Fluor Corporation's normalized carbon emissions dropped 2 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to the global engineering and construction company's 2011 corporate sustainability report.
The yearly performance reverses a 2 percent jump that occurred between 2009 and 2010. The company reduced its normalized carbon emissions by 12.5 percent over the course of 2009, 17.7 percent in 2008 and 8.1 percent in 2007. As such, the performance in 2010 and 2011 represents something of a plateau. The relatively static performance highlights, Fluor says, diminishing returns resulting from continued efficiency improvements. Even with the upgrade of lighting, HVAC and computer systems, the report says "there is a base level of emissions" which is difficult to reduce.
The company's absolute carbon emissions rose 8 percent year-on-year in 2011, from 106 million to 114.8 million metric tons of CO2e. Fluor implemented a carbon footprint-measuring initiative in 2006, establishing a baseline set of carbon data from its offices, fleets and air travel. Since 2006 the company has reduced its absolute carbon emissions by 9.3 percent, from a 2006 total of 104 million metric tons of CO2e. 
In 2011, the company reduced its energy consumption by 13 million kWh and cut its energy intensity by 1.6 kWh per square foot of facility space. These reductions were the product of installations such as improved HVAC systems, energy management systems, efficient computer servers and the consolidation of office space, the report says.
The company's Houston office installed two premium efficiency chillers and five new pumps that saved over 1.1 million kWh of electricity, the report says. Fluor also expanded its use of the Verdiem power management tool, with deployment in nine more countries.
Fluor recycled more than 1 million pounds of assorted bulk materials, 94,000 gallons of liquids and more than 900,000 pounds of paper during 2011, the report says. Virtually all Fluor locations have active recycling programs, according to the company. At the company's Bagram airfield facility in Afghanistan, around 15 percent of all municipal solid waste is recycled or reused. This works out to about 55 tons a day, the report says.
The company's water conservation efforts approached 800,000 gallons saved in 2011, through the installations of such upgrades as low-flush valves, automatic faucet sensors, waterless and low-flow urinals and the reclamation of grey water for irrigation, the report says. The later was used at the company's Dallas headquarters and was "particularly successful" during the drought conditions that affected that area in 2011, the report says.
In addition to its own sustainability achievements, Fluor's environmental initiatives have helped its clients green up their own operations, the report says. Fluor implemented site energy assessment recommendations for Levi Strauss & Co. that have lowered natural gas and electricity consumption and saved over 8 million gallons of water. Energy efficiency work carried out by Fluor for Unilever on its raised floor data centers is saving that company $500,000 a year, the report says.
In 2011, Fluor made a "significant" investment in small modular rector technology company NuScale Power LLC. Fluor hopes that the company will bring "safe, economical and scalable power to the new-build nuclear industry."
The company used the Global Reporting Initiative's GRI level 3.1 reporting guidelines for this report. By self-declaration, this report meets Application Level "B," Fluor says.
In March, Fluor was named as one of America's 145 most sustainable companies. Fluor and three other companies were named in the "Engineering and Design" category of Ethisphere’s 2012 Most Ethical Companies list. The other companies in the category were AECOM Technology Corp, CH2M HILL and Parsons Corporation.
