3rd Annual Report Highlights Improved Environmental Performance, Zero Waste Milestone
J+J Flooring Group, a leading manufacturer of commercial specified flooring, has released its third annual corporate sustainability report, the company announced. The new report, entitled Sustainability, Every Day, focuses on the company’s 2014 social and environmental responsibility activities, including progress towards the organization’s 20/20 Vision, a set of goals for the year 2020 focused on conservation, resource reduction and environmental performance.
“We have a long-standing and deeply entrenched commitment to social and environmental responsibility. We also believe part of that responsibility includes offering as much transparency as possible to our stakeholders,” said President and CEO David Jolly. “We want our customers, employees, suppliers and the communities we serve to understand the integral role sustainability plays in every aspect of our business, from materials and supply chain engagement to community service.”
One of the report’s most notable highlights is the company’s achievement of third-party certified zero waste to landfill status realized five years ahead of the 2020 goal. According to the report, as of third quarter 2014, the company had already eliminated the use of landfills by diverting all its Dalton, Ga., campus waste by partnering with a waste to energy provider and utilizing effective reuse, recycling and repurposing methods. The accomplishment is also a first for the flooring industry.
Other 2014 report highlights include:
• Diverting 4.2 million pounds of waste away from landfill.
• Saving nearly 16 million gallons of water through J+J’s Aquafinity water reclamation system.
• Reducing dyehouse energy use by 3 billion BTUs and using Renewable Energy Credits equivalent to one-third the company’s total energy consumption.
• Completing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Health Product Declarations (HPDs) for 100% of the company’s standard products.
• Achieving ISO 14001 certification renewal for the company’s efforts to minimize environmental impacts, including the use of innovative technologies, and systems and processes for reducing energy, water, air and waste impacts.
• Extensive employee volunteerism and community engagement, including support for more than 20 local, regional and national charitable organizations.
“Establishing and achieving key milestones is a critical innovation-driver for us,” said Russ DeLozier, director of sustainability for J+J. “But we are also driven by a greater commitment to conservation and responsible resource management.”
“It all comes down to ensuring that the work we do today and every day has a positive impact on the lives of the people and communities our company and products touch, and on the environment we all share,” he stated.
Titled Sustainability, Every Day, the J+J Flooring Group 2014 Corporate Sustainability report is available as a hard copy by request, or online at jjflooringgroup.com/sustainability. Previous years’ reports are also available online.