fbpx

Cardinal’s Tony de Vos Praises Impact Unleashed Progress

Pet Age Staff//October 15, 2018//

Cardinal’s Tony de Vos Praises Impact Unleashed Progress

Pet Age Staff //October 15, 2018//

Listen to this article

Press Release Source: Cardinal Pet Care

With an impressive 55 percent higher attendance than last year’s inaugural event, the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s (PSC) 2nd Annual Impact Unleashed conference validated the pet product industry’s resounding endorsement of socially-minded and sustainability practices, said Tony de Vos, president of Cardinal Pet Care and a founding member of PSC. De Vos, whose company is a platinum sponsor of PSC, added that the industry has come a long way since he spoke at the first Impact Unleashed conference last year.

“We were struck not only by the substantial growth in attendance, but also by the innovation, drive and passion that industry members are bringing to their initiatives to become more purpose-driven and socially responsible companies,” said de Vos, who attended this year’s event with Cardinal Pet Care Marketing & Promotions Manager Kerissa Kelly-Slatten. “Much of this grows out of the natural connection that exists between being involved with pets and having a strong concern for people and the environment.”

PSC is an industry-wide organization dedicated to helping companies identify and implement socially and environmentally responsible practices that will also benefit their own organizations. Impact Unleashed, one of PSC’s main events, allows values-driven business leaders to get together in an intimate and relaxed setting to exchange ideas and advice.

In his speech at last year’s conference, de Vos noted that sustainability was not only a responsible choice for Cardinal, but one that will yield a positive financial impact for his company for years to come. He described how both the environment and Cardinal have benefited from a pioneering solar panel system that was installed on the roof of the company’s Azusa, California, manufacturing and warehouse facilities in 2009, enabling it to become “energy independent” and move off the power grid.

After seven years in operation, the system had resulted in a $220,288.60 savings in energy costs, not only paying for itself in that time, but generating a $10,432.60 surplus.  De Vos projected an additional energy cost savings of $566,456.40 over the next 15 years. Meanwhile, the solar panel system had produced 1.4 million kilowatts of power during the seven-year period, preventing 1.7 million pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the environment, according to de Vos.

This win-win outcome has encouraged Cardinal to take further steps in implementing sustainable and environmentally responsible practices, said de Vos.  This year, the company installed a similar solar panel roof on its Baldwin Park, California, distribution facility. Another step taken in 2018 was the addition of car chargers for electric and hybrid plug-in vehicles.

“The tremendous value of the Impact Unleashed conference is that it gives us, as industry members, an opportunity to share our successes and challenges and learn from one another,” de Vos said.  “Through the excellent presentations and workshops, we can hear innovative ideas from business leaders within and outside the pet industry, and we can network and collaborate.  This makes it easier to achieve our sustainability and purpose-driven goals as individual businesses and as an industry.”