Geothermal project highlights Nature’s Way’s sustainability commitments

This $12+ million-dollar investment will reduce the company’s carbon emissions by approximately 20%, Nate Sengstock, senior project manager at Nature’s Way, told NutraIngredients during a recent visit to the company’s Green Bay facilities.

“Nature’s Way really believes in the power of nature,” he said. “It’s part of our slogan and our motto internally. So, we do things to support people in their healthy lives, and we also want to do things that support nature itself so that we can continue providing quality supplements for generations to come.

“Some of our infrastructure was due to be replaced, specifically, some air handling units, some chillers and things like that, and in our research for options and what we can do to replace that, the geothermal option was presented, and we really thought that was a good path to move forward with, just because it is a sustainability initiative. It allows us to reduce some of our utility bills, ultimately, but it’s also just the right thing to do for nature as well.”

Drilling of the 280 wells began at the start of July and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2026.

How it works

Each well is 500 feet deep, a depth at which the temperature is a stable 50 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, Sengstock explained. Water is run through the system, regulating the system at 50 degrees. This is then passed inside the building to a new mechanical room that houses some heat transfer technology, which allows the company to run its HVAC systems.

In total, the new system will eliminate the need for five chillers and six boilers.

Sengstock added that Nature’s Way parent company— Germany-based Schwabe Group—is very focused on sustainability.

“[Some] of the greatest champions of this project were our German colleagues, so they’re definitely interested in pushing sustainability and moving us forward down this path,” he said.