing quite a bit with utility reduction initiatives which the Red Wing plant is part of and there are some high level sustainability goals that we are working toward,” Simmons said. 

Products made at the Red Wing plant including the Knwble Grwn products are committed to creating sustainable products. 

The products that ADM produces are sourced ethically, and the products come from farms with good environmental practices. 

“We are contracting with farms to produce sustainable flax,” Simmons said. 

The practices used at farms translate to the sustainability of each product that leaves the ADM plant. 

“Maintaining natural ecosystems instead of destroying them produces amazing results. We can see this clearly in eco-friendly crops like flaxseed and hemp seed,” the Kwnble Grwn website says.  “These crops use less fertilizer with low till practices and conserve water while promoting carbon neutrality and soil health.”

More information about ADM’s sustainability goals are available at the corporate website .adm.com/en-us/sustainability/.