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Gone Green
Winners of DWM’s First Annual Green Awards
While all industries talk about going green
many of the winners of DWM’s First Annual Green Awards seem to have arrived
at their green destination. Yes, environmental sustainability is a journey
and, while these companies have made huge strides, all are committed to
further educing their company’s impact on the environment. Whether it’s
through how the product is manufactured or perhaps it’s through a huge
commitment to recycling, reducing scrap, and reducing energy usage in
the plant, these companies definitely are making an impact.
The competition began with a list of nominees in a variety of categories,
which appeared in the July-August issue. A brief explanation of some of
the things that make that company worthy The competition began with a
list of nominees in a variety of categories, which appeared in the July-August
issue. A brief explanation of some of the things that make that company
worthy of a green nomination were included.
DWM readers then voted via our website. The results are based entirely
on reader votes. Companies were limited to one vote per company.
Two of our winners, Marvin, winner in the large manufacturer category,
and ComfortLine, winner in the mid-sized manufacturer category, did not
provide the information needed to include them in this article so their
entries do not appear in these pages.
If your company wasn’t nominated this year but you believe it should be
considered next year, e-mail ttaffera@glass.com.
If your company is considering the green journey, is halfway there, or
doesn’t know where to start, read the information here as the winners
provide valuable ideas that your company may be able to adapt.
Category: Small
to Mid-Sized
Winner: Northeast Building Products Inc.
In one sentence describe what green really means to your company.
Actively identifying, developing, implementing and sustaining green manufacturing
principles and techniques that have put us in the leadership roll for
the conservation of our natural resources.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
• The innovative Sashlite technology (see page 26) used to manufacture
our windows contributes to the environment by reducing energy consumption
at the consumer level. Because the vinyl spacer is integrated directly
into the sash profile, windows made with Sashlite technology provide the
best warm-edge ratings. As a result, homeowners can lower their energy
consumption during both winter and summer, thus contributing directly
to the environment by reducing household based carbon emissions;
• Energy reduction project helped identify facility lighting not needed
to manufacture during off hours. This project cut lighting usage in one
building by more than 50 percent;
• We recycle packaging materials from our vinyl manufacturer by returning
it on back hauls;
• All non-contaminated glass, aluminum, vinyl and cardboard are recycled;
and
• We currently are working on reducing the total number of work center
computers on the manufacturing floor. By centralizing the CPUs and utilizing
a virtualization program to communicate with the work centers, the need
for independent computer systems will be eliminated. This will result
in a 75 percent reduction in the number of CPUs on the shop floor. We
currently have four in testing.
What’s the biggest green initiative
you’ve undertaken?
Our largest consumable is vinyl materials. We use millions of pounds per
year of vinyl and we have worked with our recycling vendor and engineers
to reclaim and/or recycle 99 percent of the avoidable and planned scrap.
Other efforts to help eliminate avoidable scrap are underway.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
Our commitment to the green movement has allowed us to market ourselves
to like-minded dealers, who then are able to sell on the green philosophy
in home. We have benefited greatly by increased sales.
Has your commitment to green principles
helped you gain customers?
Yes, we have signed new dealers and we know that part of our sales pitch
is our commitment to being green.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
We believe our employees hold the key to new and innovative ways to have
a positive impact on our natural resources.
We will encourage this resource, our greatest, so that we may continue
our efforts in becoming a leader in green manufacturing.
We also will place a continued focus on reducing non-conformance due to
rework. Current project to engineer weld fixtures for better repeatability.
All company weld fixtures will be replaced.
Additionally, we currently are working on an argon centralization program.
Our current methods for filling our energy-efficient products with argon
have a 15 percent loss factor due to the argon delivery system to our
argon stations. We are in the process of converting all stations to a
delivery system with 1 to 2 percent loss.
Category: Door Manufacturer
Winner: Therma-Tru
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
Therma-Tru is committed to providing energy-efficient products, as well
as manufacturing processes and corporate policies that reflect responsible
environmental and community consciousness.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
We take measures at all of our facilities to ensure our associates and
processes recycle waste products. The company works with several waste
management organizations to recycle products such as paper, plastic, cardboard,
steel, propane canisters, wood, cut-outs and scrap doors. Almost 100 percent
of the steel scrap from our manufacturing facilities goes to recycling
centers.
In addition, we qualify recycled products for our composite wood end rails
and sill substrates (materials in the bottom and top of the door) including
recycled wood chips, diapers and plastic bottles. We’re always looking
for new ways to recycle waste products to help reduce landfill waste.
