US chemical council unveils annual award winners for energy efficiency

At the 2014 Responsible Care Conference and Expo this week, the US-based American Chemistry Council (ACC) honored 16 of its member companies for implementing energy-efficiency improvements in 2013. 

The ACC presented a total of 50 awards to these companies, 12 of which were deemed programs of “exceptional merit.”

The Responsible Care Energy Efficiency Awards program is among ACC’s ongoing initiatives to improve energy efficiency. Member companies are required to consider operational energy efficiency as well as waste minimization, reuse and recycling when developing their environmental, health, safety and security plans. 

“Energy efficiency is fundamental to American chemistry,” said ACC president and CEO Cal Dooley. “Applying innovation to deliver energy-saving solutions is a big part of what we do.  Managing energy efficiency in our companies and manufacturing facilities helps fulfill our commitment to sustainability.”

The 2014 winners were selected from the following five categories:

• The “Energy Efficiency Program” award is given to companies with broad programs to achieve energy-efficiency improvements, with components such as establishing energy teams, goal setting, communications, management support and recognition.
  
  
• The “Significant Improvement in Manufacturing” award is given to companies that improve energy efficiency in their manufacturing operations through technical innovations, creative projects or novel procedures or actions.
  
  
• The “Environmental Impact” award is given for initiatives with substantial environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improvements in energy efficiency.
  
  
• The “Non-Manufacturing Improvement” award is given for improvements resulting from energy-efficient lighting, insulation and other building improvements, as well as other non-manufacturing energy improvements.
  
  
• The “Public Outreach” award is given for an effective program of involvement with the community regarding energy efficiency and related environmental impact activities.

Individual ACC member companies nominate specific projects for recognition under the award program. The judging committee that determined the winners is comprised of selected member companies from ACC’s energy committee. The judging committee was joined by James Eggebrecht, professor of engineering and director of the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University, and additional experts in the field of energy efficiency.

The companies receiving awards in 2014 are:

• Afton Chemical Corp.
• Albemarle Corp.
• BASF Corp.
• Carus Corp.
• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
• The Dow Chemical Co.
• Dow Corning Corp.
• DuPont
• Ecolab
• Eastman Chemical Co.
• ExxonMobil Chemical Co.
• FMC Corp.
• The Lubrizol Corp.
• Momentive Performance Materials
• Occidental Chemical Corp.
• SABIC

Award winners were announced and recognized at the opening of the 2014 Responsible Care Conference and Expo in Miami, Florida, May 4-7. The specific categories and locations of the winners can be read at the ACC's website by clicking here.