CertainTeed - Green Marketing Support
SSC assisted CertainTeed with the development of a comprehensive green marketing program, BuildingResponsibly. Working with each of CertainTeed's divisions, SSC conducted a detailed evaluation of products and operations and developed green facts about manufacturing and operations, as well as the green aspects of the products. SSC also analyzed each of the company's products in relation to the LEED and NAHB green building standards. SSC determined which credits each product could contribute to in the standards. Our experience in the commercial and residential green building market allowed us to develop a user friendly document that assists with the specification of green products and provides concise easy to understand information on the products and sustainability activities.
Black & Decker, Baldwin Hardware Corporation- Sustainability Assessment
SSC has a long term relationship with this facility conducting multiple projects, including a comprehensive waste minimization and energy efficiency assessment for the manufacturing facility . SSC identified opportunities to improve the efficiency and operation of the coating process, and these recommendations resulted in annual savings of $75,000, significant improvements in transfer efficiency and emissions, and waste reductions of over 70%. The payback period on the process modifications was only 2.25 years. SSC also established a process water reduction program, a facility wide paper recycling program, and a set of recommendations to eliminate use of solvents. In all, SSC identified savings of over $370,000/year in waste minimization and energy efficiency opportunities at this site.
Sustainability Program Development
SSC has conducted Sustainability Assessments for many companies (including most recently CertainTeed, Black & Decker Hardware and Home Improvement, Saint-Gobain, James Campbell Company, and Progressive Foam) which include the development of comprehensive sustainability program recommendations for corporate operations, manufacturing facilities, marketing activities, and community involvement. The proposed recommendations will yield significant cost savings and reductions in environmental impact as well as improvements to the health and welfare of the employees and surrounding communities. These Sustainability Assessments form the basis for developing a comprehensive sustainability program that incorporate vision, goals, initiatives, and supporting programs designed for the long-term continuous improvement. SSC works with companies to develop these programs and guides their efforts to integrate sustainability into the corporate culture.
Black & Decker: Hardware and Home Improvement - Sustainability Training
SSC conducted a preliminary Sustainability Assessment and Benchmarking Analysis of one manufacturing campus, and then used the results of these analyses to develop specific training programs for the sustainability teams from each of the manufacturing locations. The programs developed by SSC trained employees on the principles of sustainability and also applied those principles to the operations and activities of Black and Decker facilities. The training provided the participants with practice applying the principles of sustainability to a manufacturing operation to achieve reductions in energy, water, and material use to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the operation. Training also covered the importance of connections to the local community and strategies for improving this relationship. The end product of the training was an action plan created by the participants and instructor for improving the overall sustainability at the plant. By participating in this training, the sustainability team members learned how to evaluate other facilities for their overall sustainability and create action plans to improve their performance in terms of the economy, environment and society.
Confidential Client - Life Cycle Analysis
SSC conducted a detailed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of a cladding product to determine the environmental impact of the product across all life cycle stages. This LCA was used to compare the product to LCAs for other cladding products in the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) software. This research examined all of the energy and material inputs and outputs to the product from raw material extraction, transportation, production, intended use, and end of life disposal. Having conducted an LCA of their product provides the client with an array of benefits. The client can make specific statements about the environmental performance of their product and can provide this information to current and potential customers. The data from the LCA can also be used as a tool for improving the environmental performance of the product, and provides a full understanding of the impacts of manufacturing and of various modes of transportation and can serve as a guide for sourcing raw materials. LCA is coming trend in the green building and sustainability field with more and more builders and specifiers requesting life cycle analyses when considering products. LCA is also becoming a major component of green building standards, with points being awarded for using LCA to determine the most environmentally preferable choice.