This news is classified in: Sustainable Energy Climate Change
Oct 27, 2021
In recognition of World Sustainability Day, the fourth Wednesday in October ( October 27 ), Wacker Chemical Corporation employees participated in environmentally friendly activities this month. Their work honors WACKER's overall commitment of ensuring a better world for future generations.
For a designated week each October, WACKER employees celebrate Sustainability Week to generate awareness and inspire community action to protect the environment. This year's company focus was placed on initiatives to lower the carbon impact on the planet.
Most of WACKER's 11 U.S. sites initiated or strengthened their recycling programs, and several took on activities that went far beyond paper, cans, and bottles.
In Adrian, Mich., the logistics team recycled packaging and storage materials, contributing to a total of 17,640 wood pallets, 5,800 drums, and 5,580 totes recycled since the team began this annually in 2020. The labs and other teams in Adrian improved their sample request process to treat returned samples or defected samples discovered through the quality assurance process to be sold to a domestic re-processor. The re-processor breaks the compounds apart for resale or sells them to someone who will reuse them instead of disposing of them.
Since process improvements can strengthen sustainability, teams took a closer look at their equipment. Adrian's Room Temperature Vulcanization team adjusted its curing "recipe" which reduced screen waste by 95 percent. Additionally, their process adjustments reduced packaging time by more than five hours, adding to overall energy savings.
At WACKER's Charleston, Tenn. location, employees proactively took on the charge through service. They participated in litter clean-up around the 550-acre campus, planting an on-site garden, strengthening their recycling program, and conducting other volunteer activities. While the location actively recycles on site, this year, Charleston team members unable to recycle at home were encouraged to bring their recycling to the site, which resulted in 12,700 total pounds recycled.
Additionally, the annual Bradley County's Household Hazardous Waste Day was bolstered by the help of the WACKER- Charleston volunteers. This community collection drive offered a safe way for citizens to dispose of chemicals and other hazardous waste from local households.
