ABOUT

We take our commitment to the environment very seriously and are consistently taking steps to reduce waste and minimize our ecological footprint.

Energy

• Complete reverse osmosis water treatment system installed in boiler room to increase boiler cycles and reduce natural gas consumption by 260,000m3/yr, and eliminate approximately 480 tonnes of annual CO2 emission 
• Replacement of late model fire tube boiler and hot-well feedwater tank with high-efficiency water tube steam generators, complete with economizers and a deaerator to improve fuel to steam efficiency by over 5% 
• Reclaim, treat, and reuse warm exhaust air from product coolers on production systems to avoid 350,000m3/yr in natural gas usage and approximately 650 tonnes of annual CO2 emission 
• Solar panels on the roof of the shipping warehouse allow for 500kW DC generating capacity 
• Transitioned to LED lighting throughout the facility including over $200,000 invested since 2015 
• Energy-efficient equipment upgrades throughout facility, including new electrical transformers, power factor correction, variable frequency drives on motors, building and process piping insulation

WATER

• Approximately 40m3/day of potable water that is used in single-pass equipment cooling applications is captured while warm and used for makeup of boiler feed water, direct process injection, and water efficient high-pressure sanitation activities

• $1,000,000 has been invested in wastewater pre-treatment equipment since 2015, including primary physical separation and secondary biological treatment systems to ensure all effluent from our production facility maintains a strict quality standard and minimizes loading on municipal treatment plants

RECYCLING

• All of the shrouds we use are recyclable and are made of 100% recycled material
• All of the 170,400-plus pallet pads we use each year contain recycled material and are 100% recyclable 
• For CHEP skids, when using new material, only lumber from tree farms is used, ensuring a responsible and sustainable source of timber
• Paper and plastic/metal recycling bins are available throughout the office and lunchroom areas
• Working with third party recycling facility allows us to recycle non-typical items, including earplugs, nitrile/latex gloves, hair/beard nets, dust masks, and broken safety glasses

AIR EMISSIONS

• Elmira Pet Products operates under a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Approval from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
• Since 2015, we have invested over $2,500,000 in exhaust air treatment equipment to abate odours, including the installation of high-efficiency particulate control ahead of a Venturi-Packed Tower scrubber and Non-Thermal Plasma odour elimination system. Both have been measured at +95% odour removal effectiveness
• Further investments in odour treatment are planned for 2021 and 2022, totaling $3,600,000. That includes the replacement of two late-model, horizontal wet scrubbers, with high-efficiency Venturi-Packed Tower scrubbers, replicating successes from previous installations
• The most recent TRA report can be found here: Elmira Pet Products 2019 TRA Public Report