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  Apple Computer  Baxter International   Copley Square Hotel   Honeywell Inc.  Wilton Armetale

CEO Survey

Copley Square Hotel                                                                                                      

A prominent hotel created an aggressive environmental program that provides a foundation for ISO 14001 registration. The hotel is an historic one with an upscale clientele. Their aggressive approach to reducing their impact on the environment helped them identify many ongoing benefits. The major benefit areas were: recycling, energy use reduction, and water use reduction. The following are the major actions and their results:

Recycling:

Energy Use Reduction:

• Energy efficient lighting was installed in public areas which are light 24 hours per day. 60 watt incandescent corridor ceiling lights were replaced 15 watt compact fluorescent lights: savings equal $3,622 annually plus 90% reduction in labor costs. 90 watt incandescent lights in table lamps in the lobby and elevator landings were replaced with 22 watt compact fluorescent lights: savings equal $1,540 annually and reduced labor costs. 30 watt exit sign lights were replaced with 1.8 watt LED exit signs: savings equal $1,179 annually.

• Install compact fluorescent bulbs in guest room table lamps and hanging lamps: predicted payback equal 1.81 years.

• Install compact fluorescent bulbs in back areas which are lit 24 hours: savings equal to $59.57 per bulb.

• Remind employees to turn off all energy using devices that are not being used: no estimate of savings.

Water Use Reduction:

• Installing toilets with 1.5 gallon capacity, replacing ones with 3.5 gallon capacity will save $3,276 and 430,000 gallons annually.

• Showerheads of greater efficiency will save $6,546 and 859,000 gallons annually.

• Guest have been offered the option of reusing their towels and linens when staying more than one night. Projected savings are $4,000 annually.

Comments

This case includes savings that are well known and some that are innovative. Some of the reasons the program has been successful are:

• Everyone in the hotel participates in the program and can contribute from within their job responsibilities. Thus, the power of each individual to contribute in a positive way is harnessed.

• Small savings are as important as big ones. This recognizes that small savings add up and creates a culture that values contributions at all levels of the organization and of any size. The cumulative effect of many small acts of environmental impact reduction may not be quantifiable, but it may be significant.

Wilton Armetale                                                                                                                

Wilton Armetale is a non-ferrous foundry located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This area is home to some of the largest and oldest Amish settlements in the country, so the company is surrounded by environmentally conscious people. Wilton Armetale is a leader in its efforts to be a good neighbor and in its approach to environmental standards. In its effort to be environmentally responsible and certify to ISO 14000 it achieved these results:

• Reduced waste costs by about 40 percent over two years.
• Found that 60 to 70 percent of the waste generated could be reused, recycled, or eliminated.
• Vendors were asked to use returnable packaging. Skids and excess packaging were given away to individuals and companies who could use them. These reduced the cost of storing, hauling, and disposing of waste.
• The quantities of some raw material inputs to the manufacturing process were eliminated or reduced.

Some of the keys to Wilton Armetale's success include:

• The employees really cared about improving their environmental performance and the owners of the company were open new ideas.
• For some parts of the program, those requiring the greatest change, proponents sold their ideas to employees and management.
• The program included employee suggestions. Employees were encouraged to make suggestions and then take responsibility for implementing them. They were rewarded for these efforts.
• The program began as a way to reduce costs which benefits all stakeholders.

Comments

Giving away materials does not sound like a way to save money, but it is since is eliminates the need for other expenditures. This is a good example of the waste from one company reducing the costs of another and reducing the impact on the earth by getting more use out of the materials.

Wilton Armetale self-declared ISO 14001 conformance on July 23rd, 1997. They became the first foundry in the U.S. to conform. Please see the press release for more information.

Source: Dave Schell, Wilton Armetale, 1-800-826-0088

Mini-Cases                                                                                                                              

Rockwell Automation; Twinsburg, Ohio.

The Twinsburg plant became one of the first registrants in the U.S. to ISO 14001. According the Roger Hartel, "certification sends a message to the company's stockholders, customers, and employees. Being an exemplary environmental citizen is absolutely of critical importance to all these populations and to international business as well." ISO 14000 and EMS have contributed to a continuing reduction of energy consumption and waste production. Recycling reduces material sent to landfills by about 150,000 pounds a year.

Plasticolor; Ashtabula, Ohio.

Registered to ISO 14001 in October, 1996. According to Don Herndon, they believe that a well-documented , efficient EMS provides a proactive approach for managing environmental activities. They are not just reacting to environmental problems, but "fix" them before they occur. This greater effectiveness helps reduce costs.

Xerox Corporation                                                                                                                    

Site recycling programs, including the conversion of solid waste to useable energy through incineration, saved Xerox over $12 million in 1995.

Xerox implemented a plastic recycling program. High grade plastic panels from returned Xerox products are collected, sorted, disassembled and ground for reprocessing. The plastic is then used to manufacture Xerox products or is sold on the open market. The program has already diverted 250 tons of plastic from landfill in Monroe County and 1996 estimates project 500 tons diverted with $100,000 in savings to Xerox.

3M

In 1990, 3M began a major waste reduction effort. By 3M definition, waste is what remains after raw materials are converted to products and by-products. During 1993, resource recovery activities in the U.S. recovered and sold almost 199 million pounds of paper, plastics, solvents, metals, and other by-products.

Since 1989, 3M realized more than $156 million by reclaiming and finding buyers for manufacturing waste. For example, employees at a 3M plant in Brazil developed a waste reduction program and sold $150,000 in waste materials and reduced waste disposal costs by $90,000.

3M's technical employees have conceived and implemented 4,590 pollution solutions under the 3P program. For example, a resin spray booth had been annually producing about 500,000 pounds of overspray that required special incineration disposal. New equipment was installed to eliminate excessive overspray. The new design reduced the amount of resin used, saving more that $125,000 a year, on a $45,000 investment in equipment.

IBM                                                                                                                                      

1995 energy conservation activities saved $15.1 million, reducing electricity use by 226 million kilowatt hours. These were achieved through such efforts as energy conservation in manufacturing processes (Vimercate, Italy), installation of a condenser tube cleaning system for refrigeration machines (Mainz, Germany), and upgrading HVAC, lighting, and chilled water system controls along with systematic testing and repairs of an extensive steam trap system (Endicott, USA).

The IBM site in Austin, Texas, produced financial and social benefits by implementing a project that reuses high-quality rinse water in existing cooling systems. 1995 savings for the city were $103,000 with a rebate of $30,000 to IBM. 1996 savings to the city are estimated at $179,000. Recycling for sites in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut produced social benefits by recycling 1,669 tons of commodities in 1995. This equates to the conservation of 28,373 trees, 4,172 barrels of oil, 6.8 million kilowatts of electricity, 11.6 million gallons of water, or 6,676 cubic yards of landfill space. Another social benefit in 1995 was the avoidance of 17,000 tons of hazardous waste from production processes.

A new process for manufacturing ceramic substrates replaced methanol with deionized water. The estimated impact is a savings of $739,000 for every 100,000 pounds of glass frit, a raw material, used in production, a reduction in methanol emissions of 6,000 pounds, and improved cycle time of 30%.