Aurora takes path of sustainability at Yorkville plant

16 Nov '18

2 min read

Courtesy: Aurora

Aurora Group has set a new standard of sustainable manufacturing at its Yorkville plant in North America. The company invested millions in new equipment and state-of-the-art water-reduction and energy-saving measures. Building a successful business by doing the right thing has always been important at Aurora and this includes taking care of the environment.

The company launched a massive programme in 2009 to integrate state-of-the-art sustainability measures into the company’s facilities, operations and manufacturing processes. This involved investing over $1 million in new equipment, moving from the former plant in Aurora, Ill. to a new manufacturing facility in nearby Yorkville, Ill., and spending millions more retrofitting and redesigning the new plant with sustainability upgrades. It also involved making a commitment to developing and executing a comprehensive, ongoing Environmental Management System (EMS) that involved the participation of employees at all levels of the organisation, the company said in a media statement.

Today, nine years later, Aurora’s new plant in Yorkville is a global model for sustainable manufacturing. The new plant is ISO.14001:2015 certified. ISO:14001 is a comprehensive, globally-accepted standard and framework for establishing, implementing and maintaining an ongoing EMS.

The natural gas and electricity components of Aurora’s new plant were designed to significantly reduce Aurora’s manufacturing carbon footprint. This resulted in reductions in electricity and natural gas consumption that add up to an annual equivalent of reducing 465,178 gallons of gasoline or 4,523,015 pounds of coal burned.

The new plant exclusively uses LED lighting, which is both energy-efficient and long-lasting and reduces landfill waste. This includes 75+ exterior lights and 500+ interior lights. Water usage in the new plant is currently 50 per cent less than the amount of water used annually in the Aurora plant.

Other measures are being taken to reduce or eliminate pollution including programs to recycle water, reduce effluent, reduce landfill waste, and find additional ways to reduce energy consumption and water consumption.

Aurora is also helping other North American manufacturers learn how to integrate sustainability measures into their operations. As members of the Valley Industrial Association (VIA) in Northern Illinois, Aurora has developed presentations dedicated to sharing state-of-the-art sustainability management ideas with other manufacturing operations. (GK)

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