RALEIGH – In recognition of the company’s commitment to superior environmental performance and continuous improvement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) today named Novozymes North America Inc. as the state’s first Environmental Steward.

DENR’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative, a new voluntary program designed to promote and encourage superior environmental performance, establishes incentives to stimulate business, industry, government agencies and nonprofits to develop and implement programs that use pollution prevention and other innovative approaches to meet and exceed their regulatory requirements. This program seeks to reduce the impact on the environment beyond measures required by any permit or rule, producing a better environment and a stronger economy and conserving natural resources. 

“Novozymes was chosen as our first Environmental Steward because of its strong past performance in setting and achieving environmental performance improvements, its attention to potential environmental impacts when establishing business goals, and its proactive communication of environmental goals and impacts to its employees and the public," said DENR Secretary William G. Ross Jr.

As an Environmental Steward, Novozymes is recognized as an organization that displays a commitment to exemplary environmental performance beyond what is required by law. Stewards are required to set aggressive environmental performance goals that include pollution prevention, a commitment to exceed compliance, and annual improvements to performance. Stewards must also report annually on progress towards the organization’s environmental performance goals, net reductions of releases, emissions and disposal, net reductions in the use of energy and water, and any reportable non-compliance events.

"Novozymes serves as an example to companies across our state that profitability and environmental responsibility need not be mutually exclusive,” said Secretary Jim Fain of the Department of Commerce. “The company's record can work to inspire other industries to help us maintain the quality of life that has always been a fundamental part of economic development and prosperity in North Carolina."

A 10-member advisory workgroup appointed by Ross provides program direction and implementation, and recommended that Novozymes be selected as an Environmental Steward. Advisory workgroup membership consists of individuals from manufacturers, industries, industry trade groups, environmental and citizen nongovernmental organizations, and small business. 

Reasons cited by the advisory workgroup in its selection of Novozymes include:

• The company’s inclusion of environmental requirements in employee job descriptions and recognition of employees for reaching environmental goals;
• Novozymes’ extensive integration of its environmental management system and environmental performance goals into its business operations;
• Its practice of tracking environmental and social measurements and improvement goals and communicating these with the public; and
• Actively including requirements for its suppliers in its environmental management system.

“We continuously strive to minimize resource consumption and environmental impacts related to our production by using best available technology, optimizing our processes, developing recycling schemes for waste materials and by disposing of emissions and waste in an environmentally sound manner in accordance with regulations and local requirements,” said Lee Yarbrough, president of Novozymes North America Inc. “We are committed to the ‘Triple-Bottom-Line’ concept of environmental, social and financial responsibility and we solicit the active involvement of all employees in meeting this commitment.”

Twenty-five companies were selected to become “Environmental Partners” – a level designed for adoption by a broad range of organizations that are interested in beginning the process of developing a systematic approach to improving their environmental performance. Partners must set environmental performance goals that include pollution prevention and are appropriate to the nature, scale and environmental impact of the organization. For a full list of companies committing to improved environmental stewardship through this program, please visit http://www.p2pays.org/esi/partner.htm.

For more detailed information or to apply for the program, please visit the Environmental Stewardship Initiative Web site or contact Beth Graves of the Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance at (919) 715-6506. 

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About Novozymes North America Inc.

Novozymes, the world-leading producer of enzymes, is a biotechnology-based company with headquarters in Denmark. Novozymes’ Franklinton site employs approximately 375 staff, and serves as the company's North American headquarters. Novozymes has activities in more than 20 countries and sells its enzymes in more than 130 countries, with enzyme production facilities in Denmark, Switzerland, Brazil, China and the United States. The plant produces liquid and granulated enzymes, primarily for the North American market. Markets include the detergent, corn sweetener, fuel alcohol and food processing industries, among others. Novozymes received registration to ISO 14001 on May 15, 2000. 

Novozymes continues to lead the Healthcare market sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, won the 2000 North American Maintenance Excellence Award requiring both good preventive maintenance and repair activities, and won the 2001 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for the BioPreparation™ of cotton textiles which replaces harsh scouring chemicals used in the textile industry. Novozymes is a participant in EPA’s National Performance Track program, which recognizes facilities with environmental management systems and who are going beyond regulatory compliance requirements to further improve environmental performance. Novozymes pledges its commitment to sustainable development as an integral part of business management.

About the Environmental Stewardship Initiative

The Environmental Stewardship Initiative in DENR is designed to promote and encourage superior environmental performance by North Carolina’s regulated community. This voluntary program establishes incentives to stimulate the development and implementation of programs that use pollution prevention and innovative approaches to meet and exceed regulatory requirements. This program seeks to reduce the impact on the environment beyond measures required by any permit or rule, producing a better environment, conserving natural resources and resulting in long-term economic benefits.

The “Environmental Steward” level is for those organizations that already display a commitment to exemplary environmental performance beyond what is required by law. Stewards will be required to set aggressive environmental performance goals that include pollution prevention, a commitment to exceed compliance, and annual improvements to performance. These goals should result in reductions of an organization’s environmental impact consistent with sustainability principles. The Steward level is the highest level of recognition and is reserved for those organizations who have demonstrated and pledge a continuing commitment to achieve high environmental performance.

Organizations selected as Stewards undergo a rigorous review by DENR staff, followed by a rigorous review by members of the Advisory Workgroup (below), which forwards its recommendations to DENR’s Secretary. 

Advisory Workgroup Members

Carolyn Anderson         Progress Energy 
Dr. Richard Andrews    UNC-Chapel Hill 
Alan Briggs                    Save Our State 
Jimmy Carter (chair)     DENR 
Preston Howard Jr.       Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council 
Matt Jordan                    City of Gastonia 
Maj. Gen. David Mize    MCB Camp Lejeune 
Jane Preyer                    Environmental Defense 
Larry Spence                  Ready Mixed Concrete 
Steve Wall                       Conservation Council of N.C.