&EFA ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, B.C. 20460 202 260-6135 www.epa.gov/partners ) Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber. ------- Partners for the Environment: Roosting Your Bottom T ine ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Contents Introduction 2 Drive Down Costs—and Boost Your Profits 5 Gain Recognition—and Boost Your Image 8 Take Action—and Boost Your Performance 11 Become a Partner—and Boost Your Bottom Line 14 ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Introduct >- Businesses just like yours are boosting their bottom lines through improved environmental performance. They're finding that protecting the environment doesn't have to come at the expense of profits. On the con- trary, cleaner, leaner operations really pay off. By making improvements that optimize performance, companies are cutting costs, adding value, and increasing market share. That's why many compa- nies—perhaps your competitors—have come to view environmental manage- ment as a fundamental part of smart business strategy They're protecting the environment and gaining competitive advantages as a result. You can do the same, and the good news is you don't have to spend valuable time or money learning how. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a variety of programs, known collectively as Partners for the Environment, that help organizations make improvements that are good for business and the envi- ronment. They're designed to help you apply ideas and practices that can pro- duce environmental results more quickly and cost-effectively Whether you're in manufacturing, retail, transportation, agriculture, or a service industry, at least one of EPAs partnership programs should suit your needs. From ENERGY STAR to AgStar, from Waste Wise to Climate Wise, you can choose from more than 20 partnership programs that address issues such as energy efficiency, ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ion air quality, waste reduction, or water conservation. In addition, EPA regional offices offer partnership programs that address specific regional priorities. More than 7,000 organizations have stepped forward to become a Partner for the Environment. Some participate in one program while others participate in several. What does joining actually entail? For many programs, the process works like this. A company contacts EPA to find out how a program works and how it's beneficial. Once they see the value and decide to join, the company signs a partnership agreement. This agreement isn't legally binding, but it does lay out steps the company will take to pursue environmental improvements. These actions might include conducting a self audit to assess water and energy use, installing more efficient equipment, and reporting on progress. Other pro- grams take a different tact. Rather than "signing up," companies become part- ners by working with EPA on technical or policy issues. "Limited resources—technical, financial, and physical—are a fact of life in business, industry, and government. [Voluntary programs help us] make the best use of limited resources, to the benefit of our employees, customers, community, and shareholders." T. Halliburton Wood, Environmental Manager Johnston Industries ------- Exactly what can a company expect from becoming a Partner for the Environment? Along with improving environmental performance, an opportuni- ty to gain: • Cost savings. Programs are designed to help companies cut waste and increase efficiency and productivity • Public recognition. Many partnership programs offer awards, logos, and other distinctions that can be used for marketing purposes. • Technical assistance. Valuable tools, information, and peer networking opportunities are available to help partners develop environmental strategies that work best for them. Isn't it time you looked into these benefits, too? The following sections offer more information about partnership programs and how they're helping compa- nies gain competitive advantages in an increasingly competitive business world. Last year, our partners collectively saved $3.3 billion! ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Drive Down Costs— and Boost Your Profits >• You're interested in cutting costs without sacrificing service or quality. So are the companies that have become Partners for the Environment. How? By making improvements that allowed them to reduce 7.8 million tons of solid waste, conserve 1.8 billion gallons of water, and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road. For example, Herman Miller, an international manufacturer of office furniture, found significant savings through the Waste Wise program. This program helps companies reduce solid waste and material use. The company reduced its use of packaging material for finished goods by 50 percent and eliminated 500,000 pounds of wood pallets and close to 1 million pounds of corrugated boxes. These improvements are saving $4 million a year. For small companies, savings on a more modest scale can be just as important. Vegetation Managers, Inc., a business that maintains right-of-way property for utilities, saves close to $2,000 annually based on a simple change they made after joining the Pesticide ------- "Waste in any form is lost profits. Maximizing efficiency through reducing our waste stream is not only good for the environment—it's good