More than 25 Eli Lilly and Company facilities around the world on October 21 will celebrate "Energy Day," which is a new corporate sustainability effort designed to educate Lilly employees about the company's latest energy reduction goals and to encourage sustainable behaviors.
Lilly reached the energy goal it previously set two years early. Over a five-year period, from 2004 to 2008, Lilly has:
· Improved energy intensity (in energy used per dollar of sales) by more than 35 percent and reduced absolute energy use by 5.8 percent
· Cut absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 4.4 percent
Lilly's new goal for the year 2013 is to improve energy efficiency and reduce the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent. In order to meet its goal, the company is pursuing energy efficiency projects and engaging employees to identify opportunities for continued improvement.
"Lilly is committed to making high-quality medicines responsibly, which includes minimizing our natural resource use and lessening our impact on the environment," said Greg Spratt, advisor of environmental sustainability at Lilly. "Our employees are eager to become more engaged and involved in protecting our environment, and we are leveraging that commitment in order to help the company meet its aggressive energy goal."
Since 2006, the company has invested $23 million in energy and waste reduction projects across the globe. Upon completion of these projects, Lilly estimates that it will save 640,000 mm BTUs of energy and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 85,000 metric tons - the equivalent of the electricity used by 11,789 homes in one year and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by burning 444 railcars of coal.
Lilly's global sites will celebrate Energy Day in a variety of ways, including increased use of public transportation for commuting, interactive exhibits, and contests for generating new energy saving ideas. Employees working at Lilly's corporate headquarters in Indianapolis will have an opportunity to tour one of the two "green roofs" that were recently installed as pilot sustainability projects to improve the energy efficiency of the building and to reduce storm water run-off.
Lilly's energy reduction efforts are part of the company's overall environmental goals, which also include aggressive reductions in water intake (25 percent) and waste to landfill (40 percent). More information about Lilly's sustainability goals can be found at http://www.lilly.com/responsibility/health/.
About Lilly
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.