Reducing our Energy and Environmental Footprint
Ingersoll Rand facilities have embraced the “Progress is greener” initiative with enthusiasm. In addition to our product improvements, we have many examples of programs and strategies that our sectors and facilities are pursuing to improve energy efficiency, create less waste, and reduce water use.
Galway, Ireland, Site Demonstrates Environmental Leadership
Our Thermo King facility in Galway, Ireland, has a strong reputation for quality, safety, and respect for the environment. The 2008 achievements for the Galway site include:
- Recertification to the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management
- 25 percent reduction in hazardous waste generation and 30 percent reduction in waste sent to landfill from the prior year
- Inclusion of third-party logistics vendors in the packaging reduction process
- Increased number of reusable product crates returned to the facility by our customers
- Reduced refrigerant loss by installing a mass balance system for the storage and distribution within the facility
- Zero environmental incidents
Employee “Green Teams” Help the Environment and the Bottom Line
Green initiatives are now under way at a number of facilities including Security Technologies' Customer Commitment Center in Olathe, Kansas, and Distribution Center in Otay Mesa, California. The facilities are focusing on green initiatives that build employee pride and provide significant cost savings. The two facilities established a joint Green Team that has been instrumental in identifying opportunities and driving these efforts. Examples of recent improvements include:
- Recycling materials such as toner cartridges, and facilitating employee recycling of metal, paper, cardboard, aluminum, and plastic
- Using 50 percent recycled copier/printer paper and creating scratch pads from used paper
- Removing disposable foam cups from the workplace and providing all employees with reusable mugs
- Promoting more environmentally friendly commuting alternatives like carpooling, public transportation, and biking
- Using green cleaning products
- Finding a waste handling contractor that will recycle universal wastes (e.g., fluorescent light bulbs) instead of disposing them
At our Climate Control Technologies site in Monterrey, Mexico, the Green Team organized a facility-wide competition that involved many employees taking direct action to reduce waste. Twenty-one teams took part in the Green Challenge over a two-month period. At the conclusion of the Challenge, a group of judges – Ingersoll Rand EHS professionals from outside the facility – reviewed the ideas that each team implemented and the results that were achieved. The most beneficial outcome was getting employees motivated and interested in waste reduction and efficiency goals.
Ingersoll Rand has launched a Green Ambassador project with the goal of creating a global network of representatives from all our Green Teams. We are creating a toolkit to help facilitate the startup of Green Teams, and a web-based collaborative space where facilities around the world can share ideas, successes, and challenges.
Facility EHS Excellence in 2008
Our Security Technologies facility in El Sauzal, Mexico, had a remarkably successful year, thanks to a sustained, focused effort on key EHS metrics. The facility used intensive, short-term events (“kaizen events”) to raise employees’ EHS awareness, elicit ideas for improvements from a broad spectrum of individuals, and create a shared enthusiasm for taking action to improve EHS performance. The facility hosted an EHS bootcamp as well as an Energy Treasure Hunt, where employees are encouraged to seek the hidden treasure of energy savings. During 2008, El Sauzal experienced no lost workday cases and an 83 percent reduction in its Total Recordable Incident Rate. Electricity use decreased by 9 percent, and water use by 55 percent. The facility achieved certification to both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 during 2008.