CertainTeed Vinyl Fencing Plant in Buffalo, N.Y., Achieves ISO 14001 Certification for Environmentally Responsible Operations
(Valley Forge, Pa.) – CertainTeed Corporation’s vinyl fencing plant in Buffalo, N.Y., recently reaffirmed its strong commitment to environmentally responsible manufacturing, achieving International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification.
ISO 14001 standards were created to help companies minimize their environmental impact and achieve continual improvement of environmental performance. The Buffalo plant has maintained a tight focus on environmentally responsible operations since it opened in 2004 on a reclaimed brownfield site. Plant management has instituted a total production maintenance program to inspire employees to continuously search for new ways to make operations more efficient and sustainable. In addition, the plant was recognized this year by its parent company, Saint Gobain, with an Excellence in Energy Efficiency award for reducing energy use at the plant by 12.5 percent in 2011.
“I’m excited about our ISO 14001 certification because it shows the passion that our employees have for reducing our plant’s environmental footprint,” says Joe Begansky, plant manager at CertainTeed’s Buffalo plant. “Our employees are actively engaged in our recycling programs and are always looking for new ways to operate more efficiently and reduce waste. They’re the reason that we were successful in achieving this certification.”
Improvements made in the past year include the replacement of 300 light bulbs throughout the facility with more energy-efficient T5 fluorescent bulbs and the installation of motion sensors to shut off the lights after people have left a room. The facility utilizes 100 percent hydropower and incorporates a closed-loop water system that saves more than 372 million gallons of water per year. Through an extensive recycling program, materials, such as paper, plastic, oil, steel and lumber are recycled, rather than sent to landfills and incinerators as waste.
CertainTeed manufactures its popular Bufftech® and EverNew® fence, railing and deck products at the Buffalo facility. Offering long-lasting durability, the products are 99 percent recyclable, low-maintenance and do not require chemical treatment or painting. For more information about CertainTeed fence, railing and deck products, visit certainteed.com.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.
A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CertainTeed earned the 2011 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The group had total sales of approximately $3.2 billion in 2011. www.certainteed.com