Agilent cut its global water consumption by nearly 24 percent in 2009, from 1.074 million cubic meters in 2008 to 0.818 million cubic meters in 2009, according to the company's Corporate Citizenship Report 2009 (PDF).
Agilent also reduced the amount of waste it produces globally by 15 percent, cutting generated waste from 4,421 tons in 2008 to 3,762 tons in 2009. The test & measurement equipment maker also recycled more than two-thirds of this waste in 2009.
The company is also working on energy conservation, completing several projects that helped its Colorado Springs and Singapore sites to achieve energy-saving goals of 9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively. Projects include the installation of modern machinery, cutting ceiling light levels in half, reducing lighting system hours and installing Web-based irrigation controls. The energy projects at the two Colorado Springs sites reduced costs by $450,000.
Other Agilent sites also tackled energy efficiency. The Malaysia site, for example, reduced energy consumption from projects and operational improvements by 7 percent in 2009 as well as cut paper waste by 4.5 percent. The Roseville, Calif., warehouse cut energy use by 17 percent thanks to a high-efficiency lighting retrofit.
The company's net energy savings from project and operational improvements in 2009 were 3.8 percent, and on-site renewable energy including solar power installations reduced Agilent's CO2 emissions from electrical and natural gas by 1.8 percent in 2009, compared to 2008.
Agilent's Santa Clara's headquarters installed a one-megawatt solar power system in 2009 that generates up to 30 percent of the site's energy requirement during peak sunny hours. The system is expected to save Agilent $3.5 million in energy costs over 10 years.
Agilent is also making progress toward tracking and eliminating the use of certain substances considered to be harmful to the environment.
