US: Johns Manville (JM) was recently honoured with the 24-Karat Gold Challenge Award by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for 'above and beyond' efforts in creating and implementing a programme that has made a measurable contribution to the environment, the economy and society. JM was nominated to receive the award by 97 Gold Leader peer companies within the Environmental Leadership Programme.
The Environmental Leadership Programme, administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, recognises organisations that go beyond compliance with environmental regulations and strive toward a goal of sustainability. Members work through three levels of partnership: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Programme membership stands at 160 organisations, representing a variety of sectors from manufacturing and agriculture to schools and service providers.
JM was presented with the 24-Karat Gold Challenge Award at an annual awards dinner on 16 October 2015. It won the award thanks to recent activities at the Johns Manville / Industrial Insulation Group manufacturing facility in Fruita, Colorado. Staff reinvented, redesigned and reconstructed its manufacturing process, resulting in the elimination of approximately 863t/yr of material from landfill waste by diverting that material into a new energy-conserving product stream. As a result, the facility eliminated 40 years of reliance on a 12,141m2 waste impoundment complex. Additionally, the product made from this reclaimed material is conservatively estimated to reduce end user CO2 emissions by over 270,000t/yr of CO2.
According to Fred Stephan, Senior Vice President of JM's Insulation Systems business, a team of employees from Fruita and Denver proposed and implemented the changes and truly exceeded everyone's expectations. "The team really did an outstanding job," said Stephan. "In the process of meeting our environmental requirements, they were able to make our manufacturing process more efficient and productive. Their hard work, as well as their perseverance, has been very impressive."
