DaVita Reduces Water Use 14%, Smashes Target

DaVita

by | Dec 26, 2013

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DaVitaDialysis provider DaVita, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners, says it has reduced its water usage by 14 percent per treatment against a 2010 baseline, saving 400 million gallons of water per year due to operational changes and beating its target to reduce water consumption 10 percent per treatment by 2015.

The company has announced progress toward this and other environmental goals for its US operations the company set last year. DaVita aims to achieve each goal by the end of 2015. Each target is set against a 2010 baseline.

One previously announced goal is to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent per treatment. To date, DaVita says it has reduced energy consumption by 9 percent per treatment since 2010. To achieve this reduction, DaVita says it ensures equipment is running at its full efficiency, operates 11 centers in the Northeast that use energy management systems to reduce energy consumption, and has piloted a water microturbine to generate energy at locations in California.

To achieve its goal to reduce office paper consumption by 20 percent, the company has transitioned from paper to electronic policy and procedures documents and implemented print-to-PDF capabilities. DaVita has new programs in place for 2014, such as piloting managed print systems, to place a larger focus on driving down overall paper use in 2014. The company doesn’t say how close it is toward achieving its 20-percent reduction goal.

DaVita has also set a goal to increase employee awareness/education by implementing one new sustainability program a year. On average, the company has developed three new education programs per year for its employees since developing these environmental goals. Programs include cell phone and toner recycling and empowering 800 “green champions” at DaVita centers and business offices across the country to ensure a clinic-level focus on sustainability.

The company’s final environmental goal is to increase environmentally preferable procurement by 10 percent. To date, DaVita has increased its environmentally preferable procurement by 7 percent by forming partnerships with vendors and selecting environmentally friendly products when available.

In 2011, DaVita and a subsidiary of recycling and refuse collection company Waste Management announced a pilot project to recycle 350,000 pounds of waste from kidney dialysis.

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