The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) announced Ashland’s Calvert City, Kentucky, facility was recognized for its efforts and approaches to sustainability practices as part of the SOCMA’s 2020 Performance Improvement Awards program.
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Looking at the facility’s overall footprint concerning its sustainability goals, the Ashland Calvert City team focused its efforts on decreasing energy used at the location. To reduce usage, the facility considered many factors such as:
- Implemented technologies such as solar arrays.
- Switched to variable speed motors for wastewater treatment blowers.
- Defined timetables to identify and repair both steam and compressed air leaks.
- Utilized FLUKE Ultrasonic leak detectors for air leaks.
- Installed FLIR thermal imaging cameras to detect heat loss.
- Replaced lighting fixtures with LED technology.
The judges also noted Ashland’s efforts to provide 160,000 pounds of hand sanitizer to help support the fight against COVID-19.
“As the specialty chemical industry navigates the challenges of 2020, keeping a sharp focus on sustainable practices is more important than ever,” said Joe Dettinger, SOCMA’s senior director of compliance and stewardship. “Ashland’s Calvert City is an example of finding and implementing real-life solutions to ensure its operations are minimizing risks to the environment and community. The Calvert City team is looking for ways to reduce injuries, costs, wastes and downtime to ensure that the future business operation not only maintains but gains in efficiency, safety and longevity.”
Ashland Calvert City is among 19 facilities recognized in 2020 for their efforts in environmental stewardship.
For more information, contact Ashland.
