Local Businesses Honored for Environmental Progress
Jun 29th, 2010
Partners for Environmental Progress (PEP) awarded their annual Environmental Stewardship Awards during its 10th Annual Membership Meeting last evening at 5 Rivers Delta Center. The PEP Board of Directors chose as recipients the 12 founding participants of the By-Product Synergy Central Gulf Coast (BPS CGC) program for their environmental leadership and commitment to sustainable development. PEP also recognized Dr. John Steadman, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of South Alabama, for his guidance of the BPS Technical committee. Jim Backes, Hargrove Engineers + Constructors, was recognized for his vision to bring the By-Product Synergy process to Mobile to help create a culture of sustainability along the Alabama Gulf Coast.
In May of 2009, PEP officially launched its By-Product Central Gulf Coast project to achieve significant economic benefits for participating companies while simultaneously advancing environmental protections. Using a process developed by the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development, PEP formed a diverse network of companies to actively seek opportunities to turn one company’s waste or by-product into raw materials for another. This has resulted in “win-win” projects that will enhance the region’s triple bottom line, by providing, economic, environmental and social benefits.
The 12 founding participants have met in a series of workshops to review and analyze product streams. An experienced technical team, headed by Dr. John Steadman categorized, analyzed and helped identify priority potential synergies that would be commercially viable and environmentally significant. Action plans were developed to address technical, regulatory or other barriers.
During the PEP annual meeting, BPS CGC Steering Committee Chair, Jack Kimmitt, BASF and Dr. Steadman described the projects’ very successful first year as a result of the leadership of PEP, the participation of a variety of local industry partners and the creativity of the engineers, operators and managers who came together seeking innovative solutions. The cumulative impact of the BPS project is illustrated by the following results:
Implemented projects have resulted in more than $1,600,000 of savings for participating companies.
The BPS projects have diverted more than 18,000,000 lbs. of materials from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and other disposal sites.
The economic savings are the equivalent of 50 jobs saved or created.
An additional $3,200,000 has been injected into the local economy.
5,300 tons of hydrochloric, hydrofluoric and nitric acids are no longer going into waste treatment plants.
PEP Environmental Stewardship Award Recipients
PEP is proud to claim as members or partners all of the entities that participated in the first year of the BPS program.
The 12 BPS Participants
Alabama Power Company
Arkema
BASF
E. I DuPont de Nemours and Company
Evonik Degussa
ExxonMobil
Hunstman Advanced Materials
Mitsubishi Polysilicon
Oil Recovery
Southern Ionics
University of South Alabama
Veolia Environmental Services