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Success Stories – Automotive
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Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. – Gold Achievement for Community Involvement
Located in Lafayette, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. currently recycles 99.9 percent of the waste produced manufacturing automobiles. In 2008, the company began sharing its story to encourage others to take similar initiatives. To date, Subaru of Indiana Automotive has given presentations at more than 20 conferences around the United States, provided more than 140 companies with informational tours of its facilities, and launched a national advertising campaign on green manufacturing. This year, Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. also created an educational program that reaches more than 4,500 students in the Lafayette area.
Guardian Automotive – Ligonier Plant, IN
Guardian Automotive – Ligonier Plant, an automotive glass plant in Indiana, is shattering the idea that industry and the environment are at odds by integrating a comprehensive waste reduction program in its facility. Winning eight WasteWise awards in just seven years, the Ligonier Plant has demonstrated waste reduction success as both a partner and an endorser.
The Ligonier Plant is continuously searching for ways to reuse and recycle new materials. In 2005, the Ligonier Plant recycled more than 13,000 tons of waste and saved more than $360,000. This included recycling all unused glass cullet, which is used to make glass beads for bead blasting, fiberglass, or reflective paint for highways. The Ligonier Plant’s activities also have had a positive effect on operating costs, saving the small company more than $1.3 million since becoming a partner in 1996.
The Ligonier Plant is continuously searching for ways to reuse and recycle new materials. In 2005, the Ligonier Plant recycled more than 13,000 tons of waste and saved more than $360,000. This included recycling all unused glass cullet, which is used to make glass beads for bead blasting, fiberglass, or reflective paint for highways. The Ligonier Plant’s activities also have had a positive effect on operating costs, saving the small company more than $1.3 million since becoming a Partner in 1996.
Even materials traditionally overlooked for recycling have not escaped the Ligonier Plant’s meticulous waste reduction efforts. Thanks to its employee education efforts and detailed tracking, the Ligonier Plant has recycled approximately 80 tons of razor blades as scrap steel since its razor blade recycling program began in 1998. The Ligonier Plant sold more than 140 tons of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) used in the laminating department and recycled more than 70 tons of scrap polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Understanding that waste reduction can equal big savings, the Ligonier Plant became a WasteWise Endorser in 2003, and spread the WasteWise message to other Guardian plants. Including the Ligonier Plant, 10 out of 37 Guardian facilities in the United States now proudly call themselves WasteWise partners.