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Food, Beverage and Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing companies in the Pearson Eco-Business Zone are creating new markets for manufacturing bi-products and innovating around process and delivery
efficiency, while meeting consistently higher standards for safety.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GREENING
By-Product Synergies: Capitalize on new markets for waste products such as harvested heat from operational processes, recyclable materials, and bio-fuel feedstock. Learn More: See Algonquin Power under “By-Product Synergies”
Green Procurement: Green your supply chain by sourcing green products and collaborating more closely around sustainability standards, training and support. Learn More: See Janes Family Foods under “Green Procurement”
Energy Efficiency: Reduce your energy consumption through an energy audit, building retrofits, building controls, and the implementation of an energy management program. Learn More: See Maple Leaf Foods under “Energy Efficiency”
Water: Lower water usage through conservation, waste-water recycling and using rainwater for non-potable purposes. Learn More: See Parmalat under “Water”
Community Engagement: Engage your customers and generate social capital by building partnerships with stakeholders to advance sustainability in your community. Learn More: See Cargill Foods under “Community Engagement”
SECTOR HIGHLIGHTS
“Reeling in the energy savings at Molson Canada”
Molson Canada believes in the importance of saving energy. To achieve this, Molson launched its Energy Conservation Program across all of its Canadian breweries in May 2008 with the goal of engaging employees to make small changes to conserve water, electricity, and natural gas.
Approach Highlights
- Set targets for reducing water and energy use in the beer-making process.
- A comprehensive communication plan designed to raise employee awareness of corporate actions.
- Employee activities, including Natural Resources Canada’s Dollars-to-Sense Training Programs, treeplantings, community clean-up days, and Earth Hour.
- Tracking progress, communicating results, and providing updates and conservation ideas to workers.
Results
- Between 2002 and 2008, Molson achieved decreases of 39 per cent in natural gas use, 27 per cent in electricity use, and 36 per cent in water use.
- Achieved a 5 per cent overall annual reduction target.
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“Corporate sustainability at Unilever”
Greening the bottom line is “right on target” at Unilever, whose brands are purchased 160 million times per day. Unilever’s holistic approach to sustainability has found the sweet spot between business interests and social well-being.
Approach Highlights
- Actively involved in a number of initiatives that promote sustainable practices around the world.
- Seven environmental indicators: chemical oxygen demand, hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste, water, energy, CO2 from energy, and boiler/utilities sulphur oxides drive annual targets for each plant.
- Established an Energy Team to examine energy savings opportunities and to engage employees at their Rexdale plant.
Results
- A condensing economizer which recovered heat that would otherwise be lost saves the company roughly $378,000 a year.
- Retrofitting existing T-12 fluorescent lighting with T-8 fluorescent lighting and installing motion sensors had a 2.6 year payback.
- Treating and diverting hot process waste-water to feed the boilers saves Rexdale over $380,000 a year.
- Waste oils are turned into a biofuel for the boilers to generate heat and steam, saving money and cutting emissions in the process.
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Download the Food and Beverage Sector highlights.
BUSINESS DRIVERS
► Energy costs for building operations, processing, refrigeration, and transportation are projected to rise over the long term.
► New markets for organic waste, combined with increasing waste management costs, are creating opportunities for the industry.
► Companies in this sector are increasingly required to consider packaging options that are more sustainable.
► Food and pharmaceutical safety has become a major public concern, and continues to receive considerable attention from the media and government regulators.
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