We have plans for each of our facilities for continuous improvement in
this area. For example, we reduced landfill waste by 28 percent in our
Butler, Ind., facility over the past two years. The wood products used
in our door systems such as the doorframe components come from managed
forests. We partner with wood suppliers pliers that utilize various certification
standards including SFI6, CERTFOR Sustainable Forest Management Standard,
and the State of Oregon’s Forest Practice Act, to ensure that the wood
products it uses come from managed forests.
What’s the biggest green initiative you’ve undertaken?
We are committed to the responsible use of natural resources in creating
high-performance entry and patio door systems. Our fiberglass entry door
systems are Energy Star®-compliant and NFRC3 Certified helping homeowners
save money on energy costs and protect the environment through superior
energy efficiency. In fact, the average R-value (measure of thermal resistance)
of one of our fiberglass doors is almost as insulating as the wall of
an average home. In creating energy-efficient products, we are able to
qualify for programs such as Energy Star or more recently, the federal
tax credit. We are proud of our products and the benefits they provide
to the environment.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
We value our energy-efficient products and we want to spread that same
message to our workplace environment, too. To support these efforts, we
created a group called Greenie Groupies. This group consists of individuals
who have a passion for the environment and want to instill change in both
the office and their homes. As part of this group, we have organized recycling
efforts that have had some great results. In fact, in 2008, our efforts
resulted in more than eight tons of recycled paper. This amount is equivalent
to saving 145 trees, 60,000 gallons of water and about 35,000 kilowatts
of
electricity.
In addition, as a result of our recycling efforts at our Butler, Ind.,
and Roland, Okla., facilities, we saved roughly $990,000 in 2008.
Has your commitment to green principles helped you gain customers?
Research points consistently to energy efficiency as an attribute that
is no longer a perk to products, but rather a necessity. Because we have
been talking green since 1983, when we introduced the first fiberglass
door, we have been fulfilling this need for homeowners for more than 25
years.
What’s coming next in terms of green
for your company?
Since our founding in 1962, we have a proud heritage of philanthropy and
a culture of environmental responsibility. Through our dedication to continuous
improvement, we are always looking for processes and materials that limit
the impact on our environment. We also continue to look for ways to educate
homeowners on the advantages of fiberglass doors.
Category: Glass Supplier
Winner: PPG Industries
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
At PPG, green means more than just sustainable building products. Here,
being green is a comprehensive corporate strategy that encompasses efficient
manufacturing processes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, responsible
water and raw materials resource management, and the pursuit of open,
transparent business policies that are articulated both on our corporate
website as well as in our corporate sustainability report.
Please list some of the things your
company does to be green/environmentally responsible.
Last year, we became the first company in the world to achieve Cradle-to-Cradle
Certification for all of our architectural glass products. This is the
product of a comprehensive and on-going audit process that includes product
claims, ingredients, water stewardship, energy consumption and social
responsibility.
PPG also has implemented a number of initiatives that help reduce the
environmental footprint of its glass business. Besides the use of oxy-fuel
technology, we promote environmentally responsible manufacturing by recovering
and reusing virtually all of our glass manufacturing byproducts and by
shipping its materials on reusable steel racks. PPG supports regional
sourcing through its nationwide network of certified glass fabricators
and laminators. And we develop advanced glass products that enhance the
concentration and collection of solar power.
What’s the biggest initiative you’ve
undertaken?
As part of its overall corporate environmental strategy, we have committed
to reducing its total energy intensity by 25 percent between 2006 and
2016, and its total global greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent over
the same time period. This is a major company-wide undertaking that involves
more than 140 plants and 40,000 employees in 60 countries.
As a result of efforts related to this goal, PPG was recognized last year
by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as a top S&P 500 company for
corporate transparency and carbon emissions management, as well as the
number-one company in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector in the
CDP’s 2008 Leadership Index.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
Virtually all of the green initiatives we have undertaken have generated
production cost or energy savings in one form or another. This is particularly
true of the oxy-fuel technology, which reduces the amount of energy we
use to make glass.
Has your commitment to green principles
helped you gain customers?
In 2008, our overall sales from “green” products—products that PPG believes
have energy or environmental attributes—were approximately $3.8 billion,
up 24 percent in the past two years.
What’s coming next in terms of green
for your company? What other things do you want to accomplish?
We aggressively pursue research and development in three major glass technologies
that will have a profound impact of making our planet more sustainable.
