At Vitaquest, we believe we have an obligation to create a better future for the people and the communities with which we interact, and an important aspect of that is our commitment to environmental sustainability.
We proactively encourage our staff to be more environmentally responsible each day to help us achieve our sustainability goals and to enhance the wellness of the world around us. We have also implemented a number of sustainable business practices in recent years to reduce the impact we have on the environment.
New energy-efficient lighting with motion detector switches was installed throughout our facilities. We have updated our manufacturing operations with energy efficient equipment and continually work to be less wasteful with materials and energy. Most corrugated packaging materials that we use today are derived from 100% recycled content, and we recycle our waste materials. In 2018, more than three quarters of the garbage we produced could not be recycled. With the improvements we have made over the last three years, we now recycle 56% of our total waste. These efforts helped us to recycle 2,000 metric tons of materials over the past five years at an average of 580 metric tons a year.
There are additional initiatives we have implemented that have helped us to significantly improve the environmental profile of our business. We have greatly reduced our energy consumption by installing solar panels on our manufacturing facility. The 3,520-panel system now produces enough energy to power more than 100-average sized homes every year. It has also made 30% of the electrical energy that we source renewable, and we are proud to say that our overall electricity usage has decreased by more than 20%.
Meanwhile, an upgraded heating system and a reduction in boiler usage has led to a 23% overall reduction in our use of natural gas. We have also taken steps to use less water, and over the last five years our water usage has declined by 11%.
With all the strides we have made in reducing our environmental impact, Vitaquest was recently assessed and recognized as a New Jersey Sustainable Business by the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC). With this recognition, Vitaquest is now included as a registered member on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry. The Registry was introduced in 2014 and was created to highlight organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to following sustainable business practices.
We are proud to be included on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry, and we will build on the progress we have made in improving our environmental profile to continue to preserve and protect the world around us.
To see our listing on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry, visit: http://registry.njsbdc.com/business-profile/2768/3170/vitaquest-international-inc.
At Vitaquest, we believe that environmental sustainability is essential for a better future. If you’re an organization that shares our commitment to making a positive impact on the world, we would love to work with you. Let’s collaborate to bring nutraceutical products to market and build a better future together. Contact us today to learn more about our commitment to sustainability and how we can work together to Deliver What’s Next!
