ARCHBOLD,Ohio-In its second sustainability report,ready-to-assemble giant Sauder Woodworking tracked its continued improvement in waste reduction and energy usage.
Released in June,the report evaluates ongoing environmental stewardship efforts in operations for 2011,focusing on water,energy,greenhouse gases,and waste and recycling.
The company noted that landfill waste per ton of solid waste produced by the company has declined by 26.3%since 2008.
Sauder recycles materials including bulbs,batteries,steel,stretch wrap,aerosol cans,metal banding,used oils,aluminum,paper and cardboard.
The company said it recycles 97.7%of total waste,the largest component of which is wood waste,but the report said non-wood waste recycling has increased by 50%since 2008.
A significant waste reduction effort targeted a major component of the cubic volume of landfill waste-strapping and banding that secures raw materials.
Sauder's procurement group worked with vendors to specify recyclable 11 banding on inbound shipments.Manufacturing personnel developed a process to collect and chop this banding into a form suitable for commercial recyclers-creating a new process to recycle plastic strapping.
The report notes that in the past five years Sauder has reconfigured much of its manufacturing and distribution to be more efficient.
While it has reduced its carbon footprint by about 9.2%since 2008,emissions per ton produced increased in 2011.The reduction was caused by mechanical issues with renewable,carbon-neutral power output from Sauder's cogeneration power plant,which generates both electricity and heat.
After about$250,000 in repairs,the cogeneration plant is expected to perform at expected rates during 2012.
Significant energy conservation should also drive reductions to the company's carbon footprint further in 2012 and 2013,the report said.
Last year,Sauder contracted with Orion Lighting to convert virtually all of its existing factory and warehouse lighting to energy-efficient fluorescent lighting.On-site testing has demonstrated that fluorescent fixtures provide equal or better illumination while consuming 47%less power,the report said.Lighting accounted for about 7%of Sauder's power usage in 2011.
The conversion changed 6,207 fixtures covering about 3.75 million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space.
Sauder also invested in technology to reduce the energy consumed by dust collection systems,the report said.
Sauder is in the midst of a two-year,$2.2 million project to broadly retrofit 23 large collection systems with EcoGate technology.The company expects an 8%reduction for 2012 in its carbon footprint due to more effective dust collection provided by the system.
Dust collection represents about 29%of Sauder's power usage and is its second largest user of electricity.
Sauder's report also told what it did with the$2,500 it was given to donate to a nonprofit,a prize for winning Cargill and American Home Furnishings Alliance's Sage Award recognizing environmental stewardship in the home furnishings industries.It gave the money to the Archbold Festival of Lights to buy electric timers for the city's holiday season lighting-which will reduce the Festival's power consumption by more than 50%.
The report's introduction noted that Sauder continues the sustainability journey started by founder Erie Sauder in 1934.
"Erie believed that we are merely stewards of what God has given us,and that it is our responsibility to use those resources for the greater good,"said Garrett Tinsman,executive vice president,operations,in the report's introduction."Looking back,it was Erie's re-use of scrap materials to make affordable tables that launched Sauder's early growth."