The first is spectrally selective glazings, such as our industry-leading
line of Solarban solar control low-E glass, which transmits high levels
of natural daylight while minimizing solar heat gain. The products help
save energy use in homes and buildings by lowering reliance on artificial
lighting and cutting energy demand for air-conditioning and temperature
control.
We’re also looking at ways to make electrochromic or switchable glazings
more commercially viable. These products also have the potential to cut
energy use in homes and buildings by controlling the amount of heat and
light that pass through them.
Photovoltaic glass, solar mirrors and building-integrated photovoltaic
glasses are the third major area of concentration.
Category: Extrusion
Supplier
Winner: Chelsea Building Products Inc. (CBP)
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
To develop products using less energy that have a reduced impact on the
environment to produce, while saving consumers money and making their
environment more comfortable.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
Re-process post-industrial scrap, recycle water used in the production
process, develop composite reinforcements, manufacture energy initiative
(new windows in plant, reconfigure the plants power distribution grid,
energy saving lighting), recycle paper, and develop products that are
energy saving, virtually maintenance-free and have long life cycles.
What’s the biggest green initiative
you’ve undertaken?
Assisting our customers in meeting the .30/.30 performance requirements
for the energy tax credits with innovative window designs and components
such as the composite reinforcement. The reinforcement has a 10 percent
improved thermal performance over metal. Less energy to produce, post-industrial
materials and better thermal performance equate to a product that has
a lower end use cost and increases the thermal per performance of the
window unit.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
CBP has been involved in a paper-recycling program. In the past year,
this program will keep more than seven tons of paper waste out of local
landfills. We participate in PVC scrap recycling programs with our customers.
We’ve started an e-letter program, reducing the use of paper and printing
supplies. We also find other uses for post-industrial scrap—keeping material
out of landfills, developing new tooling technology that runs more efficiently—producing
a higher quality product while consuming less energy.
Has your commitment to green principles
helped you gain customers?
Yes. Customers see the opportunities with CBP’s product designs and the
advantages this will give them in the market place. Higher performing
products, both structural and thermal, create a competitive advantage.
The composite reinforcement has allowed us to secure customers we hadn’t
previously served.
What’s coming next in terms of green
for your company?
Continued removal of waste from the production stream, continued reduction
of the carbon footprint of the company and reduction of PVC scrap from
various sources going into landfills, development of innovative, energy-saving
products and a look for alternative material and designs for building
products.
Category: Spacer Supplier
In the spacer category, the results were so
close that our editors deemed it necessary to report on the top three
winners (actually four, since two were tied for third).
First-Place Winner: Sashlite LLC
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
Green is a mindset that we must not only follow, but share with others
in order to promote an environmentally and socially conscious workplace,
community and lifestyle.
Please list some of the things your company
does to be green/environmentally responsible.
Our greatest contribution to the green movement is in providing our fabricators
and their customers the ability to be eco-responsible in their window
choices. Specifically, we achieve eco-responsibility in the following
ways:
• Natural resource conservation: Because Sashlite is an integrated spacer
that is extruded as part of the sash profile, there are no additional
raw material requirements. Other spacer technologies may, however, include
a metal component, which is significantly more resource intensive.
• Fossil fuels conservation: Vinyl window manufacturers typically require
that the vinyl lineals be transported to their facilities. Because our
technology is extruded as part of the window sash, this is the only transportation
step that Sashlite requires prior to window fabrication. All other spacer
technologies require additional transportation, as the spacer producers
ship the spacers to either the window manufacturer or to an IG fabricator.
This additional transportation adds significantly to the energy and resources
expended when conventional spacer windows are fabricated.
• Manufacturing resources conservation: Conventional spacer window manufacturing
requires three key production steps: spacer production, insulating glass
unit production, and back-bedding. Our technology eliminates the first
step and combines the last two. The result is a savings in associated
energy, transportation, materials, labor and general resource requirements,
which, when viewed collectively, amount to a large expenditure of natural
resources.
• Household energy conservation: Because our technology integrates the
spacer directly into the sash profile, the windows have superior warm-edge
capabilities and higher performance levels, especially when compared to
spacers with metal designs. The result is that homeowners can lower their
energy consumption during both winter and summer use, thus contributing
directly to the environment by reducing household energy-related carbon
dioxide emissions, which account for approximately 20 percent of U.S.
total emissions.
What’s the biggest green initiative
you’ve undertaken?
Our biggest green initiative has been the development of the technology
itself.
