The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TGSP) has recognized DENSO’s Athens and Maryville locations for outstanding environmental conservation and vision for creating a sustainable automotive society. A recent article from the Tennessee Green Star Partnership highlighted key environmental initiatives at each facility, including DENSO’s EcoParks and continued focus on recycling, energy management and diverting waste material from landfills.
“Protecting the environment in which we work and engaging our community in a dialogue about environmental conservation are pillars of our business,” said Jack Helmboldt, president, DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee. “We pride ourselves on thinking of new ways to achieve sustainability and engage the community with hands-on learning opportunities that drive measurable impact.”
The article noted several environmental achievements at both Athens and Maryville:
- Athens successfully diverted 98 percent of waste material (about 3,868 tons) from the landfill, amounting to 7.7 million pounds of recyclable material; Maryville reduced landfill material from 2,928 tons in 2000 to 9 tons in 2016
- Athens implemented new pollution control technology to create a supplementary energy source and reduce overall CO2 emissions
- Maryville implemented an “ice plant system” in its HVAC units, reducing the cost of cooling by about 40 percent, as well as reducing maintenance and downtime, and eliminating ozone depleting refrigerants
- Both facilities engaged local communities at outdoor EcoParks around topics like recycling, litter prevention, pollution and composting
TGSP also recognized how each facility’s environmental efforts align with DENSO’s worldwide Eco-Vision initiative. Eco-Vision provides local facilities with a blueprint to achieve a sustainable automotive society, and the decisions to implement non-traditional methods and technologies to improve energy efficiency and waste diversion enable teams to deliver on that promise, according to the article. DENSO’s ECO VISION policy, which was first launched in 1997, has been in place for nearly 20 years.
These recognitions build on DENSO’s history of environmental accolades in Tennessee. The TGSP has recognized the Athens and Maryville teams as Green Star Partners since 2002. TGSP Green Star Partners demonstrate commitment to continuously improve sustainability practices across their operations.
