Webber Naturals and Carbonzero teaming up on Carbon Neutral Strategy

As corporate climate change commitments continue to accelerate, one of Canada’s leading natural health products companies is making strides to reduce its environmental footprint.Similar to the value that the company places on healthy living, Webber Naturals also places high value on the health of the environment. As part of its efforts to strengthen its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Webber Naturals has partnered with Carbonzero to evaluate its corporate climate impact through the Carbonzero Certified program. As a result, Webber Naturals is now a carbon-neutral company.Carbonzero is working with Webber Naturals to complete the company’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventory that will measure the company’s carbon footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions sources were assessed with a broad view of Webber Naturals’ operations, and the final inventory will include both direct and indirect emission scopes including owned and controlled facility utilities, product shipping, business travel and landfill waste.Through this exercise with Carbonzero, Webber Naturals is well-positioned to measure the success of future carbon reduction initiatives and can more easily pin-point areas of improvement across its value chain.

“Sustainability is not only vital to the future of our planet, but it is also vital to our communities and economic survival,” says Tristan Krempel, VP of Customer Service and Distribution, Webber Naturals. “We are continuously working to learn, improve and search for opportunities to be more sustainable.”

Sustainability at Webber Naturals

Working with Carbonzero is just one of Webber Naturals’ sustainability initiatives. Webber Naturals has several other initiatives they’ve taken on to be good stewards of the environment. Headquartered in British Columbia, Webber Naturals has access to and uses low-emitting energy sources such as hydroelectricity and natural gas. By retrofitting their warehouses in Metro Vancouver and Kelowna, Webber Naturals has been able to save 750,000 kWh of electricity annually. The Kelowna manufacturing plant also uses Variable Frequency Drives pumps to save additional power.

To divert waste from landfills, Webber Naturals adopted the Sustainable Materials Management Program, based on the Cradle-to-Cradle concept of upcycling waste material. By collaborating with waste service providers and assessing how materials flow through their facilities, Webber Naturals has been able to improve their waste diversion rate from 64% in 2016 to 87% in 2020.

Webber Naturals also diverts their softgel waste from landfills, opting to compost or resell it for non-food applications. By diverting softgel waste from landfills to composting, Webber Naturals has seen a reduction equivalent to 540 metric tons (MT) of CO2 per year.Additionally, as part of its strategy to achieve carbon neutrality, Webber Naturals is purchasing carbon offsets from projects including the Niagara Escarpment Forest Carbon Project, which protects forest spanning from the Niagara Escarpment up to Manitoulin Island. This project works to promote and maintain important ecosystems along Ontario’s Niagara escarpment through establishing and enhancing tree growth.

Webber Naturals is also investing in carbon offsets from the Lester B. Pearson School Board Project, which uses a portion of carbon offset proceeds to conduct emission reduction projects and develop new climate change programs for students. Carbon financing through the Lester B. Pearson School Board Energy Conservation Project has allowed for the implementation of solar walls, reflective walls, thermal accumulation, HVAC controls, heat recovery, and other technologies that generate emissions reductions.

“Working with the Webber Naturals team to better understand their core sustainability principles has been a great experience” says Dan Fraleigh, CEO of Carbonzero. “We’re excited for this partnership and are looking forward to supporting Webber Naturals to achieve emissions reductions in the future.”

As the company moves forward with its corporate climate initiatives, both Webber Naturals and Carbonzero are looking forward to a continued partnership.

About Webber Naturals

Since 1948, Webber Naturals has produced natural health products based on quality, value and innovation. Based in British Columbia, Canada, Webber Naturals sources ingredients from a wide range of global suppliers to ensure their products are of the highest efficacy and potency and are rigorously tested beyond international standards. Webber Naturals values good health for all of their customers by providing cost-effective products without sacrificing quality.

About Carbonzero

Carbonzero was founded in 2006 and has risen to become a leader in the design and implementation of corporate carbon reduction strategies and solutions in the emerging low carbon economy. Carbonzero helps transform organizations by aiding them in assessing, reporting, and reducing their emissions. Our approach, tools and services ensure that our clients can cost-effectively meet their carbon auditing reduction commitments while developing the framework for implementation of reduction activities.