Positions Company as World’s Largest Industrial Purchaser of Renewable Energy
Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) today announced more ambitious sustainability
goals to reduce greenhouse gas and toxic air emissions, along with new
renewable power initiatives that will continue to expand the company’s
impact through sustainability.
“Owens Corning has a history of promoting energy efficiency through our
products, our suppliers and our operations,” said Chairman and CEO Mike
Thaman. “Today’s announcements reflect a continuation of our company’s
history of being a good steward of the environment.”
The key elements of the company’s announcement include:
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Executing power supply agreements of new installed capacity that
represent the largest wind power agreements reported by an industrial
company in the world1;
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Dedicating a 2.4 megawatt solar canopy at the company’s headquarters
in Toledo that is expected to supply approximately 30 percent of the
facility’s annual electricity needs, and offset the equivalent
greenhouse gases emitted from the commute of its local workforce;
-
Establishing new 2020 sustainability goals to reduce greenhouse gas
intensity by 50 percent and toxic air emissions intensity by 75
percent from its 2010 baseline.
"Our new sustainability goals are ambitious and impactful. Importantly,
they are made more achievable by these large scale renewable energy
actions and by partnering with leading providers of solar photovoltaic
systems to continue our leadership in this area,” said Vice President
and Chief Sustainability Officer Frank O'Brien-Bernini.
O’Brien-Bernini noted that the wind energy deal will:
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Generate the equivalent electricity to that needed to power more than
65,000 U.S. homes; and
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Support the wind power industry by enabling the construction of new
wind power assets, a market to which the company supplies high
performance glass fiber reinforcements for wind turbine blades.
"Our new greenhouse gas reduction goal is informed by science-based
methodologies that are designed to reduce carbon emissions enough to
limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared to
pre-industrial temperatures,” said O'Brien-Bernini. “We have taken an
important step in aligning our goals consistent with the scientific
consensus on what’s needed.”
Owens Corning's 2014 Sustainability Report and a downloadable summary
progress report are available online at: http://sustainability.owenscorning.com.
Specific information about the company’s greenhouse gas intensity
reduction can be found at: http://sustainability.owenscorning.com/environmental/footprint/greenhouse-gas/
Specific information about the company’s toxic air emissions intensity
reduction can be found at: http://sustainability.owenscorning.com/environmental/footprint/toxic-air-emissions/
About Owens Corning
Owens Corning (NYSE:OC) develops, manufactures and markets insulation,
roofing and fiberglass composites. Global in scope and human in scale,
the company’s market-leading businesses use their deep expertise in
materials, manufacturing and building science to develop products and
systems that save energy and improve comfort in commercial and
residential buildings. Through its glass reinforcements business, the
company makes thousands of products lighter, stronger and more durable.
Ultimately, Owens Corning people and products make the world a better
place. Based in Toledo, Ohio, Owens Corning posted 2014 sales of $5.3
billion and employs about 15,000 people in 26 countries. It has been a
Fortune 500® company for 61 consecutive years. For more information,
please visit www.owenscorning.com.
1 Based on global publically-available data collected and
analyzed by the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center
