We recently began a very exciting partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) called the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program. This voluntary partnership initiative will help us drive significant energy efficiency improvements, and we’re among 195 other leading manufacturers and public utilities partnering with DOE.

As part of the partnership, a large team of L&P employees recently participated in an Energy Treasure Hunt at the Carthage Wire Mill. They divided up into four smaller teams and then focused their attention on energy use, such as building lighting and equipment efficiency. They walked around the plant looking for areas of improvement and ultimately found 33 unique opportunities (14 of significant status) to conserve or reduce energy.

Theresa Block, Staff VP in Environmental Affairs, was excited to see the energy of the participants. “It was amazing to see everyone smile throughout the day and get so involved. I think everyone saw the value of their efforts.”

Activities like the Treasure Hunt are important because they help spur interactions and shared ideas. “We must continue to move forward and recognize the need for efficiency of our processes,” says Branch Manager Doug Thrasher. “If we’re cognizant of what we are doing today and how to improve it, then we’ll help impact the future endeavors of L&P.”

For our Environmental Affairs team, business as usual means “saving the world.” They collaborate with our branches worldwide to ensure compliance with environmental regulations and to build a companywide environmental sustainability program. Their work often exists in the details – the parts per million, the gallons of liquid, the kwh of electricity – but has big impacts on our planet and our people.

Our Planet

Environmental compliance for all Leggett & Platt branches around the world means ensuring that air emissions, wastewater discharges, waste handling, and chemical use and storage are in full compliance with all local, state, and federal government regulations. At L&P, environmental compliance is not voluntary or just a good idea; it is mandated by the L&P Board of Directors.

To support that mandate, Environmental Affairs works hard to provide our branch operations managers the resources they need to develop and maintain their site-specific environmental compliance programs. Continue reading →

Ruby Jones and Richard Weeks each have over 20 years of experience with Leggett & Platt.

Environmental awareness runs deep at High Point Furniture in High Point, North Carolina. The Leggett & Platt manufacturing facility, which produces a variety of furniture components, recently hit a milestone, becoming landfill-free – meaning it reduced its waste sent to landfills from 41 tons a year to zero.

To accomplish this impressive goal, High Point has basically made recycling a way of life. Everything that is recyclable is recycled appropriately, and things that aren’t go to a waste-to-energy plant, where they’re converted into fuel for kilns.

Building a better recycling program

High Point began its recycling journey in October 2009, when the American Home Furnishing Alliance started the Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture program and encouraged High Point to participate. By March of 2010, High Point had become the first supplier company to complete the program successfully. The branch found that, through the program, it could not only reduce its carbon footprint, but also save money along the way. Continue reading →