Springfield’s Vital Farms plant achieves sustainability goal

A sustainability goal reached by the Springfield egg washing and packing plant of Vital Farms Inc. is among accomplishments the Austin, Texas-based company noted in an annual report.

Vital Farms (Nasdaq: VITL) this week released its 2024 impact update which recognizes the progress the company has made to continue building a resilient food system, fostering a people-first culture, driving engaged and accountable oversight and achieving goals defined in its prior year’s report.

The Springfield plant, dubbed Egg Central Station, achieved its goal of zero-waste-to-landfill, according to a news release. Zero-waste-to-landfill is defined by Total Resource Use and Efficiency, or TRUE, certification with just 2% of waste generated going to landfill. Egg Central Station, which expanded in 2022 after opening in 2017, is a 150,000-square-foot facility in Partnership Industrial Center West, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Started in 2007, Vital Farms produces pasture-raised eggs and butter.

In the report, the company reported net revenue of $472 million in 2023, a 30% year-over-year increase.

The local plant’s achievement comes on the heels of another recognition for Egg Central Station in November. It was selected as Sustainable Plant of the Year by Food Engineering magazine, according to past reporting. One of the company’s sustainability goals for Egg Central Station was for it to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill status by year’s end.

“As a public benefit corporation, certified B corp, and a purpose-driven company, we hold ourselves accountable to delivering on our purpose – improving the lives of people, animals and the planet through food,” said Joanne Bal, general counsel, head of impact and corporate secretary of Vital Farms, in the release. “As we look to the future, we’re committed to finding more ways to reduce our carbon intensity, innovate with our farmers and invest in our crewmembers.”

The 2024 impact update shares tangible progress Vital Farms has made addressing its short and medium-term impact goals and other accomplishments across the business over the past year. Included among other updates in the report, the company:

• Engaged 15% of its farmer network in regenerative agriculture principles beyond the existing regenerative principles like pasture rotation and avoiding herbicide and pesticides that all Vital Farms farmers already practice. The company is working to engage 100% of its farmer network in additional regenerative principles by the end of 2026.
• Evaluated efficiency opportunities and began implementation across its operations to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 25% by the end of 2027.
• Conducted a pay equity analysis with an independent third-party auditor to ensure fair pay for all employees. No significant pay discrepancies were identified.
• Amplified its partnership with Ozarks Technical Community College to support student curriculum in robotics and manufacturing systems and to give Egg Central Station employees access to continuing education opportunities.

VITL shares were trading at $21.78 as of 11:15 a.m., compared with a 52-week range of $10.23 to $22.22 per share.