Marketing

By increasing our investment in our e-commerce division, we’ve successfully moved a large number of catalog customers to our Internet site. We’ve been able to eliminate over 37 million catalogs from the mail-stream, resulting in paper reduction of approximately 35%, or 9,310,000 pounds compared to our 2003 consumption.

Through refined database marketing, targeted product assortments and enhanced Internet promotions, we'll continue to utilize our website to further reduce material consumption. And currently in development is our new Customer Preference Center where our customers can let us know exactly what catalogs they'd like to get, effectively reducing unwanted mailings.

Operations

Because we manufacture and grow much of what we sell, our Green Promise goes beyond our Marketing team. In all of our office and manufacturing facilities, we ensure energy and waste reduction are a priority. Here are our top accomplishments:

Energy Conservation:

Every year we save over 5,000 megawatt hours of electricity by employing high efficiency lighting, combustion improvements to our steam boilers, and computer-controlled HVAC and refrigeration systems, thereby reducing CO² emissions by more than 5,000 tons annually.

We offset an additional 1000 tons of CO² annually by participating in the following programs:

• The Green Tag program to help establish wind generation facilities in Northeastern Oregon
• Helped fund the Jackson County Expo Solar Energy Project.

Recycling:

We have a robust recycling program in all of our facilities. Our team is dedicated to collecting, sorting and transporting paper and packaging materials for recycling. Our program began in 1989, and our hard work earned the US Conference of Mayors Recycling at Work Award for Environmental Responsibility. Over the past 19 years, we've recycled over 23,000 tons of paper fiber alone. Here are our current benchmarks for recycling:

• We recycle more than 70% of our office paper and 99% of all corrugated materials.
• Over 50% of the solid waste including cardboard, paper products, all plastic, steel, wood, oil, antifreeze, electrical wire, florescent light bulbs and glass is recycled today.

back to top

Agriculture / Orchard

Harry & David is unique because farming and stewardship of the land is the heart of our business. Our famous sustainably grown Royal Riviera® Pears come from more than 800,000 of our own trees growing right here in the Rogue River Valley. In total, our orchards offset more than 24,000 tons of CO² each year. We have aggressively addressed water conservation, landfill reduction and natural pest management. Here are some key accomplishments from our orchard team:

• The Carbon Sequestration rate of our combined orchards is 24,000 tons of CO² per year.
• Harry & David participates with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality workgroups to identify best management practices and to encourage composting as a means for solid waste management.
• Harry & David worked with landowners, state and federal agencies, and environmental advocates on a Rogue River stream channel restoration project to develop high-value salmon-rearing reaches.
• The company has two organically certified Royal Riviera® Pear orchards. Another orchard is in the transition phase of organic development and should be certified for holiday sales in 2009.
• In an ongoing effort to minimize use of chemical pesticides, Harry & David has eliminated the use of organophosphates over the past five years to a trace amount on few occasions.
• Through field monitoring, tracking of insect life cycles and analyzing leaves in the laboratory we have reduced synthetic insecticide use by almost 50%, and broad-spectrum insecticide use has been decreased by 96%.
• Harry & David has upgraded the irrigation systems on most of its orchard properties, to reduce water consumption by over 30%.
• In 2007, we composted 10,000 tons of culled fruit and processed fruit waste, as well as 21,000 cubic yards of spoiled hay and waste obtained from local stables. This volume of material was diverted from local landfills. Our compost production effort helped to utilize more than 540 tons of compostable waste materials received from our campus recycling center. 6,750 cubic yards of finished compost was applied to 300 acres of fruit trees in 2007.
• Propane-fired heaters are replacing diesel-fired smudge pots for frost protection. Additional frost protection is provided by water systems, plus investment in 165 wind generating machines to keep cold air from settling.

back to top