Throughout April, we’re sharing impactful tips to practice at home or work so we can all do our part to promote a greener future. By taking small actions together, we can make a big difference for our planet.
This week, we are sharing simple ways to reduce food waste!
Earth Day is a time to celebrate our planet and renew our commitment to sustainability. At L&P, our goal is to make Earth Day every day. This year, Leggett & Platt has much to be proud of – we completed and plan to share our first Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) inventory covering 2019-2022. Companywide milestones such as this and efforts at our branches contribute to our strides in reducing our environmental footprint.
Throughout Earth Month, we’ve featured a “Sustainability Focus of the Week,” where we’ve highlighted our sustainability efforts and shared simple yet impactful tips to practice at home or work so we can all do our part to promote a greener future.
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics. Did you know that by 2050, it is estimated that there will be more plastic than fish (by weight) in the ocean? Here are some ways we can all try to avoid using single-use plastics:
By taking small actions together, we can make a big difference for our planet!
Thank you for doing your part to make a greener future!
Throughout Earth Month, we’re sharing impactful tips to practice at home or work so we can all do our part to promote a greener future. By taking small actions together, we can make a big difference for our planet!
This week we are sharing simple ways to save energy:
Leggett & Platt Automotive’s Pullmaflex branch in Ammanford, UK, is doing its part to create a greener future.
Nearly 3 billion plastic cups end up in UK landfills each year, as the majority of cups cannot be recycled. To reduce waste, the team recently discontinued using disposable cups in their hot drinks vending machine and each team member received an L&P-branded reusable cup to use at the vending machine.
Congrats to Pullmaflex for their commitment to sustainability and exhibiting our value of doing great work together!
Throughout Earth Month, we’re sharing impactful tips to practice at home or work so we can all do our part to promote a greener future. By taking small actions together, we can make a big difference for our planet!
This week we are sharing simple ways to conserve water:
Mark Hodges, Manufacturing Engineer at Super Sagless in Tupelo, Mississippi, shared some simple ways he conserves water at home.
“One of my favorite ways to save water at home is in the shower. I changed my shower heads from 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) to 1.25 GPM. Not only do you save water, but you also save a lot of energy by not having to heat it. In addition to the shower heads, I installed an inline flow-control valve to turn the volume down even more. Another tip is to ensure your hot water source is nearby so you don’t have to wait long for the hot water to get to you.”
Thank you, Mark, for sharing ways we can practice sustainability at home!
At L&P, we are committed to fostering a culture that cares about our planet and providing sustainable solutions for our customers.
Our businesses are building sustainability into product development processes, and we’re designing products for improved durability, recovery, and end-of-life recycling. This year, we completed and plan to share our first Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) inventory covering 2019-2022. Companywide milestones like this one, plus numerous efforts at our branches, contribute to our strides in reducing our environmental footprint.
This month on L&P social, we look forward to sharing more around being responsible stewards of the environment and communities where we live and work!
We’re proud to announce that L&P Transportation is one of the newest partners of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay program!
EPA’s SmartWay program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency.
Participating in the program is the gold standard in the trucking industry. “We’re very proud of this achievement, which highlights our commitment to creating a supply chain that is built on sustainability,” says Jay Witherspoon, VP of Supply Chain. “At L&P Transportation, we care about doing what we can to reduce our environmental footprint.”
If you’re interested in more information about the SmartWay program, you can watch this short video.
At Leggett & Platt, we are committed to being good stewards of the environment. One of the ways we are working toward that goal is by reducing our carbon footprint and energy use. In 2018, we partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Plants program. The program is a national initiative to improve energy efficiency across U.S. industries, including manufacturing.
Since joining the program, three of our facilities have identified energy-saving projects through on-site trainings. We talked with Tamara Cook, Sustainability Director, about our partnership goals with the DOE Better Plants Program and the energy-saving projects across L&P.
What is our goal in partnering with the DOE Better Plants Program?
We voluntarily committed to this program in 2018 and set a goal to reduce our energy usage in our U.S. facilities by 25% in 10 years. As part of the program, the DOE provides free technical assistance to analyze energy usage in our U.S. facilities. Among other trainings, they offer Energy Treasure Hunts to help train a manufacturing facility to identify and quantify energy-saving opportunities.
What kind of energy savings did you find at the Carthage Spring Treasure Hunt?
In May, we conducted an Energy Treasure Hunt at Branch One (Carthage Spring) in Carthage, Missouri. Carthage Spring has an annual energy cost of about $1.2 million for electricity and natural gas. Through the training, four teams of employees from Branch One and other U.S. Spring locations identified multiple energy-saving projects, resulting in savings of approximately 10% of the overall energy bill—over $100,000! All projects would have a payback period of less than a year and could be implemented by employees at Carthage Spring.
In addition, Branch One is considering installing solar panels on one of its buildings. Solar panels would result in additional electricity cost savings and generate zero-emissions on-site electricity, reducing the Branch’s energy use and carbon footprint if implemented.
What are the next steps for Carthage Spring?
The next steps will include taking action and implementing the identified project opportunities. The Branch may need to modify policies, update preventative maintenance plans, and install or optimize equipment to sustain the projects and eventually see year-over-year savings at the branch.
Additional energy-saving projects and equipment optimization opportunities may still be identified through additional information gathered from data loggers installed on equipment. The DOE will provide a final report that summarizes all potential options for Carthage Spring in the coming weeks.
Are there plans to have Energy Treasure Hunts at other L&P locations?
Teams from several U.S. Spring branches participated in the Branch One Treasure Hunt. By participating, they learned how to conduct an energy treasure hunt. These teams can now return to their locations and share their knowledge and best practices to implement trainings and find their own energy-saving projects.
The DOE has regular application processes for the free Energy Treasure Hunts. Branches can also conduct a hunt independently, and the DOE’s website provides instructions on hosting an Energy Treasure Hunt. If your U.S. or international branch is interested in learning how to conduct a Treasure Hunt, please contact the Sustainability team, and we can provide you with these online resources and assist in coordinating an event.
Congratulations to the Carthage Spring Team and Branch Manager, Kile Lesmeister, for doing their part to be good stewards of the environment and working together to better our culture of sustainability!
Recently, our team in Japan challenged one another to do eco-friendly actions in honor of Earth Day.
Team members could choose to go paperless, conserve energy, recycle, and review their transportation methods. Once they made an effort towards one of the actions, they drew a smiley face next to it.
We want to say thank you to our team in Japan for doing great work together and caring for the environment!
