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DEQ.utah.gov -Utah Department of Environmental Quality

The Official Web site of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality

NEWS RELEASE
October 5, 2005

Contacts:
Bill Sinclair, Deputy Director, (801) 536-4405
Renette Anderson, Clean Utah Coordinator, (801) 536-4478

Clean Utah Welcomes Hexcel Corporation

(Salt Lake City) – Hexcel Corporation of West Valley will be officially welcomed as a new Clean Utah Partner today during a special presentation at the plant. Bill Sinclair, Deputy Director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, will make the presentation.

Hexcel manufactures carbon fiber and pre-impregnated tape, cloth and tow for the aerospace, automotive, construction, and recreational industries. Part of a well-known national chain, the West Valley plant currently employs 350. It was formerly known as the Hercules-Aerospace, Composite Products Division

Hexcel joins La-Z-Boy in Tremonton and Autoliv North America in Ogden at the Partner Level. ModusLink in Lindon, Park City Building Department, Red Hanger Cleaners, and Tooele Army Depot-North Area are Entry Level Clean Utah members.

To be accepted as a Clean Utah facility, applicants must first pass a compliance screen to ensure they are in good standing with local, state and federal environmental requirements. Those at the Entry Level work to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS), a continual cycle of planning and implementing then reviewing and improving processes that a company takes to meet its business and environmental goals.

With an EMS in place, a company is eligible for the Partner Level, where it actively works on projects aimed at improving environmental performance, further minimizing impact.

“Hexcel and its employees have worked diligently over the years to implement an Environmental Management System that has not only ensured compliance with environmental regulatory requirements, but one that has also significantly reduced waste through process improvements and recycling, “ explained Ken Bunkowski , Hexcel Site Manager. “This effort has been good not only for the environment but also for the financial performance of our business.”

Hexcel is now working on three environmental improvement projects:

  1. Reduce plant-wide steam consumption. Hexcel uses approximately 33.5 million pounds of steam annually. Producing it requires five million gallons of water and 3.8 million cubic feet of natural gas. Reducing steam consumption by 10% will effectively reduce water and natural gas consumption by 502,000 gallons and 386,500 cubic feet respectively. Air quality will also benefit from the decreased burning of natural gas.
  2. Implement methylene chloride recycling in labs. Hexcel currently uses slightly over 100,000 pounds per year. Recycling methylene chloride and using it one more time will reduce the amount purchased and the amount of hazardous waste needing disposal, saving the company money in both areas.
  3. Fully integrate the plant-wide recycling program. Last year, the company recycled 1.6 million pounds. This year, the target is 2 million pounds. This includes wooden pallets, rolls of paper and poly film, empty steel drums and industrial solvents. Usable materials will be reduced, thereby reducing refuse waste and non-hazardous waste disposal costs.

“We commend Hexcel for its compliance record and its desire to be a leader in protecting our environment,” Sinclair said. “We encourage others to follow Hexcel’s example.”

Clean Utah applications are being accepted through October 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 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 www.deq.utah.gov/cleanutah/index.htm or from Renette Anderson at 801-536-4478 or 800-458-0145.

 

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