RALEIGH – The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality today recognized Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America, Inc. as an Environmental Steward for its commitment to superior environmental performance. The Steward designation is the highest designation available in the state’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI).
“Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition set aggressive goals to preserve and protect our environment and integrated these values into their core business functions,” said DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser at today’s presentation of a plaque to recognize the facility’s achievement. “Because they go above and beyond what is required, this facility is one of only 30 in our state recognized as a Steward.”
Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition North America, Inc. manufactures amino acids used in a variety of products from pharmaceuticals and sports supplements to foods and beauty products. This facility joined ESI in 2015 and was recommended for recognition because of their continuing commitment to reducing their environmental impact in waste, water and energy. Among their achievements: reducing waste sent to landfill by more than 97 percent, reducing electrical usage through lighting upgrades and higher efficiency chillers and boilers, and reducing water usage through process changes and improvements. The plant also has a strong history of environmental compliance and works with the local community to provide environmental information and leadership.
“Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition is committed to manufacturing the highest quality amino acid products with minimum environmental impact,” said Andrew Steinhauer, General Manager of Ajinomoto Health and Nutrition’s Raleigh plant. “Since joining the NC Environmental Stewardship Initiative, our Raleigh team members have pursued continuous improvement and pollution prevention by conserving water and energy while eliminating waste streams. We are proud to celebrate our promotion to Environmental Steward, which is a result of the significant efforts of our team, and we are excited to continue partnering with others in the community to improve our operations and share lessons learned.”
ESI promotes and encourages superior environmental performance by North Carolina organizations. This non-regulatory, voluntary program was established in 2002 to stimulate the development and implementation of programs that use pollution prevention and innovative approaches to meet and exceed regulatory requirements. DEQ provides no-cost technical assistance, including strategies to reduce water and energy usage, for all ESI members. The program also provides members with networking and outreach opportunities to learn about innovative solutions and share successes as they achieve their goals.
For more information, visit the Environmental Stewardship Initiative’s website, www.ncesi.org, or contact Angela Barger, Environmental Stewardship Initiative manager, at 877-623-6748 or esi@ncdenr.gov.
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