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Success Stories - Very Large Organizations
Success Stories
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Anheuser-Busch
Let’s raise a toast to the men and women at Anheuser-Busch who are busy “Brewing a Better Environment,” as their environmental campaign is called. Since joining WasteWise as a Charter Partner in 1994, Anheuser-Busch has achieved a companywide 97 percent recycling rate and received six WasteWise awards for its waste reduction efforts.
Report 2005: As one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum beverage containers, the Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation recycled 804 million pounds of cans in 2004—more than 125 percent of the number of cans that the company’s breweries use to package their products. Anheuser-Busch is reducing its can lid diameter, which is expected to save 20 million pounds of aluminum when fully implemented by 2006. Anheuser-Busch has also looked beyond its successful packaging reduction efforts and found innovative uses for byproducts of the brewing process such as nutrient-rich sludge and beechwood chips.
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, manages a broad range of operations in its breweries and theme parks. As a vertically integrated company, Anheuser-Busch strives to successfully integrate WasteWise into all of its operations. In 2003, the company effectively reduced waste by “lightweighting”—reducing the amount of aluminum used to produce its 24-ounce cans by 5.1 million pounds and saving 7.5 million pounds of paperboard by decreasing the thickness of its 12-pack bottle packaging. Additionally, Anheuser-Busch maintains an expansive organic waste reuse program, using 10.3 million pounds of beechwood chips—a byproduct of the brewing process—to produce compost and mulch. The company uses the byproducts in its many theme parks, such as Sea World and Busch Gardens.
General Motors Corporation
General Motors Corporation (GM) incorporates waste reduction into every aspect of automobile production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the company uses higher strength steel grades to reduce automobile mass and improve fuel economy. In 2002, GM U.S. employees prevented more than 3,000 tons of waste and recycled more than 2 million tons of materials, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 4.3 million metric tons of carbon equivalent.
Eastman Kodak Company
Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Eastman Kodak seeks innovative ways to reduce waste, including remanufacturing its line of single-use FUNSAVER cameras. Through this program, Kodak diverts mixed plastics and metals from the waste stream by incorporating the parts into new cameras. Under this program, the current return rate is 74 percent. In 2000, Kodak reused 125 tons of off-spec polyethylene-coated photo-graphic paper as product tray liners and reused 850 tons of old furniture and electrical equipment. In addition, the company recycled more than 65,000 tons of materials, including ferrous metals, PET, high-grade paper, corrugated boxes, mixed plastics, polystyrene, wood, and mixed paper. Kodak also developed purchasing specifications to guide its efforts to incorporate quality recycled materials into its products. Overall, Kodak spent $24 million on recycled-content items.
General Motors Corporation
GM, an automobile manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, employs more than 350,000 people in more than 70 North American facilities. Recognizing that the waste stream often contains valuable resources, the company is implementing Resource Management, a holistic approach to waste management contracting that seeks to reduce waste disposal through a process of prevention, reuse, and recycling. GM plans to fully implement RM in all its North American facilities by the end of 2001. To name just a few examples, GM reused building materials and eliminated some uses of corrugated pack-aging and office paper. Through product engineering improvements, GM reduced the amount of steel scrap and lifetime brake part waste associated with its line of full-size sport utility vehicles. The company saved more than $100 million by recycling more than 1.5 million tons of material, including corrugated boxes, mixed plastics, aluminum, steel, iron, and wood. GM also understands the importance of closing the loop by purchasing items with recycled content. In 2000, GM incorporated more than 3,500 tons of recycled-content plastic, textile, and rubber components into its automobiles.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. is a St. Louis-based corporation with subsidiaries that include the world's largest brewing organization.Its brewing subsidiary, Anheuser-Busch Inc. reuses two major by-products of the brewing process, diatomaceous earth and spent beechwood chips--in cement and compost--respectively. In addition, the company recycles its spent grains by selling it to dairy farmers for animal feed. The Anheuser-Busch Entertainment parks, such as SeaWorld and Busch Gardens also contribute to the company's waste reduction efforts by composting millions of pounds of yard and stable waste for reuse in landscaping projects. Additionally, Busch Agricultural Resources Inc., the company's agricultural subsidiary, reused more than 314,000 tons of organic material as a soil amendment.
