The 2017 Washington Manufacturing Awards: Sustainability

GOLD AWARD
Feed Commodities, Tacoma

Bakeries often have leftover ingredients and finished goods that are past their sell-by date. Feed Commodities turns these cereal and grain-based bakery byproducts into animal feed in a certified safe-feed facility. From a small operation launched in 1996, the company has grown to more than $12 million in annual sales and has expanded operations to Oregon and Canada. In 2015, it spent $4 million on buildings and equipment to accommodate expansion, and followed that up with an additional $1 million investment in 2016. Feed Commodities emphasizes that its not merely a recycling collection business. It also works with bakery clients on tracking and reducing waste streams.

SILVER AWARD
Composite Recycling Technology Center, Port Angeles

CRTC launched with several missions: divert thousands of pounds of composite-fiber waste and scrap material from landfills; find useful products to make with it; and train workers in the fledgling industry. In 2016, the center took a huge stride toward achieving one of the goals. It developed a paddle for pickleball a tennis/badminton hybrid and lined up a customer for it. The center believes it can release three additional products in 2017 and build employment and training participants to 25.