for our bottom line as well." Nancy Hirshberg, Director of Natural Resources Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Environmental Stewardship Program. The company began using returnable- refillable pesticide containers. Now, they have less waste to manage, and con- cerns about disposing contaminated packaging have all but disappeared. Similarly, Centerplex, a small business located in Seattle, found that energy efficiency helped cut its annual energy bill in half! By switching to more energy efficient prod- ucts, the company is saving $23,000 and preventing more than 465,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year. Centerplex estimates it was able to recover the cost of this environmentally and economically sound investment in only 18 months. Companies are also achieving cost-savings by fundamentally rethinking the design and production of existing products. The Design for the Environment (DIE) Program develops and provides businesses with information about more environmentally preferable processes or technologies. For example, with tradi- See What You've Been Missing When Boeing joined the Green Lights program to improve their lighting efficiency, they were able to reduce energy consumption by 200 million kilowatt hours a year. This move cut their annual operating costs by $ 12 million, but it also provided another unexpected bene- fit—better quality products. The new lighting in one building boosted the defect detection rate by 20 percent. • ------- tional methods, printed wiring board (PWB) manufacturers use toxic chemicals that pose potential health and environmental risks, generate large volumes of hazardous waste, and use substantial amounts of water and energy. The PWB industry worked with EPAs DIE Program to examine ways to reduce or elimi- nate these impacts. As a result, this industry achieved significant environmental improvements, including the reduction of 240,000 pounds of formaldehyde and savings of 400 million gallons of water and 4.4 million kilowatt hours a year, as manufacturers switched to cleaner technologies. As one partner said, "Participating...helps individual companies man- age their environmental affairs, and it reduces the potential health and environmental impacts of their businesses, materials, regulatory compliance costs, and liabilities —all of which serve to increase competitiveness." Consider New Alternatives Lucent Technologies found it could save approximately $100,000 a year on fuel bills at its Columbus, Ohio plant by using captured landfill gas instead of fossil fuels to power boiler operations. This approach was developed through EPAs Landfill Methane Outreach Program. Along with saving the company money, Lucent's new fuel source is good for the environment, too—the reduction in green house gas emissions is equivalent to taking more than 23,000 cars off the road each year. ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Gain Recognition- and Boost Your Image >- Are awards and other forms of public recognition for envi- ronmental performance valuable to companies? Recent surveys suggest they are. According to the Conference Board, an international business membership and research organization, almost 80 percent of senior environmental, health, and safety (EH&S) executives predict that their companies' global EH&S reputation among stakeholders will become more crucial to their bottom line in the next 5 years. Another survey, by market- ing analysis firm Walker Research, found that more than three out of four customers avoid businesses that have an irresponsible cor- porate environmental attitude. "Participating in EPA's voluntary programs is good for us not only because of the cost-savings, but also for the way it reflects positively on our corporate image." Scott Seydel, Chief Executive Officer The Seydel Companies ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Enjoy Recognition Brian Olson, owner of the 45th Avenue Cleaners in Portland, Oregon, knows first hand how public recognition for environmental achievements can have a positive impact on business. Since his dry cleaning operation received EPA Region 10s Evergreen Award for Pollution Prevention, Olson has seen a tremendous increase in the volume of customers he services. By adopting a "reduce, reuse, and recycle" mindset, the company has reduced solvent use by 80 percent and solvent waste by more than 60 percent and virtually eliminated wastewater dis- charges. Along with EPA, recognition has come from other sources; shortly after EPAs award, the National Waste Prevention Coalition named 45th Avenue Cleaners to its list of the top 15 dry cleaning operations in the country. Recognizing its potential value, many partnership programs offer recognition, such as national awards for exceptional performance. These awards typically generate positive press cov- erage for winners. And over the long term, they're often used as a basis for highlighting environmental commitment and achievement in cor- porate communications. Past winners, such as IBM, Dupont, and Dow, for example, feature their awards on their Web sites. Logos that can help companies distinguish their products in the market place provide another form of valuable recognition. The Energy Star program for example, offers a logo for placement on computers and other appliances that meet energy efficiency criteria. This distinction sends a signal to