The Hill’s Pet Nutrition Center (PNC) in Topeka, Kansas is one of Colgate-Palmolive's global technology centers. The site is dedicated to developing the science behind Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s Science Diet and Prescription Diet product lines, which delivers world-class nutrition for cats and dogs. Hill’s is dedicated to creating innovative products that benefit pets and the planet and is proud that the PNC recently achieved TRUE’s highest level of certification, “Platinum.”
The PNC began its TRUE sustainability journey in 2021 by creating the site’s zero waste team. To understand the project's scope, the team began with a site waste mapping exercise, identifying each waste stream, followed by a waste audit that quantified the amount of waste each stream represented. It was clear from the beginning that TRUE certifying the PNC would be a complex project in order to include the site’s manufacturing, warehousing, laboratories, offices, and housing for our pet partners.
After identifying and quantifying the waste streams, the focus transitioned to understanding what sustainable options existed for these unique waste streams. Salvage pet food and ingredients were the largest waste stream, and the PNC partnered with an out-of-state composting vendor to produce a soil enhancer for use in agriculture. Soon after, the PNC team started constructing an onsite facility to house aerobic digesters to convert the salvaged pet food and ingredients to compost. This reduced the volume of material that needed to be shipped out of state by nearly 50%, reducing the number of trucks required to ship the compost. In support of this sustainability effort and alignment with Hill’s / Colgate-Palmolive's sustainability and social impact strategy, this building was constructed as a “Net Zero” structure, with 100% of its energy provided by a solar field and heating and cooling provided by geothermal wells. With multiple departments and diverse waste streams, it was clear from the beginning that to achieve 90-plus percent diversion, education would become a key component to our success. Through general education, combined with department-specific training, the PNC diverted well above 90% of its waste for the project's first year.
Because the PNC is one of Colgate-Palmolive’s global technology centers, the site has focused on innovation and how it can be utilized outside of the PNC. Beyond nutritional technologies, the center has the unique opportunity to impact sustainability beyond the facility. Technologies developed at the PNC are incorporated into manufacturing facilities across Hill’s Pet Nutrition network and other Colgate-Palmolive Global Technology Centers, which increases the impact of the work completed at the PNC. For example, the development and implementation of the use of sustainable proteins in pet foods affects Hill’s carbon footprint globally.
“We are proud of the progress and innovation the Pet Nutrition Center has delivered in the area of sustainability, not just internally, but through our products being sold around the world.” says Nick Rozzi, Hill’s VP Product Development, “I believe the Platinum TRUE certification for the PNC represents the strength and desire of the whole team to deliver a better future for people, pets and the planet.”
Learn more about Colgate's sustainability efforts.