Daiya, the first brand that cracked the code on plant-based cheese, announced the LEED certification of its plant-based food manufacturing facility and office building in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. 

Achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification has been an important milestone for the plant-based cheesemaker since it began operations in 2008. As the largest stand-alone plant-based food facility of its kind in North America, obtaining the highly regarded environmental certification was critical to its mission of producing safe, high quality, non-GMO, plant-based cheesy food alternatives with minimal impact on the planet. As a leader in the plant-based movement, Daiya aims to align its mission across all areas of the business, and obtaining LEED certification not only for the manufacturing facility, but also for the corporate office, was paramount.

“We are so excited to announce our new LEED certification status in our state of the art, first-of-its-kind, plant-based food manufacturing facility and office building,” said Nicola Shaw, director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Daiya. “We aspired to build a workspace that encourages innovation and creativity, and that supports our team and our planet. Achieving LEED status at our facilities demonstrates our commitment to minimizing our environmental impact by reducing carbon emissions, energy and waste, as well as conserving water and prioritizing sustainable materials.”

By implementing these specific programs and process, Daiya was able to obtain its LEED certification, and go beyond what is expected of brands to earn this distinction: 

• Deconstructed an already existing facility to divert 77% of all waste and demolition from the landfill. 
• Installed high performance and low flow plumbing fixtures throughout the building to save 35% water usage over conventional plumbing fixtures.
• Instituted recycling programs in both office and production areas as well as a 'Green Cleaning' program.
• Reduced parking footprint by improving access to quality transit, installing electric vehicle charging stations, offering carpool only parking spots and creating bicycle facilities.
• Both office and production facilities were designed to use less energy by utilizing high efficiency LEED light fixtures, occupancy sensors and dimmers, high efficiency HVAC systems, enhanced refrigerant management and fundamental commissioning and verification.
• Utilized high efficiency boilers that make use of Natural Gas, with economizers that recover heat.
• An ongoing project at the facility is for Daiya to reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging by examining alternative options that are more sustainable and eco-friendly (i.e. recycled, plant-based, or biodegradable materials). 

“It’s important that now we are fully in the facility, we take a look at where we are, and then where we need to be,” said Shaw. “Achieving LEED certification is the first step. We will continue to work with leading industry experts to assess and establish our environmental impact goals in the coming months.” 

The facility also houses the brand’s fermentation site, following their multi-million-dollar investment into fermentation technology announced earlier this year. By combining traditional cheesemaking methods with this modern technology, Daiya has created a plant-based cheese that is tastier, meltier, and stretchier than any other on the market – set to be on shelves across North America later this year.

About Daiya   
Daiya Foods is a champion of plant-based, delicious, dairy-free products delighting people and planet since 2008. The company’s growing line of premium, plant-based foods began with cheese formats including blocks, shreds, slices, sticks, cream cheese style spreads and cheese sauces. Daiya has since expanded with great success into cheese-forward products like Pizza, Mac & Cheese, and Frozen Cheesecake. Daiya products are available in the dairy and freezer aisles, and products like Deluxe Mac & Cheese and Salad Dressings are in the shelf-stable section of most major grocery stores.  Delicious plant-based foods from Daiya are broadly available in more than 25,000 grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as through e-commerce partnerships. Daiya’s products can be found internationally in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.