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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2005
Contacts:
Renette Anderson, Utah DEQ, Clean Utah Coordinator, 801.536.4478
Daren Koldewyn, Autoliv Ogden, 801.625.4960
Norm Davis, La-Z-Boy Utah, 435.257.9304
(Salt Lake City, Utah) – Four companies have been accepted into the Clean Utah program, based on commitments to reduce or prevent pollution. They are Red Hanger Cleaners, ModusLink of Lindon, Autoliv North American Ogden Facility and La-Z-Boy Utah.
Red Hanger Cleaners operates 16 dry cleaners and one laundry service in various locations along the Wasatch Front with 125 employees. ModusLink of Lindon is a supply chain management company that employs 440. Autoliv North America Ogden Facility manufactures automobile safety equipment and has 430 employees. La-Z-Boy Utah in Tremonton manufactures upholstered residential furniture and has 1,000 employees.
“These companies have good compliance records and are committed to protecting the environment and being a responsible employer and neighbor,” said Utah Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Dianne Nielson. “We applaud them for their good work and encourage other companies to apply for the Clean Utah program.”
To be considered, all four companies passed a compliance screen to ensure they were in good standing with local, state and federal environmental requirements.
Red Hanger Cleaners and ModusLink of Lindon have entered the program at the Entry Level where they will develop an Environmental Management System (EMS). The focus of an EMS is on planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions a company undertakes to meet its business and environmental goals. Once an EMS is complete, the companies will apply to the Partner Level.
Autoliv and La-Z-Boy both have existing EMS programs. They enter the Clean Utah program at the Partner Level where they will complete projects aimed at improving their environmental performance, further minimizing their impact. As a result of their actions, less pollution will enter the air shed and more materials will be recycled, resulting in less waste being disposed of at the local landfill.
Autoliv recently started to recycle fabric left over from the making of airbags. Prior to recycling, approximately 4,400 pounds per month of nylon and silicon coated fabric were disposed of in the landfill. All of this fabric is now being collected, resold and ultimately reused for textiles. As its second project, Autoliv plans to convert a passenger shuttle van from gasoline to natural gas.
La-Z-Boy also chose a recycling project. The company has been recycling materials used in productions for a while but after completing an EMS, employees discovered there were other items that could be recycled. A plan was developed and the company was able to reduce the amount of trash it sent to the landfill by 7 percent, increasing the amount recycled from 2.7 million pounds in 2003 to 3.02 million pounds in 2004.
For its second project, La-Z-Boy improved the efficiency of its air conditioning system, thereby reducing air emissions.
The second-round of Clean Utah applications will be accepted through April 15 by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Clean Utah is a voluntary program designed to recognize and reward companies for taking steps to reduce or prevent pollution. Any facility or entity governed by applicable federal, state or local environmental regulations is eligible to participate, provided it has a good compliance record.
The application, instructions and program information are available on the Web at http://www.deq.utah.gov/cleanutah/index.htm or from Renette Anderson at 801-536-4478 or 800-458-0145.
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