TOLEDO, Ohio, July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Owens Corning
(NYSE: OC) today released its fourth annual Sustainability Report,
which outlines the company's progress in reducing its environmental
footprint, greening its product lines, providing energy-efficiency
solutions for the built environment and supporting renewable energy
sources. The full report and a downloadable summary progress report
is available online at www.sustainability.owenscorning.com.
"Our fourth annual Sustainability Report demonstrates our
commitment to setting and meeting aggressive goals related to
greening our products and greening our operations," said Frank
O'Brien-Bernini, chief sustainability officer at Owens Corning. "We
have made solid progress with our sustainability efforts and remain
focused on continuously improving."
Owens Corning is a leading manufacturer of energy-saving
insulation, as well as composites that are used in wind turbine
blades that generate renewable energy worldwide. The company's
products address a significant and timely challenge: Forty percent
of global energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions come from the world's homes and buildings, and there is a
growing demand for low carbon, renewable energy.
"Sustainability is at the core of our business. For decades, our
products have contributed to energy efficiency, affordable and
clean renewable energy solutions and durability in buildings and
infrastructure," said O'Brien-Bernini.
Results highlighted in Owens Corning's 2009 Sustainability
Report include:
- Continuing reduction of the company's environmental footprint,
accomplishing four of seven key goals ahead of its 2012 target
date
- Meeting with President Obama to discuss and support his
HOMESTAR legislation, a program that promotes the creation of tens
of thousands of U.S. jobs and encourages consumers to make
energy-saving improvements to their homes, including sealing and
insulation
- Converting all of its North American foam business to a new
product and process that reduces manufacturing GHG intensity by
more than 70 percent
- Launching a shingle recycling program that makes it easier for
contractors to recycle their asphalt shingles, which preserves
resources and keeps shingle waste out of landfills
- Partnering with a Kansas City
glass-crushing facility to launch a city-wide glass recycling
program, saving up to 80,000 tons of glass from landfills each
year
- Receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)
Gold certification in the New Construction category for its
Gresham, Ore. foam insulation
plant, the only LEED® Gold-certified insulation facility in
the United States
- Joining the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary
initiative bringing together more than 7,900 organizations
throughout the world that share a commitment to sustainability and
responsible business practices in the areas of human rights, labor,
environment and anti-corruption
- Ranking 56 out of 500 companies in the first Newsweek "Green
Ranking" of 500 of the largest publicly-traded companies in
the United States based on the
company's environmental performance, policies and reputation
The report also includes additional information about Owens
Corning's progress toward its 2012 goals for intensity reductions
in energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen oxide, organic
compounds, particulate matter, waste-to-landfill contributions and
water usage.
Owens Corning's community involvement and good stewardship are
also featured in the report. During the past year, Owens Corning
employees throughout the world committed more than 8,000 hours of
service to non-profit organizations, special causes and volunteer
boards. In 2009, Owens Corning was named to Corporate
Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens List"
for its commitment to excellence in the areas of sustainability,
human rights, philanthropy and employee relations.
Owens Corning's Sustainability Report is consistent with Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines known as GRI-G3. GRI's
Sustainability Reporting Guidelines set a globally applicable
framework for reporting the economic, environmental and social
dimensions of an organization's activities, products and
services.
About Owens Corning
Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is a leading global producer of
residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber
reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A
Fortune 500 Company for 56 consecutive years, Owens Corning is
committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions,
transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens
Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology
with sales of $4.8 billion in 2009
and about 16,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents.
Additional information is available at www.owenscorning.com.
SOURCE Owens Corning