Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Hill’s), a division of Colgate-Palmolive and global leader in science-led nutrition, has officially secured three new achievements that showcase its commitment to sustainability and employee well-being. According to certain reports, the company has attained the prestigious global Accreditation from the Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) and both LEED Gold® and WELL Certified™ Platinum for its new global and U.S. headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. Talk about the PSC accreditation, it is basically awarded to companies that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable practices and show measurable progress in environmental and social responsibility. Based upon the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) i.e. a globally recognized framework to help businesses advance their environmental and social practices, the process to achieve this feat involves a rigorous assessment and verification of a company’s sustainability initiatives, policies, and impact. In Hill’s case, the company markedly exceeded the scores required on the Sustainable Development Goals Baseline, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). It also furnished extensive documentation that was independently verified. As for the LEED Gold® and WELL Certified™ Platinum certifications, Hill’s new custom designed office became the first space to receive WELL Certification at any level. This it was able to achieve because the fully electrified building, located near numerous amenities and walking paths in Overland Park, Kansas, was adjudged to meet the high standards of LEED v4 Interior Design & Construction: Commercial Interiors and WELL Building Standard version 2. Owing to that, Hill’s also turned out to be among the first companies to get space certified under the streamlined pathway by the U.S. Green Building Council® and the International WELL Building Institute™.
This validation also delivers a rather interesting follow-up to Hill’s previous efforts towards embracing more sustainable business practices. These efforts begin from a dedicated sustainability action team, which collaborates regularly to drive progress towards ingredient transparency, responsible sourcing, and greater sustainability for all aspects of the business. Making such a team all the more important is the fact it is made up of welfare specialists, sustainability leaders, and other functional experts. Next up, we must touch upon Hill’s investment in developing alternative protein, with the company constantly exploring new technologies to provide more sustainable ingredient solutions for pet nutrition, such as proteins conceived through fermentation. Then, we have Hill’s take on ingredient sourcing. You see, the company preaches responsible sourcing by ensuring traceability and certification from organizations like the Marine Stewardship Council, Marine Trust and Friends of the Sea. In the given context, last year, Hill’s also introduced a new formula for its popular Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin line, which includes novel protein sources. This new formula is understood to include sustainably sourced MSC-Certified Pollock in dog and cat recipes and innovative insect protein across dog recipes.
Another detail worth a mention would be how Hill’s works to minimize its environmental footprint through reduction of water usage, energy consumption, and waste in its manufacturing processes. In fact, a good chunk of the company’s manufacturing sites are certified under the Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE®) program for zero waste. Furthermore, its newest plant in Tonganoxie, Kansas, is LEED Gold certified, joining many of the company’s already LEED-certified facilities. To expand upon its Tonganoxie plant, the facility enhances sustainability through various features including a Reclamation System which reduces overall water usage by treating and recycling wastewater on-site to be repurposed for future use. Moving on to Hill’s packaging innovations, they cover the company’s bid to conceive innovative packaging solutions through more sustainable materials and optimizing designs for eco-friendliness. If anything, Hill’s has been using recyclable corrugated boxes made with 65% recycled content worldwide since the end of 2019. Alongside that, nearly 70% of its global Hill’s packaging (by weight) has been recyclable since 2019.