Overall, Anheuser-Busch recycled more than 2 million tons of material in 2000, including corrugated packaging, paper, plastics, aluminum, glass, construction materials, and wood. A founding member of the Buy Recycled Business Alliance, the company is one of the largest purchasers of recycled-content products in the United States. Specifically, Anheuser-Busch purchased more than $2 billion worth of recycled materials in 2000, including packaging materials, copy paper, letterhead, business cards, and envelopes.
Bank of America
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bank of America employs 148,000 people. The company sponsors community out-reach activities as part of its effort to establish corporate “environmental networks” designed to encourage employees to interact with surrounding communities. Activities included brown bag lunches featuring topics such as composting and electric vehicles and educational programs for children, including a poster contest and tree planting at local schools. Bank of America also reduced waste by investing in new technology that allows it to distribute employee and customer documents electronically. In addition, the company began developing a comprehensive waste tracking system to better assess its environmental performance. Furthermore, Bank of America collected more than 30,000 tons of corrugated material, paper, mixed plastics, metals, and glass for recycling. Finally, Bank of America does its part to close the recycling loop by investing in carpet, furniture, office supplies, copier paper, and stationery made from recycled products. To ensure that all employees understand the importance of buying recycled, Bank of America implemented the “Make it Second Nature” campaign to educate staff about the company’s waste reduction goals and encourage them to purchase recycled products.
Disneyland Resort
Located in Anaheim, California, Disneyland® Resort is a popular tourist destination employing 20,000 Cast Members. The Disneyland® Resort has implemented many environmentally friendly programs that range from a measurement system which tracks its waste reduction and donation efforts to a toner cartridge return program. Additionally, the Resort recycled more than 5,200 tons of material in 2000, including rubber, food, wood, leaves and brush, glass, metals, plastics, corrugated packaging, and paper. The Resort also purchased furniture made from 100 percent recycled HDPE plastic for its out-door guest areas, including benches, picnic tables, and kraft tables.
Kinko’s, Inc.
Kinko’s, an office services provider headquartered in Ventura, California, developed a company-wide intranet system to distribute memoranda and training materials to all branch locations. In addition, the company implemented a paperless invoicing system for its major vendors. Kinko’s also leases 92 percent of its copiers and printers and 82 percent of its computers and finishing equipment, which lessens the environmental burden typically associated with end-of-life electronics equipment. The company also returns used toner cartridges to the manufacturer, where they are refilled and resold to Kinko’s at a reduced rate. With 85 percent of its branches participating, Kinko’s recycled more than 6,000 tons of paper in 2000. Furthermore, the company purchased more than 6,500 tons of recycled-content paper and 2,000 tons of recycled packaging.
Target Corporation
Target Stores, a retail titan headquartered in Minneapolis, operates an ambitious and innovative waste reduction program. For example, Target donates leftover food from its corporate cafeteria and the restaurant in a nearby store to a local hog farm. Other donation efforts include a program to give used desktop computers to churches, hospitals, and community centers. Target also works to reduce plastic hanger waste by conducting a closed-loop hanger reuse program within its retail stores and recycling damaged hangers. Even more impressively, Target works with its suppliers to ensure that 99 percent of all clothing and 95 percent of all shoes arrive at the store with no excess packaging. Additionally, the company expanded its paperless operating environment by sharing sales and inventory reports, in-stock data, purchase orders, invoices, accounts payable information, and newsletters electronically. The company collected more than 2.5 million tons of material, chiefly corrugated packaging, for recycling. Target also purchased recycled-content products, including anti-fatigue floor mats for cashiers made from recycled tires, 30 percent postconsumer fiber paper for printing brochures and training manuals, overhead store signs made from recycled paper and corrugated material, and shoe boxes made from 80 to 100 percent recycled-content paper.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company manages a theme park, studios, and other attractions near Anaheim, California, and employs 37,500 people. Disney decreased paper usage and saved $25,000 in 2000 by ordering office supplies electronically instead of by fax. Disney also saved more than $150,000 by establishing a company-wide return program for toner cartridges. In addition, the company commissary implemented a policy of using salad bar plates for dine-in meals and using disposable packaging only for take-out orders. Walt Disney Studios also maintains a database that lists all reusable sets and props to facilitate sharing these materials, while the lighting department donates used lighting gels to the Los Angeles Children’s Museum for art projects such as kaleidoscopes and imitation stained glass. The company collected more than 4,000 tons of recyclable materials, including plastics, wood, mixed paper, and corrugated packaging. Disney’s buying recycled activities included testing rechargeable batteries and recycled glass coffee mugs, increasing the percentage of recycled material in printer and copier paper, and working with its office products supplier to track the purchase of recycled-content items.