From a research perspective, a green initiative we’re currently undertaking
is the development of a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of vinyl
windows incorporating various spacer systems including Sashlite. The goal
of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages
assignable to products and services to be able to choose the least burdensome
one. The term “life cycle”refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment
requires the assessment of raw material production, manufacture, distribution,
use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary
or caused by the product’s existence. The sum of all those steps—or phases—is
the life cycle of the product.
The categories of environmental impacts we currently are assessing include:
global warming (greenhouse gases), acidification, smog, ozone layer depletion,
eutrophication, eco-toxicological and human-toxicological pollutants,
habitat destruction, desertification, land use as well as depletion of
minerals and fossil fuels.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
Our green principles are most effective at helping our customers save
money. For example, one customer, Northeast Building Products (see page
22) has been able to significantly reduce their energy, materials, space,
and labor requirements during the production phase, thus not only helping
them to save money, but to also reduce their impact on environment.
Has your commitment to green principles helped you gain
customers?
As the green movement grows, we believe that our technology will be the
premier choice for fabricators looking to offer a truly green window product.
We thus believe that the future holds a lot of promise for Sashlite, its
customers and the environment as a whole.
In October of 2009 at the GlassBuild show, Bystonic Glass introduced its
Sashline, a manufacturing system for the manufacture of windows using
the Sashlite technology. This Sashline will help manufacturers reduce
their energy, materials, space and labor requirements to an even a greater
level, thus making the Sashline the most eco-efficient window manufacturing
system ever developed.
Second-Place Winner: Truseal Technologies
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
Truseal has a steadfast commitment to reducing energy consumption and
protecting the environment from harmful CO2 emissions through energy-efficient
products and technologies.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
• We produce the most energy-efficient warm-edge spacer system on the
market, offering the lowest U-value compared with other spacer systems.
This enables window producers to offer the most efficient windows to consumers,
who, in turn, maximize their energy savings while reducing harmful CO2
emissions;
• Our booth for the GlassBuild America shows in 2008 and 2009 was constructed
using environmentally friendly materials, such as carpet made from post-consumer
products and display panels and countertops made from bamboo, which is
a grass product with a short growth cycle that regenerates faster than
timber;
• We work with our customers to improve the efficiency of their IGU manufacturing
operations. By eliminating bottlenecks and other inefficiencies, these
customers are able to optimize IGU production while reducing scrap and
waste and realizing savings on electricity, fuel and water;
• We educate the marketplace about energy efficiency through involvement
in industry associations, presentations at industry conferences and other
activities; and
• We take part in a variety of recycling initiatives, including recycling
batteries of all kinds, metals from maintenance projects, waste oils and
lubricants from machinery, scrap aluminum from extrusion processes, multi-use
reels, fluorescent and high-intensity lamps, paper and cardboard. In addition,
the company has very low VOC emissions of only about one-half ton per
month.
What’s the biggest green initiative you’ve undertaken?
To date, our biggest green initiative is our Envirosealed Windows program,
which was one of the first residential marketing campaigns to address
environmental and energy-saving concerns with customers. Participants
in the Envirosealed Windows program not only get the performance advantage
of producing a highly energy-efficient window, but also marketing tools
to build their own sales campaign. Homeowners are becoming more aware
of the relationship between saving energy, and its effect on heating and
cooling costs, as well as the environment. The Envirosealed Windows program
includes marketing tools that communicate this relationship to help Truseal’s
customers sell more effectively.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
Investing in green principles has not only helped us survive in a down
economy, but it also has helped our customers. While window sales have
been down across the board in recent months, our Envirosealed Window producers
have experienced a much lower drop in sales compared to other company
customers. These results reveal how important it is to offer green products
to consumers and how producers can leverage a solid green marketing campaign
to generate sales.
Has your commitment to green principles
helped you gain customers?
The marketplace is committed to enhancing the energy efficiency of windows.
As a result, we have added nearly 120 customers to our Envirosealed Windows
program in just two years. Some of those companies were transfers from
competitors. With initiatives like the new Energy Star® requirements
and the .30/.30 tax credits driving up demand for better windows, we anticipate
even more interest in the Envirosealed Windows program in the near future.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
At GlassBuild America 2009 Truseal launched Envirosealed Windows Advantage,
an extension to its Envirosealed Windows program. This program makes it
very easy for producers to generate highly efficient windows without worrying
about meeting certification requirements. Envirosealed Windows Advantage
is supported with a high-level marketing
program.
Third Place Winner:
Edgetech I.G. Inc.
