Croda unveils sustainability initiative at biggest production facility

The facility was bought by Croda in 2006 as part of the acquisition of Uniqema from ICI, with the intention of modernizing and improving workplace safety, increasing productivity, and making the facility more sustainable.

Currently the site, which is the company’s largest production facility worldwide, produces a wide range of products, including personal and health care, as well as for other industrial applications such as lubricants and paints and polymers.

Core updates to the plant has been the goal of reducing Croda’s dependence on fossil fuels by 25 percent by 2015, one which has been greatly benefited by the new landfill gas to energy project that is said to nearing completion at the site.

Landfill-Gas-to-Energy project​

The Cherry Island Landfill-Gas-to-Energy project is a $6m investment that forms part of a $38m investment made by the company to enhance sustainability throughout the company’s manufacturing facilities and beyond.

When this project comes on line towards the end of fall, it will allow the Atlas Point facility to use landfill gas to operate the plant, replacing what the company estimates will be 2.2 megawatts of utility-supplied electricity – the equivalent of powering 1,300 homes, as well as replacing an estimated 35 percent of the natural gas uses for steam production.

Steve Foots, group chief executive, Croda International said that one of the keys to the company’s financial growth in recent years has been the acquisition of the Uniqema business, which has now been further enhanced by the subsequent investment.

Enhanced carbon footprint​

“One of the important assets in that acquisition is this facility, as well as the important human assets of the people who work here,”​ Foots said.

Highlighting the upgrades, investment and enhanced carbon footprint to the site, the company held a open day at the facility earlier this week, where company executives were on hand to meet local dignitaries, representatives of industry organizations and customers to demonstrate the changes that have taken place.

This included a tour of the facility’s Griffin Innovation Center – one of the company’s primary R&D hubs, and the new gatehouse, which has been designed and built to enhance security for the premises.