The 2018 Cox Corporate Social Responsibility Report CEI_2018_CSR_Report | Page 27

“Our investment in BrightFarms
diversifies our business portfolio
and provides us opportunities
to not only make an impact on
local agriculture and the
economy, but also be part of
a revolutionary approach to
sustainability.”
— CEO Alex Taylor
Sustainable Agriculture
Our growing world not only needs more food,
it also needs food that is produced more efficiently
and requires less land, water, herbicides, pesticides
and fertilizer.
BrightFarms’ early success is exciting and it
will be only the first in an expanding portfolio
of sustainable agriculture ventures.
Cox is the lead investor in BrightFarms,
and this innovative startup has advanced
greenhouses that produce the number-one
brand of locally grown, packaged salads for
retailers. Recognized by Forbes as one of 2018’s
“25 Most Innovative Ag Startups,” the company
operates environmentally efficient enclosed
growing facilities in Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Illinois and Ohio, and will add Texas in 2019.
BrightFarms’ leafy green produce requires
90 percent less water, 90 percent less land,
no pesticides and yields 10 times more per
acre. And because product is grown adjacent
to major markets, shipping requires 95 percent
less fuel than conventional, centralized,
field-grown suppliers.

Cox Enterprises, Inc. 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
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