The Walt Disney World Company
The Walt Disney World Company, located in Orlando, Florida, is a good neighbor, reaching out to the surrounding community by donating surplus materials for reuse. The company donated more than 10 tons of office supplies to local schools and delivered 200 tons of prepared food to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Disney also reduced its use of plastic bubble wrap by switching to recyclable paper packaging. In addition, the company recycled more than 5,000 tons of materials, including metals, plastics, polystyrene packaging materials, and paper. Furthermore, the company developed a system to track its recycled-content purchasing and continued educating employees about the importance of buying recycled.
Eastman Kodak Company
Eastman Kodak Company, headquartered in Rochester, New York, conserved 2,300 tons of cameras by increasing returns of its FUNSAVER cameras, allowing more parts to be reused for manufacturing of new cameras. Kodak also reused 31,500 tons of asphalt from construction and demolition projects as a conventional aggregate in road and building construction, saving $2 million.
McDonald’s Corporation
McDonald’s, headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois, continually works to reduce the weight, volume, and environmental impact of its packaging materials and explores new packaging alternatives. Switching to lighter weight packaging for two of the company’s sandwiches conserved 3,200 tons of boxboard containers and saved $3.6 million. The company also led the way in promoting the “buy recycled” message by spending $300 million on more than 300,000 tons of recycled-content materials in 1999.
Motorola, Inc.
Motorola, a major electronics equipment manufacturer with facilities located in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, New York, Iowa, Florida, and Arizona, conserved more than 500 tons of waste through activities such as: switching to reusable plastic packaging, working with suppliers to take back plastic packaging materials for reuse, and reducing the disposable corrugated packaging used to ship products to customers. The company also conserved 72 tons of mixed plastics by collecting clean room booties, gloves, product packaging, and wafer boxes for reprocessing and reuse.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Even with 23,000 employees and multiple subsidiaries, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. operates its WasteWise program as easily as enjoying a cold beverage on a hot summer day. Anheuser-Busch’s waste reduction program includes its breweries, theme parks, aluminum can manufacturer, agriculture operations, transportation outfits, recycling corporation, and other subsidiaries. Since 1994, when Anheuser-Busch joined as a Charter Partner, the company has been particularly successful with its composting activities. In 2001, Busch Agricultural Resources composted more than 325,000 tons of farm materials, and Busch Entertainment Theme Parks composted 4,200 tons of yard and animal stable waste for reuse in the parks for landscaping projects. Likewise, the breweries reused 5,450 tons of spent beechwood chips, a byproduct of the brewing process, as compost and mulch.
Other waste prevention activities at Anheuser-Busch include lightweighting cans to save 465 tons of aluminum, having phone books available on the company’s Intranet, saving approximately 4 tons of materials, and converting 300 hard-copy forms to an electronic format used by approximately 5,000 employees. Of course, Anheuser-Busch also achieved impressive results from its recycling collection efforts, totaling more than 2 million tons!
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company made strides in its waste reduction activities in 2001 by working with employees to educate them on being environmentally conscious, even when eating at Disney’s commissaries. Disney posts signs asking employees and guests to minimize their use of disposables and to take only the condiments that they need. In addition, employees are encouraged to use reusable beverage mugs which are available for purchase at the commissary. A discounted beverage refill is offered as an incentive. These processes have helped minimize the waste created at the commissaries, and the company continues to work closely with staff to evaluate other waste minimization activities.
The Walt Disney Company also recognized the benefit of reusing materials and equipment. The company worked with its various facilities and warehouses to clean out unwanted inventory and supplies including computers, electronics, scrap metals, wood, paint, and videotapes. Employees distributed these items internally, donated the usable leftovers, and recycled the rest, diverting more than 90 tons from the landfill.
Disney even looked into greener ways to send its annual holiday cards. As Disney transitions from mailing the cards, envelopes, and inserts to sending cards electronically, the company reduced its paper use by more than 6 tons, and saved more than $100,000 in purchasing and related activities! The company also worked with its office supply company to conduct electronic ordering and billing, saving $156,000 in incentives and rebates.
