In recognition of its long-standing commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve energy, DuPont has received five awards from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), all focused on the company's energy conservation efforts.
The five award-winning projects alone have the full-year impact of reducing DuPont's energy use by 2.7 trillion BTUs, the equivalent of the electricity needed to power 25,000 homes.
The full-year reductions represented by the projects have an additional environmental benefit equivalent to the reduction of 237,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2005 DuPont reduced global greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent. As part of DuPont's 2015 Sustainability Goals, the company has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 15 percent. These projects represent important steps toward reaching that goal.
"I am very proud of our DuPont team – not only for these projects, but also for all the energy conservation progress we are making at our manufacturing sites around the world," said Mathieu Vrijsen, senior vice president – DuPont Operations & Engineering. "It is rewarding to know that we are reducing global energy demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time strengthening our businesses."
The five ACC awards included: "Energy Efficiency Program-Corporate/Business Unit," as well as individual manufacturing site awards for projects at the Edge Moor site, Edge Moor, Del.; the Chambers Works site, Deepwater, N.J.; the Cooper River site in Berkeley County, S.C., and the New Johnsonville site in New Johnsonville, Tenn.
In a world marked by rising energy costs, these projects have a financial benefit for the company as well. Each project was justified by a rate of return that was in excess of the cost of capital -- making them improvements that paid for themselves.
In addition to DuPont's efforts to improve energy efficiency in its operations, the company offers solutions to improve energy efficiency in the construction, transportation and agriculture industries with products like DuPont Tyvek and productivity enhancing seeds. The company also is working to develop solutions in the alternative energy markets of solar, wind, fuel cells and biofuels.
DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 18 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved news products for key global markets.