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
Edgetech I.G., with the full support of parent company Lauren International,
is committed to conducting business in an environmentally responsible
and proactive manner to meet or exceed the expectations of our customers,
our stakeholders, our industry and global governing bodies.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
Our dedication to the environment is evident at all levels of our business.
We fully support and encourage our employees to dedicate their time for
environmental causes inside and outside of the workplace.
Our overall mission is to be good stewards of the environment for the
purpose of preserving and respecting the natural beauty and resources
of our Earth for future generations.
To fulfill this mission we do some of the following:
• Develop and distribute products that promote sustainability through
durability and quality;
• Educate our employees, our industry, our stakeholders and global governing
bodies on the importance of environmental responsibility and sustainable
building practices;
• Comply with all applicable environmental laws in every country in which
we operate;
• Reduce our energy consumption by using energy-efficient light bulbs
in our facilities, turning off lights and electronics when not in use,
and implementing lean manufacturing practices where the least amount of
energy is used;
• Reduce waste by continually auditing our processes and making necessary
changes to ensure our environmental impact is minimized;
• Promote recycling by providing bins at the desk of every employee, on
the shop floor and in every break room;
• Use digital media whenever possible for marketing and communication;
• Print our marketing materials on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified
paper using waterless ink technology whenever feasible;
• Be involved with environmental organizations and attend trade shows
to further our education on environmental responsibility; and
• Seek new ways to help us achieve our environmental mission.
What’s the biggest green initiative you’ve undertaken?
For the second year in a row, we hosted Edgetech University (ETU) at a
number of North American trade shows, and focused on educating customers
about upcoming Energy Star® changes, IG certification and best practices
for meeting the Stimulus Bill’s .30/.30 requirements. We have also sponsored
an Energy Efficiency Town Hall Forum at GlassBuild. This forum brought
together industry experts to examine trends affecting the industry, including
existing rules, changes and future growth opportunities. With so much
happening in the industry right now, it’s all about being educated and
seizing opportunities whenever possible. ETU and the Energy Efficiency
Seminar featured several third-party industry experts who answered questions
and helped attendees stay on the leading edge of the industry.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
In recent years, we have gained considerable market share internationally
through our commitment to educating regulators, window manufacturers and
homeowners worldwide on the energy-saving benefits of warm-edge technology.
To establish its worldwide presence, the company opened Edgetech UK in
Coventry, England, and Edgetech Europe GmbH in Neuss, Germany. After nearly
300 percent sales growth in the United Kingdom between 2003 and 2006,
Edgetech opened its first international manufacturing facility in Coventry,
England, in July 2007. The $4.4 million investment resulted in a world-class
facility to further facilitate the growth of warm-edge technology in Europe.
Has your commitment to green principles helped you gain customers?
Edgetech customers continue to be one step ahead of government stimulus
plans, Energy Star changes and IG Certification requirements because dual-seal
Super Spacer® products provide the lowest U-factor (or U-value) when
compared to competitive dual-seal spacer systems.
We have completed Green Initiatives dossiers for numerous customers that
are implementing green programs and qualifying their window systems as
green. Edgetech also has submitted these Green Initiatives dossiers to
participate in door and window agencies globally.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
We have always maintained a focus on making continuous improvements that
benefit our customers, the environment and our overall efficiencies. Our
goal is to stay on the leading edge of innovation to reduce waste in our
manufacturing process further, reduce energy usage at our facilities worldwide
and to continue developing products that contribute to energy efficiency
and durability of residential and commercial window systems globally.
Third-Place Winner: GED
Integrated Solutions
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
When ideas are deployed in new GED products, machines and NxWare software
systems, we always take into consideration our customers’ objectives to
be green. What this translates into during our development process is
creating effective, efficient systems that save materials, energy and
ultimately help our customers achieve their lean goals.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
Many of our staff members enthusiastically participate in “environmental
community service” through our Green Team volunteer initiatives and efforts.
By working with the local mayor’s office, chief of police, fire departments,
a wide variety of city recycling programs and many other area organizations,
our GreenTeam’s environmental and recycling efforts have positively influenced
other manufacturing companies within our community to become more aware
and actively involved in on-going efforts to successfully contribute to
the environment’s well being.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
Being part of the “Future Solution” for our nation to hit Net Zero Energy
(NZE) homes and buildings by 2020 and 2025. We are working on products
and solutions to approach these goals with an affordable solution for
our customers and ultimately the window consumer. GED is working with
the DOE on commercialization of high-speed manufacturing methods and machinery
for producing a residential R5 window (see related story in September
2009 DWM, page 46).
This effort will bridge our nation to this ultimate green goal of NZE.