Bank of America
Bank of America brings environmental consciousness right under its employees’ feet. In 2001, it began purchasing new products with recycled content, including carpeting for a new office building. By working with an office carpeting manufacturer and explaining its environmental concerns, Bank of America purchased carpet made of nylon face containing 82 percent recycled content and carpet backing containing 100 percent recycled materials. Furthermore, Bank of America partnered with DuPont to take back and recycle old carpeting. The recycled carpet is used in a variety of products including carpet cushion, sod reinforcement, and even automobile parts!
Bank of America’s 40 environmental network teams enable the bank to achieve impressive environmental results. On an ongoing basis, the teams provide employees with resources on environmental issues via a Web site, a monthly newsletter, and various events. Its office supply cleanup day, during which employees collected excess office supplies and arranged them in central supply rooms, was one of the many successful activities in 2001. During the day, employees also gathered old office equipment for refurbishment or donation to local nonprofit organizations. Throughout the year, many offices also participated in donate-a-phone programs, through which they collected hundreds of cellular phones and accessories for donation to victims of domestic violence.
Bank of America also began a new waste reduction campaign. By educating its employees to incorporate waste prevention activities into their daily tasks, the company saw a reduction in the numbers of forms used, a reduction in copying, and an increase in the development of online tools for employees. The bank also eliminated nearly 23 tons of paper use by subscribing to online magazines and newspapers, and partnered with Compaq in a computer take-back program that refreshes the computers every three years.
Eastman Kodak Company
In 2001, Eastman Kodak Company found innovative ways to help amplify waste reduction efforts. Because Kodak continued to educate film processors on the recyclability of Kodak’s one-time-use cameras, customer returns of cameras increased allowing the company to remanufacture
these additional returns. This activity prevented 1,800 tons of plastic and 1,400 tons of printed circuit boards from entering the waste stream. Altogether, the company reused and recycled more than 110 million cameras!
Kodak also found various ways to reuse internal wastes. In 2001, the company distributed more than 850 tons of furniture and electrical equipment for reuse. Through various onsite construction and demolition projects, it harvested and reused more than 11,000 tons of concrete, asphalt, and brick. It also continued its film container recycling program, which collected more than 370 million canisters in 2001 alone.
Kodak also continues to reinforce its commitment to buy products with recycled content. The company works with its suppliers to help them better understand Kodak’s standards to promote life-cycle thinking, waste minimizing, and using products with recycled content. In 2001, Kodak
spent $24 million on supplies with recycled content.
General Motors Corporation
In 2001, General Motors Corporation (GM) completed the development of one of its newest 4x4 vehicles—the Hummer H2—one of the most environmentally friendly all-terrain vehicles currently cruising into the market. The environmental craze about GM’s work on this vehicle isn’t how it looks or how much power is under the hood—it’s about the fact that the Hummer H2 is among one of the most recyclable vehicles ever manufactured! GM marked nearly 5,000 tons of the vehicles’ molded plastic for recycling, which will ease the recovery process when the vehicle has reached the end of its life. Among other developments, GM produced radiator side air baffles that consist of 70 percent postconsumer recycled materials, using 12.5 tons of rubber from used tires!
GM’s 2002 midsize sport utility vehicles—the Trailblazer, Envoy, and Bravada—got high marks in waste prevention and recycling as well. Engineers decreased the amount of waste produced during manufacturing, by an estimated 2,000 tons annually. Plus, GM used nearly 4,000 recycled
tires to produce the radiator side air baffles, which not only helps with waste reduction, but also makes GM’s midsize SUVs more fuel efficient.
GM is also an industry leader in vehicle disassembly for recycling. In 2001, the company was the first auto manufacturer to make its vehicle disassembly information readily available via the Internet. GM continues to post more end-of-life vehicle manuals as they are produced to provide dismantlers with information on recyclable vehicle parts.
Disneyland Resort
When The Disneyland Resort evaluated its waste reduction successes, the resort found that it diverted more than 37 percent of its wastes! This success, however, didn’t stop these environmental superstars. The Disneyland Resort (located in Anaheim, California) is evaluating opportunities that have the potential to reduce waste generation by an additional 30 percent.
The company’s main administration building houses more than 1,100 employees, so it was a perfect location to establish office supply reuse centers. The resort also expanded its employee outreach program, which increased participation in a videotape return and reuse program— diverting approximately 650 pounds of videotapes from landfills. It also established a program to reuse usable alkaline batteries. The program focused on the departments that, because of operational requirements, generate batteries that can still be used in other applications. Through the program, staff redistributed these still powerful batteries to other business units and employees.
