Pharmavite – Leticia Neves – 2017

Goals

Pharmavite, a leader in the dietary supplement industry and manufacturer of the Nature Made vitamins, hired EDF Climate Corps fellow Leticia Neves to work on a variety of CSR projects alongside the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility Department in the corporate headquarters. Pharmavite was interested in creating an energy map to track the performance of machines in the R&D department and identifying potential energy savings opportunities. 

Solutions

For data collection, Neves interviewed employees and conducted audits to accurately gauge Pharmavite’s energy use. Upon analysis, she realized that the company’s overall performance was better than expected, positioning the company to have its 2017 CSR Report align with the Core GRI standards. Neves identified the GRI Indicators to be reported on and the best people and departments that should be involved in the process.

Pharmavite was in the process of building one big facility in the place of two smaller ones. To identify opportunities for energy and cost savings, Neves calculated expected HVAC and lighting consumption for the new facility, and found a minimum of a 30% savings in energy and cost.

Neves also used the company’s Water Risk Monetizer tool in three facilities. She identified one facility as having a high water risk due to consumption rates that exceeded what was available in the basin–which in a cost increase for both treatment and disposal of outgoing water. Lastly, Neves investigated the opportunities for improved waste management, identifying ways to minimize waste and/or increase recyclability rates.

Potential Impact

Pharmavite is better positioned to both improve and streamline data collection across different departments, allowing for better tracking of its overall CSR performance and goals. Neves’ recommendations will also make it easier to create future GHG Inventories and CSR Reports, as well as file for CDP.