consumers and can be influential in purchasing decisions. A survey conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy showed that 80 percent of consumers concerned about energy efficiency are familiar with EPAs Energy Star ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 10 logo, and 43 percent of consumers say they have looked for the Energy Star logo when purchasing a product. In addition to sharpening a company's image externally receiving recognition can be helpful internally too. In 1999, Carrier Corporation, a manufacturer of heat- ing, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, received an award from the Waste Wise program for its waste reduction efforts. Company spokesperson Angie Scafidi commented that "the award helps me justify Carriers waste management and recycling program to top management." She also noted the awards value in helping to boost employees' corporate pride and sense of accomplishment. "Numerous case studies show that companies leading the way in implementing changes that help protect the envi- ronment tend to gain disproportionate advantage, while companies perceived as irresponsible lose their franchise, their legitimacy, and their shirts." Amory B. Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins, and Paul Hawken, Authors of "A Road Map for Natural Capitalism," in the May-June 1999 Harvard Business Review. ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Take Action—and Boost Your Performance >- Are you concerned that your environmental staff is already overloaded? Or maybe that you don't have an environmental staff? Don't worry. No matter how large or small your company, Partners for the Environment provides products and services that can help you uncover cost effective strategies for improving environmental performance. Many programs offer reference documents that provide step-by-step guidance for making improvements. If you're in the natural gas industry for example, you can reach for the Natural Gas STAR Programs Implementation Road Map to answer questions about reducing greenhouse gas and methane emis- sions. This handy document includes practical "Lessons Learned" that highlight industry-specific best management practices to assist par- ticipants in determining if these practices could help them, too. Partners can also attend forums to receive and share information. These include ------- "With cooperative voluntary programs, EPA functions as a true leader in assisting companies [like Radio Flyer] to fulfill tlieir mission and achieve a healthier and safer environment for our children." Paul Pasin, Vice President of Manufacturing Radio Flyer 12 free workshops and technology demonstrations as well as networking opportu- nities among peers. After all, who better to learn from than colleagues who've faced similar production and management challenges? Recently more than 500 companies had a chance to network on the air when they tuned in to a national Waste Wise teleconference to learn about the value of buying recycled goods and participating in the Waste Wise program. Some programs also provide specialized software for tracking environmental per- formance. The Climate Wise Program, for example, works with companies to turn Find Hidden Costs While environmental accounting methodologies can help managers understand the cost of producing an existing prod- uct, they can also be helpful to managers making decisions about new ones. Like many companies, Chrysler, Inc. is put- ting this tool to work to improve business decision-making. They've performed analyses when selecting hundreds of com- ponents used in producing new vehicles. Should we choose the mercury free light switch? the all-plastic oil filter? the lead free electrocoating process? These decisions became easier once Chrysler understood the true costs and benefits associ- ated with their choices. ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Set and Achieve Higher Goals The American Portland Cement Alliance (APCA), whose members produce 60 percent of U.S. cement, has found Climate Wise to be an excellent partnership for improving environmental management in their industry. APCA joined Climate Wise to develop energy efficiency and pollution prevention goals as part of a comprehensive environmental management strategy for their industry. The industry received tools and assistance specific to their operations. As a result of their members' improvements, in the coming year they expect to save $2.3 million and prevent 2.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. energy efficiency and environmental improvement into corporate assets. The multimedia tracking software offered by the program allows compa- nies to monitor and report on a variety of environmental factors, includ- ing energy and water use. One Climate Wise partner, Johnson and Johnson, estimates its efforts to track and improve energy efficiency is saving $2.6 million a year. They cut energy use by 8 percent during a period when production soared by 330 percent! Better accounting methods are offered by the Environmental Accounting Project. This program was designed to help business- es understand the value of preventing pollution by first enabling them to understand the true cost of providing a good or service. For example, S.C.Johnson, a specialty chemical product manufacturer, used environmental accounting methodologies to analyze the