The Disneyland Resort also continued activities to recycle and buy recycled materials. In 2001, the resort recycled more than 2,000 tons of paper and purchased picnic benches, craft tables, and a lifeguard station made from recycled HDPE containing at least 76 percent postconsumer materials.
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak, headquartered in Rochester, New York, sold 4,200 tons of coated paper liners for reuse as label backings, saving $250,000. Kodak also conserved 1,550 tons of plastic and printed circuit boards by increasing the return of its FUNSAVER cameras, allowing more parts to be reused for the manufacture of new cameras.
BankAmerica Corporation
BankAmerica Corporation conducted many outstanding waste prevention activities, from reducing the use of shrink-wrap to reconditioning and reissuing office equipment to paper reduction. For example, BankAmerica saved 228 tons of paper and $500,000 by using 15-pound rather than 20-pound paper ATM envelopes.
Bell Atlantic
With close to 25,000 tons of surplus or obsolete telecommunications equipment, Bell Atlantic repaired and reused defective equipment and sold marketable equipment for a total corporate cost avoidance and revenue of $24 million.
Target Stores
In 1997, Target implemented a new paperless system of making price changes and researching out-of-stock products. This project eliminated 200 tons of paper. Target also reused more than 200 million hangers, thereby eliminating 6,000 tons from the waste stream.
Verizon Communications Inc.
With more than 200,000 employees and millions of customers, Verizon is a telecommunications giant that believes in taking responsibility for managing the environmental effect of operating a global business. More than 3 million customers participated in Verizon’s online Paperless Billing Service in 2005, which reduced administrative costs by $3.7 million and saved $5.4 million in paper processing and printing costs. Verizon switched from a paper-based to an electronic payroll system, saving the company nearly $100,000 in printing expenses. Whether it’s through conserving energy, applying recycling technologies, or finding innovative technological solutions to environmental challenges, Verizon is committed to being a respectful, responsible, and positive influence on the environment.
As a leading provider of broadband and communication services, Verizon takes its environmental responsibility to its customers and communities seriously. The company’s corporate policies ensure the highest standard of actions that minimize waste, conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment. Last year, Verizon’s commitment to waste reduction impacted the more than 128 million phone books it distributes worldwide. The company offered businesses the option of receiving directories on CD, which resulted in Verizon printing 482,000 fewer directories in 2004, and reducing paper use by 888 tons. Verizon’s nationwide recycling programs have helped to recycle more than 104,000 tons of material.
Verizon, a telecommunications giant headquartered in New York, takes advantage of technology to reduce waste. The company saved more than $4 million by encouraging its 260,000 employees to use the company intranet to obtain training and personnel information. The company also posted its phone directory and forms online and used electronic purchase orders and invoices. In addition, the company repaired, reused, or sold more than $60 million worth of specialized telecommunications equipment salvaged from maintenance and upgrade efforts. Verizon generated additional revenue of more than $27 million by collecting recyclable materials, including corrugated packaging, paper, plastics, metals, and wood. In addition, Verizon, the world’s largest publisher of directory information, prints its telephone books using a minimum of 40 percent postconsumer content paper. Furthermore, Verizon implemented a new contract with its office products supplier that encourages the purchase of recycled-content office items and provides a tracking mechanism for these purchases. During 2000, Verizon spent more than $1 million on recycled-content office supplies under this contract. The company is currently developing a policy governing the return and refurbishment of wireless telephones throughout its area.
Verizon provides electronic opportunities for its employees and customers to become environmental stewards. The company promoted the use of its online forms, training, and personnel information, which allowed employees to decrease office paper use by 1,300 tons, saving the company $2.7 million dollars. The use of electronic purchase orders led to an additional 47.5 tons of paper reduction.
Verizon also supports recycling—from telecommunications materials to office paper. Nearly 57,000 tons of telecommunications equipment was either upgraded, repaired, reused, or recycled in 2001—avoiding $47.6 million in purchasing costs. These activities also produced more than $36 million in revenues for items and materials that were sold or recycled. Verizon’s office paper recycling program alone reduced annual waste removal costs by $1.4 million; furthermore, sales of 11,000 tons of office paper, previously considered refuse, produced revenues of $54,300.