ArvinMeritor, Inc. announced Thursday, April 23 – as part of its global sustainability platform – that it has increased its recycling rate year-over-year to 89 percent from 83 percent. In 2008, more than 486 million pounds of materials from around the world – including metals, cardboard, wood and paper – were recycled for other applications, the Troy, Mich.-based company said.
During the same time period, the company said its manufacturing facilities in Carrollton, Ky., and Venissieux, Lyon, France, found beneficial uses for more than 120,000 tons of used foundry sand that otherwise would have been added to landfills; Carrollton provided sand for the construction of a nearby interstate, while Venissieux provided sand to be used for road construction and the production of cement blocks.
The company said it also has established a global greenhouse emissions inventory, which is a key component of its sustainability plan. The company said its facility in Asheville, N.C., implemented electricity conversion measures that helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 4,600 metric tons by aligning power usage with production schedules and making use of more efficient air compressors and boilers; at the company’s manufacturing facility in St. Priest, Lyon, France, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were reduced by more than 60 percent due in part to converting high-solvent VOCs to water-based paints and installing improved painting efficiency equipment, including new paint robots; and in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, the company completed three water conversion projects that helped reduce water consumption by two-thirds, or more than 100,000 tons.
ArvinMeritor is one of 77 companies profiled in the 2009 Business Roundtable Report, Enhancing Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future: 2009 Progress Report, that highlights leading U.S. companies who are advancing sustainability through environmental, social and economic programs.
