R3 Green Position Statement

“Awareness of the environment and how to reduce our impact on it is a primary goal of R3 Reliable Redistribution Resource®. We therefore are always reviewing our environmental programs and looking for ways to improve our performance in this area.

At R3® ,we continually focus on sourcing and finding the packaging alternatives you need to support you and your customers’ green efforts. Whether it’s food service packaging or green chemicals that have less of an impact on the environment, R3® is your source. We have combed the product offerings of our manufacturers to ensure we have true green products available to you. These products fall into three major categories:

1. products that are recyclable;
2. products that are from manufacturers utilizing sustainable practices in product production (thus embracing associated source reduction efforts); and
3. products that are “green.”

Corporately, the major environmental impacts we hope to make include the management of waste-meaning what we produce ourselves and what our suppliers produce when creating and packaging their products-our use of energy and the consumption of fuel to transport products from vendor to us and from us to our customers.

Our branches are engaged in the recycling of paper and plastics. We believe the more we can recycle, the less non-renewable resources we take from the environment, the less energy we use to create new products from virgin resources, the less we contribute to the filling of landfills, and the lesser effect we have on the environment.

The company is also piloting a comprehensive program at several of our larger warehouses to recycle all plastic pallet wrap, and cardboard on our incoming inventory. This will reduce our own internal waste and provide input material for U.S. manufacturers.

While most current warehouses in the country use metal halide lights that take several minutes to come to full power when turned on and stay burning all day long, our warehouses are turning to new technologies. This includes utilizing bright fluorescent lights that use less electricity.

These are being combined with motion detectors to manage our energy use in a cost-efficient way. The warehouses where this new system is in place are reporting reductions of 30% in kilowatt usage.

R3® places a major focus on the efficient use of fuel by carefully managing our national fleet of trucks. We have implemented a vehicle tracking system that helps us reduce engine idling time, thus reducing fuel consumption. We have worked with our customers to develop a schedule of deliveries that serves not only their need for timely deliveries, but allows us to make deliveries in the most expedient, fuel efficient way possible. It provides our customers the ability to consolidate the procurement and delivery of a broad range of products, reducing the number of deliveries they receive when sourcing their needs.

Fuel consumption reduction is also considered when evaluating the vendors with whom we do business. Those vendors who have reduced their case sizes so their products can be shipped more economically are among our preferred suppliers.

Collectively, we source environmentally friendly products for our customers. Working with our business partners, our customers and vendors to reduce our mutual impact on the environment is an important R3 Reliable Redistribution Resource® business goal.“