LUSH Cosmetics tries out carbon capture technology

Fortis BC obtains and distributes natural gas in British Columbia for over 1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The new carbon capture pilot program is expected to reduce a customer’s carbon emissions by up to 13 metric tons each year and lower energy consumption by as much as 10%.

Other institutions in the region are in line to take part in the pilot program, namely The University of Fraser Valley, the Cadillac Fairview Richmond Centre, and the Blue Horizon Hotel.

But the LUSH Cosmetics headquarters, where a CleanO2 carbon capture unit was installed this week, is the first.

Sustainability​

Sustainability and energy use are big issues in the cosmetics and personal care industry, in part because of fluctuations in the availability of resources, the parameters of regulations, and the expectations of end consumers.

“We're a company that's passionate about environmental issues and driven by creativity, ​emphasizes Dawn-Marie Barreira, sustainability and energy management specialist at LUSH Cosmetics, in a media release about the Fortis BC carbon capture pilot program.

“So we're excited to try something new and innovative to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. By using the carbon capture unit, we're hoping to reduce both the CO2 emissions generated by our processes and the energy consumption of our boiler,”​ she tells the press.

And Barreira notes that the program has implications beyond any immediate gains in efficiency and cost savings. "We're using this opportunity to teach our staff about the technology and the potential for it to have a significant impact beyond our own facilities," ​she says.

Efficiency ​

The CleanO2 carbon capture unit takes carbon that would commonly be released into the atmosphere and instead turns it into sodium bicarbonate. The appliance also redistributes the energy that the process produces for use as heat as needed at the facility.

As the media release describes it, “The pilot program uses first-in-the-world carbon capture technology that takes the extra heat and emissions released from commercial-sized boilers and furnaces and turns it into something useful.”​

Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at FortisBC, explains that “this innovative technology helps our customers manage their energy usage and aligns with our province's goals for carbon reduction."​

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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.