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Meet Ethicon, LLC - 2016 FOYA Winner for Sustainability

Ethicon

Facility of the Year Awards, An ISPE ProgramEthicon, LLC - 2016 Facility of the Year Awards Category Winner for Sustainability

Ethicon, LLC is this year’s ISPE Facility of the Year Category Award Winner for Sustainability for their San Lorenzo Conservation Strategy project located in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

The facility was established in 1988 as a high technology manufacturing facility under the Medical Devices sector of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. The facility develops and manufactures products that are primarily used in cardiovascular, neurosurgery, orthopedic, ophthalmic, and vascular procedures, as well as plastic surgery. Ethicon Energy Treasure Hunt - 2016 Facility of the Year Awards Category Winner SustainabilityThe efforts in San Lorenzo are part of the larger energy reduction and sustainability efforts underway at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). In 2010, J&J launched the Healthy Future 2015 goals, which included goals to reduce enterprise-wide CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020, as well as to reduce enterprise-wide water consumption by 10% by 2015, both with a base year of 2010. Recently, J&J expanded on these goals to include:

  • 80% reduction in CO2 by 2050
  • Powered by 20% renewables by 2020
  • 100% renewables by 2050

Ethicon Solar Panels - 2016 Facility of the Year Awards Category Winner SustainabilityThe team at Ethicon San Lorenzo set out to meet these goals by collaborating with the Worldwide Engineering & Technical Operations (WWETO) group of J&J to become the first site outside the U.S. to implement a chiller optimization program called “Project COLD”.  In addition, they installed a 600 kW solar photovoltaic system and upgraded to LED lamps across the campus.  In October 2014, the team held an Energy Treasure Hunt, which brought management and plant operators together to identify and prioritize energy and water conservation projects.  The team identified 36 projects over 2 days that, if implemented, would save 2,800 metric tons of CO2, 390,000 gallons of water, and $1.1 million annually. Ethicon Project COLD - 2016 Facility of the Year Awards Category Winner Sustainability Continuing into 2016, Ethicon San Lorenzo has partnered with WWETO again to be the first site outside the U.S. to implement an HVAC optimization program called “Project n-AIR-g”.  Also scheduled to be completed in 2016, is a project that will improve the power factor at the facility by installing capacitor banks at key locations. The innovative initiatives and projects at San Lorenzo truly represent the triple bottom line of sustainability. The initiatives decrease J&J’s environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in a water-stressed area. They decrease operating costs as a business. And they benefit the community on both fronts – by mitigating negative impacts on the environment, ensuring employment opportunities, and economic stability at the local and regional level. The novel innovations at San Lorenzo can be applied at many other J&J sites around the world to further reduce the environmental impacts in support of the Healthy Future 2015 goals and beyond. ISPE congratulates the Ethicon team for their achievements and their win for Sustainability. Learn more about the Ethicon San Lorenzo Conservation Strategy project. Join ISPE and prominent industry leaders as we recognize the 2016 Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) Category Winners for their innovation and creativity in pharmaceutical and biotechnology facility design, construction and operation at the FOYA Banquet on the evening of Tuesday, 7 June 2016 in North Bethesda, MD during the ISPE/FDA/PQRI Quality Manufacturing Conference.