It is true that each and every one of us can have a positive impact on our environment by being more resourceful with natural energy. If one person can make such a difference, imagine what an impact an entire company can have. In fact, we have recently seen an emergence of ‘green companies’ all over the world. We are proud to say that Vital Health Foods is such a company. Vital Health Foods is determined to give back to the planet through aiming for carbon-neutral status by 2015.
► Adopting a green policy
A green company (or eco-friendly company) uses its resources efficiently, allowing for the most minimal amount of wastage. Recycling and utilising natural energies (for example, solar heating) as much as possible are crucial. Waste should, ideally, be environmentally-friendly and removed to the nearest biodegradable waste site, which is exactly what we do here at Vital Health Foods.
Vital Health Foods has always been an environmentally-friendly company, but we recently decided to take our planet focus one step further by creating a project team who regularly calls innovation meetings in which our progress as a green company is discussed.
► The action plan
Being an eco-friendly company requires a lot of planning and forward thinking. Our undertaking to be a green company is long-term and has kicked off with a three-phased endeavour.
Phase One: Water focus
Our goal for the first phase (already complete) was to save 20 000 litres of water per month – mission accomplished! We achieve this huge water-saving by safely and effectively recycling water in our manufacturing process. The best way to use natural resources is through recycling.
Phase Two: Energy focus
The second phase is the energy-efficiency phase. We are in the process of replacing our existing fluorescent tube electrical lighting with energy-efficient LED lighting, starting with a pilot project of 150 tubes. And we have recently installed our first solar-powered geyser to warm water for our laboratory.
In addition, we recently installed a system which reduces the electricity load used in our factory. In other words, we have reduced the power load required by machinery to run, thereby making energy use more efficient. In fact, we have reported a 14% saving on electricity since the electroflow system was installed.
With regard to energy-efficient heating, we actually harness heat generated from our air compressors to heat up our water systems. Vital Health Foods is the first company in the Western Cape to purchase the machine that has this heat harnessing power. We thus literally recycle energy.
Phase Three: Waste focus
Thirdly, Vital Health Foods will continue to strive to cut down on waste, ensuring that production lines run more efficiently. We want to ensure that our staff continue doing things right the first time.
► Staff participation
The staff only uses air-conditioning when absolutely necessary. In conjunction with this, extra heating insulation was installed for our air-conditioning system.
Our security team ensures that office lights are switched off at the end of the work day and a new rule has been instituted with regard to paper use: when printing documents, we print on both sides of the paper, which means we save half the amount of paper that we have historically used.
► Limiting the paper trail
With regard to paper saving, we are in the process of installing a new multimillion rand manufacturing system to control and digitise batch processes – it is a means for us to document everything we do in a paperless manner.
► Committed to the green cause
Reducing and eliminating our carbon footprint is a long-term commitment on our part and hopefully on the parts of other companies.
In order to be a green company, structural and procedural changes must be made in the manufacturing process – this can be expensive and is largely permanent. Anyone who truly grasps the destructive impact we are having on our planet will take the greening process seriously and commit to it, as we have.
► Maintaining our green status
Vital Health Foods is committed to maintaining our green status through the following:
Water focus
- Waste-water recovery tanks (5 000 litre capacity) store waste water from the water purification plant. This water is used for steam cleaning.
- Cooling water is recycled for our vacuum pumps. In the past, this water used to go through the pumps to the drain, because the water builds up heat when circulated.
- Cooling coils have been installed for an experiment and are working well. These coils enable us to have a closed system resulting in no water wastage.
- The feasibility of waterless urinals may be investigated in the near future.
Energy focus
- We recover waste heat from our air compressor. The heat is then used to heat water for our factory. Heated water is piped through radiators in systems where air needs heating, such as the Glatt fluid-bed dryer and the tablet-coating pan. The warm air then in turn heats the water in the pipes.
- We have installed a system that improves the quality of our electricity and keeps the power factor, voltages, load balance and Harmonics, etc., at optimum levels which conserves electricity and improves the life span of electrical equipment. Although used extensively overseas, this system is still unique in South Africa.
- All our hot water cylinders will be converted to solar power in the near future.
- The new chilled water unit, which has waste-heat recovery capabilities, will be utilised soon. This specific unit was featured in the March 2009 RACA magazine to encourage other companies to follow suit.
- In the height of summer, air-conditioning constitutes 1/3 of our electricity consumption. It has been proposed that we paint our roof with heat-reflective paint. The current dark green cover of the roof is, however, counter-productive and will minimise the effect of the paint. If it were to be implemented successfully, this minor adaptation would equate to a saving of between R 2 000–R 2 500 per month.
Waste focus
- Our buildings are fitted with dirt/oil traps before effluent leaves the premises.
- The municipality samples our waste water on a monthly basis.
- We recycle materials used in our factory.
- We separate all cardboard and plastic for recycling.
- We collect all waste paper for recycling. However, we discourage printing in the first place and have put facilities in place where a projector can be used in meetings to make documents available to everyone, without printing hard copies.
- We have a collection point for used batteries.
- Scrap metal is separated from waste and sent to recycling.
- A project to introduce a lean manufacturing system has been started. This project will look at all types of waste and will help us in our quest to implement continuous improvement.
White is the new green at Vital Health Foods
In our journey towards carbon-neutral status, Vital Health Foods has joined the ranks of Meerlust Winery, KWV, South African Breweries, Coca-Cola, Distell and Spoornet by painting the roof of their head office and pharmaceutical-quality production facility (a landmark on the R300 in Kuils River) with Thermoshield. Since painting the roof, Vital Health Foods has reduced their electricity usage, which in turn reduces the burden on the environment.
Thermoshield is a special white coating, developed by NASA research, which reflects and repels heat and sunlight. It forms a barrier against the sun with millions of hollow ceramic beads clustered together, forming ‘air pockets’. The beads tolerate heat for up to three hours, and then heat is transferred to the beads below. Essentially, it takes much longer for heat transferral.
When the sun shines on a roof, the temperature inside the building rises between 75% and 95%. By coating the roof with Thermoshield, which repels sun rays like a mirror, the heat isn’t transferred into the building. It’s cooler inside by up to 45%. What’s more, it will help the building stay warm in winter.
“Since painting our roof with Thermoshield, we have recorded a significant reduction in the roof space temperature which translates into a reduction in usage of air conditioning throughout the facility. When we compare general electrical consumption in April 2010 to consumption in the same month last year, it shows a decline of 36 000Kwh, resulting in a saving in excess of R23 000,” says Peter Tremlett, Maintenance Manager at Vital Health Foods. “And when we save electricity, we significantly reduce our carbon footprint.”
In addition to electricity reduction, Thermoshield also decreases how fast the roof ages, reduces maintenance costs and creates a more stable temperature controlled environment for the international standard production facility at Vital Health Foods. It’s almost like ‘wrapping’ the roof in plastic to protect it from water, rust, heat damage and ultraviolet radiation.
It only goes to show that environmentally-friendly initiatives are not only aimed at saving the planet, but also makes good business sense. As market leader in the health foods industry, we at Vital Health Foods are joining other leaders in the manufacturing industry to set new green standards and to inspire other companies to follow suit.
