Polar Beverages joins national campaign against packaging waste
Orson the Bear, Polar Beverages’ mascot
From The New England Council (newenglandcouncil.com)
BOSTON
New England Council member Polar Beverages, based in Worcester, has joined a national partnership called the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance. The partnership aims to avoid or eliminate food waste, and repurpose what can’t be eliminated into renewable energy via farm-based anaerobic digesters. Polar Beverages is the newest member of the movement which was founded by four food manufacturing companies in 2020.
The two-year alliance is based in Wellesley, Mass., with each member working to do their part to reduce food waste and repurpose non-repurposed materials into renewable energy. The intention of the alliance is to offer a circular approach to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and serve as a guide for creating a business with a carbon-neutral footprint.
Throughout the years, Polar has transitioned its approach to undertake sustainable manufacturing practices including, upgrading its packaging, cutting water usage and reducing miles driven for product delivery. As a result, Polar has avoided wasting 31 percent of potential wasted packaging material, reduced its water usage by 50,000 gallons a day, and cut miles driven by delivery trucks by 3.5 million over the last three years. The alliance has encouraged Polar to take on another sustainable practice by repurposing wastewater. Now, the wastewater generated from manufacturing will be recycled and turned into anaerobic digesters to be used on six different New England dairy farms.
The executive VP of Polar, Chris Crowley, said, “[w]e couldn’t be more thrilled to join the FPSA and further our commitment to being stewards of the environment.”
The New England Council would like to commend Polar Beverages for its commitment to promoting sustainable practices in New England.
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From The New England Council (newenglanddiary.com)
Polar Beverages’ CEO Ralph Crowley Jr. will become part owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox as the team prepares for a 2021 move to Worcester. Polar Beverages has been operating in Worcester since 1882.
The PawSox announced Crowley’s ownership at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Polar Park stadium. The ballpark has been designed to seat over 10,000 visitors and is expected to host various year-round events. In addition to minor league baseball games, the City of Worcester plans to take advantage of the new facility for road races, collegiate/high school sporting events, concerts, firework displays, and more. The stadium has become the center of a public-private redevelopment project of Worcester’s Canal District.
Worcester’s City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. saw the groundbreaking of the park to be “a special moment in Worcester’s history — a line of demarcation separating Worcester before Polar Park and Worcester after Polar Park.”