At VeriForm Inc. we care deeply about the environment, energy conservation & waste reduction. In fact, between 2006 and 2008 we invested $46,186 in over 42 individual energy-saving projects and the result has been astounding: Our annual operating costs, specifically our energy costs, have been reduced by $89,152. Factoring in energy price increases, we expect to save over $1.42 million dollars over the next 10 years. In addition, we have reduced our company’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 202 tonnes per year (as of December 2017). That is equivalent to more than 10,000 trees absorbing carbon dioxide annually.
Since 2006 we have more than tripled our sales per kWh which means we have reduced our energy costs by over 70%! We used to sell $6.12 of product for every kilowatt-hour of electricity. Today in 2019, we sell over $19.55 per kilowatt-hour. To read more visit our Energy Conservation & Waste Reduction page
On December 15th, 2018, Your Morning Live broadcasted on CTV brought on guests Mathew Hoffman, a Professor from the University of Toronto and Executive Director Priyanka Lloyd of Green Economy Canada. The topic of discussion was How to go green without hurting the economy and VeriForm was the main example brought up by Priyanka Lloyd. Ms. Lloyd discusses how VeriForm began their Journey in 2006 by investing about 46 thousand dollars into energy efficiency measures, and over the last 12 years have seen over 2 million dollars in savings with cutting their Carbon footprint by 77%.
VeriForm president Paul Rak, right, shows some of the energy-saving initiatives his company has implemented during a tour Wednesday for Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and MPs Marwan Tabbara, Raj Saini and Bryan May. – Brent Davis, Waterloo Region Record
CAMBRIDGE — Hours after expressing disappointment in the new Ontario government’s approach to climate change, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna visited a Cambridge firm that “gets it.”
Metal fabricating firm VeriForm has undertaken more than 100 projects in the last 12 years to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. President Paul Rak said his company has reduced emissions by more than 77 percent — even while more than doubling its physical footprint and adding 25 percent more staff. VeriForm employs about 25 people.
What’s more, the company’s ratio of sales per kilowatt-hour of energy used has jumped from $6.12 per kWh to $19.55 per kWh, and Rak estimates they’ve saved more than $2 million. “That’s money in our competitive pocket.”
And the individual changes don’t have to be complex. At VeriForm, they’ve changed lights, stopped using paper towels, and placed timers and limit switches on equipment throughout the Lindsay Road facility.
Rak said the measures began in 2006 after his daughter was born. Around the same time, he watched the climate documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and bought a Prius. “I started a few projects altruistically, never meaning to save money,” he said.
“They’re taking very practical measures,” McKenna said after a tour Wednesday. “You can go and do right by the planet, and also do right by the bottom line … It’s a great example of a Canadian company that really gets it, that really gets that the economy and the environment go together.”
McKenna, who remains minister of environment and climate change following Wednesday’s cabinet shuffle, said she tried to explain that sort of business case in a morning meeting with her provincial counterpart Rod Phillips. Ontario is ending its cap and trade system for reducing emissions and has scrapped hundreds of green energy contracts.
In a subsequent statement, McKenna said she was “disappointed to see the new government in Ontario has no plan to help families, schools and businesses reduce emissions, save money and create good jobs. Climate change doesn’t stop with a change in government.”
For his part, Phillips tweeted that he made it clear to McKenna that his government “will never accept the Trudeau carbon tax.”
In Cambridge, McKenna said businesses like VeriForm have proven that environmentally-friendly initiatives make economic sense. “You can do this and there would be a business case here even if you really didn’t care about climate change,” she said. “It’s actually a small-c conservative ideal.”
A huge thank you goes out to you, our customers and vendors, for making our story possible. You’ve made it possible for VeriForm to commit to innovation, growth and sustainable business philosophies, which has lead us to this remarkable milestone…..20 years of being in business, from 1997 to 2017!
At VeriForm, we’ve survived roadblocks and recessions. But what’s allowed us to keep the business resilient is our commitment to 3 core principles while working with you:
Community
We believe in supporting our local community so that the impact lasts long past our company’s existence. Our partnership with the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and many other non-profit organizations like the Food Bank and Meals on Wheels keeps us linked to our neighbours. In fact we strongly believe that a business must have heart that goes beyond just “making a profit.”
Sustainability
At VeriForm, we take our environmental footprint seriously. VeriForm is among global leaders like Google, Nike and HSBSC that have committed to making their entire operations carbon neutral.
We are in fact the first manufacturer in the Waterloo region to deliver on this promise by cutting our annual CO2 emissions from 242 tonnes to under 61 tonnes. That is a 75% reduction all while expanding our business space by 146%, which makes it all the more incredible that our staff achieved this reduction. And since 2015 we have purchased carbon offsets from Canadian sources to make us carbon neutral!
Education
We are committed to empowering our employees and local community through the power of education. We see it as the greatest opportunity to bring value to society and influence the future, for the better. Not only do we pay for our staff to take classes after work that do not need to be work related, we also support the non-profit Suzuki String School of Guelph through volunteering and generous financial support, since 2011, to enable children for financially strapped families to attend weekly classes.
VeriForm’s vision for the future is deeply rooted in our 3 pillars of focus. We believe that investing in our customers, employees and local community will in time help to build a better, more successful world for future generations. The future starts now, at VeriForm.
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At VeriForm Inc. we care deeply about the environment, energy conservation & waste reduction. In fact, between 2006 and 2008 we invested $46,186 in over 42 individual energy-saving projects and the result has been astounding: Our annual operating costs, specifically our energy costs, have been reduced by $89,152. Factoring in energy price increases, we expect to save over $1.42 million dollars over the next 10 years. In addition, we have reduced our company’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 202 tonnes per year (as of December 2017). That is equivalent to more than 10,000 trees absorbing carbon dioxide annually.
