In its 2023 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says: “Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people.”
At Sloan, we’re committed to helping mitigate the enormous threat of the global climate crisis. And we’re pleased that our first ESG Report documents our extraordinary, company-wide efforts to do so.
In the report, Sloan Chief Supply Chain & Operations Officer Jim Cutler writes, “We stand at a critical crossroads defined by increasingly extreme weather events and rising global temperatures. At Sloan, we respond to this urgent call to action by first looking within ourselves and setting and aligning with ambitious science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets. These goals form the backbone of our roadmap to combat the climate crisis.”
Our report, of course, describes all our highly worthwhile Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives. Here, we’d like to focus on our practices that promote environmental sustainability via:
- Raw material reductions and recycling
- Energy efficiency
- Greenhouse gas and carbon reduction
- Water conservation
- Impact transparency
Raw Material Reductions and Recycling
In 2008, we became the world’s first plumbing company to receive MBDC’s Cradle to Cradle™ certification for our products. One example: The flushometers manufactured at our Franklin Park facility use primarily recycled content—approximately 80% of the flushometer, by mass and weight. These flushometers are made from a semi-red brass casting alloy, 99% of which is from recycled sources.
We’re also proud that our Andover manufacturing facility attained Zero-Waste-to-Landfill status in 2023 via sustainable practices such as recycling, on-site composting, energy efficiency measures, and responsible packaging strategies.
At our Augusta facility, we successfully recycle more than 4.4 million pounds of various materials every year, including pallets, cardboard, used oil, scrap metal, grinding dust, and machining borings.
We also use highly recycled materials for our packaging. Our cartons are made from 60-70% recycled materials, while our boxes are made from 100% recycled materials.
Energy Efficiency in Our Facilities and Products
Our current energy-saving initiatives include EV charging stations, motion sensors and LED lighting that control lighting automatically when areas are not in use, replacing mercury vapor bulbs with energy-efficient LED lights, and a high-efficiency HVAC upgrade. And our strong commitment to energy savings dates back to 2007, when we purchased 20,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy credits to offset the electricity consumed in our Franklin Park manufacturing facility.
Many of our products help commercial restrooms save energy, too. Our solar-powered, sensor-operated SOLIS® Flushometers ensure controlled efficiency with every flush. And our XLERATOR® Hand Dryers dry hands in 10 to 15 seconds, consuming 80% less energy than standard dryers and providing more than 90% cost savings compared to paper towels.
Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Emission Reduction
Our science-based reduction practices have us on-target to achieve a 42% reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 (manufacturing and power supply) greenhouse gas emissions by 2030—a target that aligns with the level of decarbonization necessary to limit global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius.
To further offset our carbon emissions, within our carbon neutral products we plant 2.5 trees for every flushometer we manufacture—and invest in similar offsets for 66 product lines. In addition, we are currently exploring ways to measure our scope 3 emissions, which encompass indirect emissions from sources such as transportation, waste disposal, and purchased goods and services.
Water-saving Innovation
Sloan’s first product in 1906 was a water-saving device—the first modern flushometer—and we’ve made water-saving innovation our top priority in our over 115 years of operations. Today, facilities worldwide save billions of gallons of water each year with products such as our ECOS® Dual-flush Flushometers, the Royal® Reclaimed Flushometer, and our waterfree and hybrid urinals.
In addition, our Bluetooth, Programmed Water Technologies (PWT), and Internet of Things (IoT) technology enable organizations to automate accurate measurement of water usage, helping facilities improve, report, and verify their water stewardship.
Impact Transparency
We are committed to the highest levels of product transparency, with an industry-leading offering of third party-verified, cradle-to-grave transparency reports. These reports document the environmental and health impacts of many of our products through their entire lifecycles, including resource extraction and processing, product manufacture and assembly, distribution and transport, use and maintenance, and end-of-life.
Currently, we offer these Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for 500 of our most popular high-efficiency products.
A Shared Commitment to Creating Positive Change
Our ESG Report also shares comprehensive details regarding Sloan’s health & safety; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; and governance & ethics initiatives. We invite you to read the full report.
Nothing describes our commitments to sustainability, wellness, and our communities better than these words from Sloan leaders Charles S. Allen, Kirk Allen, James Allen, and Graham Allen:
“At Sloan, we understand that the impact of our work goes far beyond the products we create. It extends to the health and well-being of the communities we serve and the vitality of our environment. Collaboration, partnership, and a shared commitment to creating positive change are essential to building a sustainable and abundant future. Let us continue to harness these powerful drivers, together with water conservation and innovation, to better the world for generations to come.”
Want to learn more about the importance of ESG criteria to Sloan, our partners, and our customers? Looking for support setting and achieving your sustainability targets? Contact Sloan VP of Sustainability Dr. Paul Sambanis.
1—AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023
2—MBDC Cradle to Cradle™ certification
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