Microsoft Awarded Zero Waste Facility Certification
"Protecting the environment is something that Microsoft and our employees believe in strongly. We are grateful for this recognition by GBCI and look forward to building on our work to reduce waste at our Redmond headquarters," said Susan Wagner, senior director of Microsoft Real Estate & Facilities.
Green Business Certification, Inc. announced Nov. 28 that Microsoft has achieved Zero Waste Facility Certification – Gold level at its global headquarters in Redmond, Wash., a campus where more than 44,000 employees work in 125 buildings. Microsoft is diverting 90 percent of its waste from its headquarters, according to GBCI, which audited the zero waste diversion processes at Microsoft and found the facility is successfully reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting at an unprecedented rate.
"Companies pursuing Zero Waste Facility Certification must meet very stringent standards in order to achieve Gold certification," said Stephanie Barger, director of market development at GBCI. "Microsoft has demonstrated not only tremendous leadership in successfully implementing zero waste strategies, but also an inspiring commitment to achieve still higher levels of performance."
Businesses participating in the Zero Waste Facility Certification program have a goal of achieving a minimum of 90 percent diversion. "Protecting the environment is something that Microsoft and our employees believe in strongly. We are grateful for this recognition by GBCI and look forward to building on our work to reduce waste at our Redmond headquarters," said Susan Wagner, senior director of Microsoft Real Estate & Facilities.
To date, the Redmond facility has maximized recycling and composting of materials, which equates to about 87 percent of waste on campus that is diverted from landfills, and cultivated sustainable urban farming methods while achieving impressive sustainability goals across 33 cafes, 32 espresso cafes, and more than 500 kitchenettes on campus. Today, 99.5 percent of all food, packaging, and other dining-related waste generated is being diverted from landfills.
Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating systems as well as the Zero Waste Facility Certification standard, PEER standard for power systems, the WELL building standard, the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), Parksmart, EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency) and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector.