Specialty Bakery’s new plant isn’t LEED certified, but it certainly contains a bevy of sustainability initiatives.

With its zero-waste-to-landfill policy, edible waste is converted to chicken feed while the company recycles corrugated, plastic and metal materials. What cannot be recycled goes into a compactor, then to the city’s incinerator.

The company is also planning to install a roof water collection system for refrigeration condensers. Energy efficiency efforts include a building energy management system; LED lighting in the warehouse, storage freezer and offices; and motion sensors that turn off lights when an area is unoccupied.

The building itself is made with pre-cast concrete wall panels and insulated metal panels and made “locally” within 500 miles of the project. The metal panels comprise 25% post- and pre-consumer recycled materials.

“We certainly tried to build in, where possible, efficiency around lighting, water and building systems overall,” said Ahmad Hamade, CEO. “We tried to be smart on sustainability initiatives and focused on those that made us a better operation in the long run.”