Aloe Vera of America, Inc. the Dallas-based manufacturer and distributor of Forever Living’s aloe vera-based products to over 160 countries, recently received two awards, the Blue Thumb Award and the Pollution Prevention Award, for its continued commitment to environmental health.
Issued by the City of Dallas, both awards are based on Aloe Vera of America’s annual compliance performance and best management practices for natural resource conservation. This is Aloe Vera of America’s seventh year to win both a Blue Thumb Award and a Pollution Prevention Award.
The Blue Thumb Award is a prestigious honor given to organizations that meet all local and federal pretreatment requirements for reporting, monitoring and manufacturing of wastewater. It is based on regulatory compliance for all permit limits when the City of Dallas performs its testing on wastewater discharge quality. To achieve this discharge quality, Aloe Vera of America treats its facility’s production water discharge — eliminating any possible pollutants through chemical processes — before it is sent back out to the City of Dallas wastewater system.
Aloe Vera of America’s facility has three wastewater sampling points from which samples are taken, unannounced, twice per month. To qualify for the Blue Thumb Award, Aloe Vera of America had to achieve 24 perfect water sampling results during one calendar year and pass two yearly inspections with perfect scores. To date, Aloe Vera of America has achieved 168 consecutive perfect wastewater sampling results and 14 perfect inspections.
“Our main goal is to ensure that all Forever Businesses comply with all federal, state and city environmental and occupational safety regulations, standards, and mandates,” says Rafael Hernandez, Forever Living’s Corporate Director of Environmental & Occupational Safety and Health. “We are constantly looking for and implementing initiatives to minimize the environmental impact of our manufacturing operations. From the aloe farms in the Dominican Republic and Mission, Texas, to our manufacturing facilities in Texas, Arizona and Florida.”
The Pollution Prevention Award, also known as the P2 Award, is based on best practices for pollution prevention. It is given to companies showcasing commitment to reducing or eliminating pollutants through increased efficiency of raw materials, energy, water or other resources — or protection of natural resources by conservation.
Aloe Vera of America most recently received this award for its focus on water conservation efforts during the cleaning process of manufacturing equipment. From January 2021 to September 2021, Aloe Vera of America conserved 353,400 gallons of water.
“We are currently focusing on enhancing our energy and water conservation programs in order to continue our environmental, health and water commitment,” Hernandez says of Aloe Vera of America’s continued efforts.
As part of this ongoing commitment, Aloe Vera of America has also implemented a waste recycling program to lower its use of plastics and recycle waste in a responsible way. Additionally, Aloe Vera of America is certified in ISO environmental and safety standards, and in 2022, will start the process to achieve ISO certifications in water and energy conservation.
