Corning Incorporated’s commitment to energy management and efficiency has again been validated.
Members of the company’s Global Energy Management (GEM) team accepted recognition at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® awards ceremony held April 20 in Washington, D.C.
“This award is an incredible honor, and a testament not only to our team’s hard work, but to Corning’s overall commitment to energy efficiency,” said J.T. Hufnagel, operations manager, GEM, who accepted the award on behalf of Corning. “Beyond the assurance that we’re on track, working with ENERGY STAR has connected us with resources and networks that have been invaluable in our energy management journey.”
This year marks Corning’s fifth consecutive Partner of the Year recognition, the EPA’s most prestigious award recognizing effective energy management programs. It’s also Corning’s third consecutive year receiving the award’s Sustained Excellence designation, reserved for those who achieve Partner of the Year status several years in a row and demonstrate outstanding leadership and improvements in energy management. Only a handful of manufacturing companies maintain Sustained Excellence status.
"Though this award is from a U.S. agency, Corning's energy management is a global operation," said Patrick Jackson, director, GEM. "We couldn't have done this without every one of energy teams around the world, who work together to ensure we’re putting forth the best energy management practices across the entire company. It’s this culture of collaboration that allows GEM to achieve such milestones for Corning.”
Corning’s GEM program was organized in 2006 to manage and conserve the company’s energy-use. The program added water management to its scope in 2010, and today, includes teams in every Corning facility around the world. The teams implement creative energy- and water-saving projects, such as integrating water recycling systems, improving process and equipment energy efficiency, and installing LED light fixtures and solar panels.
Since 2006, these efforts have improved Corning’s energy productivity, the energy output per unit of production, by more than 36 percent. This has led to savings of nearly half a billion dollars for Corning.
“Programs like GEM are essential to Corning’s operation, to our bottom line, and to our commitment to sustainability,” said Mike Donnelly, vice president, Corning Business Services. “GEM’s work with ENERGY STAR helps foster the wellbeing of our environment to keep our communities vibrant and healthy for years to come.”
