Cummins announced that it had generated $2 million in savings from reducing waste and conserving water, electricity and natural gas, according to the company’s 2010 sustainability report.
The company said the savings were generated by reducing 8 metric tons of waste, conserving 47 million gallons of water, reducing the use of 1,000,000 BTUs of natural gas and 2.5 megawatts of electricity.
The company’ water use declined from 1.4 billion gallons in 2008 to 1.1 billion gallons in 2009, according to the report. One project Cummins pursued to reduce water consumption was the creation of a water cooling tower at a facility in Columbus, Ind. The facility had previously been using 500,000 gallons of water on a monthly basis in order to run its air conditioning, cooling, and refrigeration systems, and discharging the water into the local sewage system. The new cooling tower, however, allows the water o be recooled and recirculated, eliminating the need for daily water consumption and sewage discharge.
Landfill waste also declined lat year to 15,012 metric tons, down from 18,588 the year before.
Meanwhile, keeping energy use to a minimum during site holidays in 2008 and 2008 saved the company $1.2 mi and avoided the release of 1,900 tons of GHG. Cummins’ Energy Efficiency Team, which looks for low or no-cost efficiency opportunities, said it identified potential savings worth $10 million to $15 million a year.
Cummins is pursuing a goal of reducing its GHG emissions by 25 percent below its 2005 baseline by 2010. By the end of 2009, the company had achieved a 19 percent reduction, and said it was on track to meet its final goal this year.
The company said it has also met EPA guidelines on its production of diesel engines.
It recently agreed to pay a $2.1 million penalty and recall 405 engines after a settlement was reached over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, after generating its most profitable fourth quarter results on record, with a rush of sales on engines that did not have to conform to new emissions standards that took effect Jan. 1.
