Cabot wins sustainability award at Illinois complex
Cabot Corp. has been named a 2011 sustainability award winner 2011 by the Illinois governor’s office for outstanding performance at its Tuscola, Ill., fumed metal oxides facility.
Cabot Tuscola earned the recognition for significant accomplishments in recycling, reduced water and electricity usage, and packaging efficiency, the company said.
“We’re extremely proud and honored to receive this recognition. Sustainability is core to our business strategy and it is very important to the team here at the Tuscola facility,” said Carl Troike, Cabot’s Tuscola facility general manager.
“Our employees have developed these great ideas on how to save energy, reduce waste and protect the environment, and our leadership team committed the investment of time and resources to achieve these terrific results.”
A few key projects that have been implemented recently include the following:
- A new recycling program for waste packaging materials such as paper bags, plastic film and cardboard along with office wastes including paper, magazines, aluminum and plastic containers resulting in 76 tons of material being recycled rather than landfilled to date and savings of approximately $28,000 for otherwise disposing of the material.
- Upgrade of two once-through plant scrubbing systems into one recirculating system that is saving an average of 18.5 gallons per minute, amounting to more than 9,700,000 gallons per year, of water through a combination of reduced water usage and recycling of used water back into the process.
- A packaging efficiency project resulting in elimination of more than 51,000 cardboard pallets and 78,000 pounds of shrink wrap from the packaging process and savings in excess of $762,000 to date.
- Replacement of inefficient lighting and installation of energy saving motion sensors through Ameren’s Act On Energy program for key areas of the plant, including the warehouse, parts stores and maintenance buildings resulting in a reduction of electric usage by 840,000 kWh annually, which is enough to power 17 homes.
“Cabot continues to make important investments in reducing our overall environmental footprint, and the Tuscola efforts represent a great example of the progress we are making,” said Martin O’Neill, Cabot’s vice president for safety, health and environment. “We sincerely appreciate the recognition for our efforts from the state of Illinois.
“These awards help to reinforce that we are on the right track in making important investments in sustainability,” he added. “The external recognition from the government is a testament to the positive relationship that Cabot has with the communities in which we operate.”
Cabot Tuscola produces fumed metal oxides for a wide range of end-use applications for the automotive, construction, microelectronics and consumer products industries.
The plant employs 168 people.
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