Eli Lilly Sustainability Report: Beats CO2, Energy Intensity Targets Early

Pharmaceuticals firm Eli Lilly and Company has beat its goal of cutting normalized greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2013, compared to 2007 levels. It achieved a 16 percent cut against the baseline in 2011, according to the company’s latest sustainability update.

The company cut normalized emissions by six percent year-on-year. In 2011, Lilly produced 70 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per 1,000 square feet of facility space, down from 74.5 in 2010. The company’s absolute scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions fell 4.4 percent from 2010 to 2011, from 1,600,000 to 1,530,000 metric tons.

The company has also beat its 2013 energy intensity goal two years early, with a 17 percent reduction over its 2007 baseline, compared to a target of 15 percent. Year-on-year Lilly cut its energy intensity 4.8 percent from 520,000 to 495,000 BTUs per square foot of facility space. The company’s absolute energy consumption fell around 3.5 percent from 2010 to 2011, from 11.2 trillion to 10.8 trillion BTUs in 2011, the report says.

Since 2006, the company has conducted 29 energy assessments at its energy-intensive sites and uncovered an estimated $22.8 million in potential annual savings, the report says. These findings have contributed to the approximately $32 million cumulative reduction in energy spending from 2008-2011, while helping Lilly avoid nearly 240,000 metric tons of CO2e during that same time period.

HVAC equipment represents about 75 percent of energy use at the company’s Alcobendas, Spain, facility. To save resources, in 2011 the site optimized system settings and enabled equipment to enter low-energy modes when fresh air meets the required conditions. These efforts enabled the site to reduce electricity use by three percent and gas use by 17 percent in 2011, compared with 2010, and save nearly $220,000 per year. The facility also decreased its CO2e emissions during the year by 810 metric tons.

At several facilities, the company uses renewable energy to diversify its energy sources and decrease its greenhouse gas emissions. Cogeneration plants are currently in use at two Lilly sites with another one planned.

The company’s water intensity dropped just over one percent from 0.555 to 0.549 million liters per million dollars of revenue year-on-year, but its absolute water intake increased from 12.8 to 13.3 billion liters. The company had set a goal of a 25 percent reduction in its water intake by 2013 over 2007 levels. It surpassed this target in 2010.