The Carmeuse Sustainability Award for 2019 was awarded to the Carmeuse Buffington, Ind., operation. The site won this year’s award for its outstanding sustainability efforts in a global competition of nearly 60 sustainability programs completed by Carmeuse sites.
A 15-person committee judged each site’s sustainability program in a quantitative and qualitative scoring process that reviewed various criteria including creativity, innovation, adaptability to other locations and impacts on sustainability.
“Each year, the scoring committee picks a project that best represents Carmeuse’s commitment to sustainability,” said David Swisher, Carmeuse Corporate Environmental Manager. “Sites are challenged to implement comprehensive programs that support people in local communities, impact the planet and promote prosperity.”
The finalists included 11 sites throughout the world, including Buffington, Maple Grove, Maysville, Port Inland and River Rouge in the United States. Buffington ultimately won the Carmeuse’s 2019 Sustainability Award for its Recycling Day program.
This program was developed to reduce both energy usage and waste going to landfills by recycling waste produced on-site. Buffington does not have a local service dedicated to picking up recyclable materials. To avoid dumping waste into local landfills, Carmeuse implemented a process with using a facility that transforms recyclable materials into fuel.
The recycling program reduces the site’s dependence on regular non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, while also serving as a perfect opportunity to teach local youth about the importance of recycling and contributing to a more sustainable community.
Carmeuse Buffington hosted a “Recycling Day,” inviting a local Boys and Girls Club for an on-site tour and lessons on recycling, sustainability and careers in science. The club participated in a workshop at the Buffington lab that demonstrated Carmeuse’s alternative fuel system and emphasized the importance of energy conservation.
“We are proud of the sustainability efforts at each and every Carmeuse site,” said Swisher. “This year’s finalists demonstrated commitment to impacting communities through positive, interactive programs. Carmeuse Buffington stood out because of the improved waste management of the site, while teaching the importance of recycling to local youth, inspiring a new generation to conserve energy.”
Carmeuse Lime & Stone is a leading manufacturer of lime and limestone and whose products are commonly used to benefit the environment by providing cleaner air, cleaner water and improved soil characteristics. Carmeuse products are diversely utilized across a wide range of industries including steel manufacturing, power generation, road construction, land development, glass manufacturing, water and wastewater treatment, pulp and paper production, and more. Staffed by up to 2,000 employees throughout 28 production facilities in Eastern U.S. and Canada, with North America operations headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Carmeuse not only offers products, but also value-added services such as technical support, application support, and logistics support to optimize our customers processes.
