News Articles

October 1, 2008

"Green" gear takes sting out of Burt's Bees' expansion

Concerns for the environment had kept Burt's Bees from embarking on a much-needed DC expansion project. But "green" equipment and fixtures helped allay those concerns.

"Green" gear takes sting out of Burt's Bees' expansion
By Susan Lacefield
DC Velocity, October 2008

How do you expand your operations responsibly? That was the question facing the Burt's Bees supply chain group last year.

It was clear to the Raleigh, N.C.-based company that a move to a bigger distribution facility was in its future. Blistering growth had made that inevitable. In the past four years, sales of Burt's Bees' natural personal care products—lip balm, shampoo, lotions, and the like—had taken off, growing at an annual rate of 25 to 30 percent. The company had long since outgrown its distribution operations, which occupied just over a quarter of its manufacturing plant in Durham, N.C., forcing Burt's to use nearby third-party facilities as well as a small overflow warehouse in Butner, N.C., approximately 25 miles away.

Many companies in its position would have made the rounds of nearby sites, picked one, and been done with it. But for Burt's Bees, it wasn't so simple. As the company saw it, there was much more at stake than just finding a well-situated facility with enough space to meet its current and future needs. The site also had to measure up to Burt's Bees' environmental sustainability standards.  Read more

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