costs associated with producing and selling one of its pesticide products. The analysis revealed costs associated with product registration, research and development, safety actions, and other activities that had never before factored into previous cost estimates. Such revelations can help managers understand the importance of prevention and begin to incorporate environmental considerations more fully into decision-making. Remember, these and other products and services are available to partners at no cost. Isn't it time you consider putting them to use in your organization? ------- PARTNERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Become a Partner—and Boost Your Bottom Line 14 >- What's left to think about? Becoming a Partner for the Environment can be a smart business decision. There are a variety of programs and services available to help optimize performance, improve environmental results, and meet customer expectations—which ones are right for you? To find out more, visit the Partners for the Environment Web site at www.epa.gov/partners, call Partners for the Environment at 202 260-6135, or contact one of the individual partnership programs listed in thi brochure. There's nothing to lose but, as current partners already know, a whole lot to gain! "It is encouraging to see what can be accomplished when both EPA and the private sector come together on a voluntary basis." Tracy L. Pope, Environmental Safety Officer Schlegel Corporation ------- Partners for the Environment: Current Programs Adopt Your Watershed Encourages and facilitates citizen involvement in local watershed protection activities. 202 260-1956 (800 832-7828) www.epa.gov/adopt AgStar Promotes cost-effective methods for reducing methane emissions at dairy and swine opera- tions through improved manure manage- ment. 800-95AGSTAR (800 952-4782). www.epa.gov/agstar Climate Wise Reduces industrial greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs through comprehensive pol- lution prevention and energy efficiency pro- grams. 202 260-4407 (800 459-WISE). ww.epa.gov/dimatewise Coalbed Methane Outreach Encourages profitable recovery and use of methane liberated from coal mines by help- ing identify viable technologies, markets, and finance sources. 202 564-9468. www.epa.gov/coalbed Consumer Labeling Initiative Makes health, safety, and environmental information on household product labels easier for people to find, read, understand, and use, and encourages people to "Read the label first!" before buying, using, or dispos- ing of products. 202 260-7768. www.epa.gov/oppintr/labeling Design for the Environment Helps business incorporate environmental considerations into the design of products, processes, and technical management sys- tems. 202 260-1678. www.epa.gov/dfe Energy Star Maximizes energy efficiency in commercial, industrial, and residential settings by pro- moting new building and product design and practices. 888 STAR-YES (782-7937). www.epa.gov/energystar Environmental Accounting Increases business understanding of environ- mental costs and incorporation of these costs into routine operations. 202 260-3844. www.epa.gov/oppintr/acctr Environmental Technology Verification Verifies the performance of innovative tech- nologies to accelerate entrance into the mar- ketplace. 202 564-3212. www.epa.gov/etv Green Chemistry Promotes the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. 202 260-3960.www.epa.gov/dfe/greenchem Indoor Air Quality Promotes simple, low-cost methods for reducing indoor air quality risks. 202 564-9733. www.epa.gov/iaq Landfill Methane Outreach Program Reduces methane emissions from landfills by installing products to capture gases and produce electricity, steam, or boiler fuel. 202 564-9797. www.epa.gov/lmop Natural Gas STAR Encourages natural gas industry to reduce methane emissions through the implemen- tation of cost-effective technologies and best management practices. 202 564-9736. www.epa.gov/gasstar Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Promotes integrated pest management and pesticide risk reduction in agricultural and nonagricultural settings. 800 972-7717. www.pesp.org Ruminant Livestock Efficiency Reduces methane emissions from ruminant livestock operations. 202-564-9043. www.epa.gov/rlep State and Local Outreach Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from states and local communities by empower- ing officials with information and technical assistance. 202 260-4314. www.epa.gov/globalwarming Voluntary Aluminum Industrial Partnership Reduces perflouorocarbon gas emissions from aluminum smelting. 202 564-9044. www.epa.gov/vaip Waste Minimization National Plan Reduces persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals in hazardous waste. 703 308-8489. www.epa.gov/wastemin WasteWise Encourages business, government, and insti- tutional partners to reduce municipal solid waste through waste prevention, recycling, and buying/manufacturing products with recycled content. 703 308-8755 (800 ERA- WISE). www.epa.gov/wastewise WAVE (Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency) Promotes water efficiency in hotels, schools, universities, and office buildings. 202 260- 7288. www.epa.gov/owm/genwave P ;artners for the vironment Information about regional programs is available on the Partners for the Environment Web site. ------- -41 if^' ••• " '•F i jL. :M *s: ------- ------- |