Category: Glass Restoration
Winner: GlasWeld
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
To GlasWeld, being “green” means incorporating environmental awareness
in everything we do—both for the company and among our employees at work
and home.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
Our products are all designed to save glass through repair and restoration.
Much of the glass on which our equipment is used is impossible or extremely
difficult to recycle. If a damaged piece of glass is removed from its
existing use, then it usually goes directly to the landfill. It does not
decompose. If a damaged piece of glass is left in place and repaired,
then there is no need to manufacture and transport new glass. Our research
and development team is testing constantly and inventing new ways to be
more environmentally sound.
Following are just a few examples of things we do in the office
to be environmentally friendly:
• Use energy-saving lighting;
• Conduct extensive recycling efforts;
• Consult with local green agency to help “green” all office activities;
and
• Reduce waste.
What’s the biggest green initiative you’ve undertaken?
When we first made the “green” issue part of our company mission, we knew
we couldn’t make a half-hearted effort. We determined at that time to
educate as many people in the glass industry as possible about just how
important it is to reduce consumption of glass through repair and restoration.
Every product we offer reflects this importance and we have been spreading
this message worldwide through speaking engagements, participation in
national and international events, our online presence and through partnership
with other organizations. We believe that glass repair has the ability
to save time, money, hassle and—best of all—the planet.
Has your investment in green principles helped your company make
or save money?
We have been able to partner with other large companies around the world
who hold similar values and have environmental goals as part of their
corporate mission. This has helped to create a synergy and common purpose
that spelled business success for both of us.
Has your commitment to green principles helped you gain customers?
Environmental responsibility has become part of nearly every company’s—large
and small—core goals and mission over the last few years. We find that
when our values align with those of our customers, we can create a stronger
partnership that lasts and lasts. Working toward the same goals, with
something bigger than the dollar in mind can only mean good things for
business success.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
We have just launched our Spanish language marketing and educational program.
This will help to spread the message of glass repair sustainability even
further to the native Spanish-speaking population around the world.
Category: Hardware
Winner: Truth Hardware
In one sentence, describe what green really means to your company.
We understand that, as the leader in our industry, we have a responsibility
to not only our customers, but [to] the environment that we both share
to ensure that our behavior and actions continue to have a positive impact.
Please list some of the things your company does to be green/environmentally
responsible.
• We use 100 percent recycled materials for our corrugated (boxes, liners,
etc.;)
• We purchase virgin material for our powder paint process and more than
50 percent of the powder is reclaimed and reused;
• We purchase virgin zinc from mines and approximately 60 percent goes
to the product and the balance goes into runners and overflows which is
reclaimed and re-melted with nearly 100 percent re-use;
• We recycle all our process scrap (turnings, shavings, trimmings, etc.)
of steel SST, brass and aluminum;
• We have a closed loop system (use/filter/re-use) for our cutting fluids;
• We recently upgraded all our lighting in the factories to more energy-efficient
systems;
• Significant steps have been taken to go
“paperless” where possible throughout our administrative functions;
• We recycle 100 percent of our office paper;
and
• We offer on-site recycling containers in our lunchroom for plastic and
aluminum.
What’s the biggest green initiative you’ve undertaken?
The lighting change throughout the manufacturing plants in both of our
facilities in Owatonna had one of the biggest impacts for Truth. Between
the energy savings and rebates from changing over from low bay metal halide
lights to high-efficiency florescent fixtures, this project paid for itself
in approximately six months, and continues to provide dividends today.
Has your commitment to green principles helped you gain customers?
While it would be hard to measure whether or not the green principles
that Truth lives by has helped us gain customers–it has become obvious
to us how important this subject is to our customers. Businesses today
want to be sure that the suppliers that they are partnering with share
a common philosophy when it comes to protecting and preserving the environment.
What’s coming next in terms of green for your company?
While the next energy-saving strategy at Truth is an energy efficiency
review and upgrade of the compressed air systems that supply our manufacturing
processes it certainly won’t be our final project. We are committed to
building a culture that empowers our employees to think outside the box
and then provide them with the tools necessary to educate themselves on
ways in which they can make the company run better—not just from a productivity
standpoint, but also in terms
of our company’s role in the environment.
Editor’s Note: Truth received an Editor’s Choice award in this category
for all of its environmental efforts.
DWM
© Copyright 2009 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.
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