Rohm and Haas Company earned two 2007 Responsible Care Energy Efficiency Awards from the American Chemistry Council (ACC).
“Our goal is to accelerate the work that helps Rohm and Haas lower its use of natural gas, electricity, and other valuable resources,” said Kevin Kolin, program manager for Rohm and Haas’s Corporate Energy Team.
The Rohm and Haas Houston Plant received the Significant Improvement in Manufacturing award with Exceptional Merit for “Replacing a Gas Turbine Driven Process Air Compressor with a Condensing Extraction Turbine Driven Process Air Compressor”. Through this project, CO2 emissions were reduced by approximately 38,000 tons and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by almost 80 tons.
“Winning this award shows our continued progress toward reducing our carbon footprint and our commitment to improving the environment,” remarked Larry Schmid, plant manager.
The company’s Philadelphia Plant won recognition in the Energy Efficiency Program category for its “Successful Formation of an Energy Reduction Program”. In 2007, the Philadelphia Plant reduced specific energy use (BTUs per pound of product) by almost 16 percent. This equates to a reduction of 2,520 tons of CO2 emissions. A multi-disciplinary team of employees implemented a range of capital and non-capital initiatives to yield these results.
The projects awarded have the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Kolin added, “We recognize that there are opportunities at every site to reduce consumption, resulting is lower operating expenses and an improved environment for our communities.”
The Rohm and Haas Corporate Energy Team is instrumental in providing expertise in energy efficiency to its facilities. They help sites assess their situation, share best practices, and locate resources to meet improvement goals. Each geographic region also has an energy team to facilitate cultural and resource variations.
The 16 member companies recognized by the ACC for implementing energy efficiency improvements together saved enough BTUs to power a city the size of Springfield, Ill., and reduced carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 200,000 cars.
Rohm and Haas is working to bring sustainable development to a greater forefront of the chemical industry, in part by demonstrating increased operational improvements and product innovation. As part of this commitment, Rohm and Haas recently announced a comprehensive initiative to develop and implement strategic, sustainable development practices across all areas of its businesses and operations. The company formed a partnership with the international non-profit organization, The Natural Step International — a leading global research, education and advisory organization that specializes in developing systematic, science-based approaches for organizations to become more sustainable — as a participant in its Core Funding Partner Program.