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Sustainability

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Our Sustainability Update
  

OUR SUSTAINABILITY UPDATE


>News
 >Progress Report
 >Product Profiles:
    FSC-certified WoodWorks
    Linoleum Turns 100


    View 2008 Q4 Update

NEWS

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Greenbuild
Armstrong showcased our growing variety of green products and company initiatives to over 28,000 attendees at Greenbuild 2008, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. The conference theme, “Revolutionary Green” provided the perfect backdrop for our environmentally innovative ceilings, floors and corporate accomplishments.

Even our exhibit made a novel eco-statement: it was a real greenhouse that was donated to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society after the show. And, as proof that green never grows old, we kicked off the 100-year anniversary celebration for Armstrong linoleum, introduced in 1909.

Click here to check out the interactive flash snippet that features our ceilings products at the Greenbuild booth.

Headquarters Earns Energy Star…Again
Armstrong Corporate Headquarters Building 701 has earned the prestigious Energy Star label again in 2008, improving on our initial performance in 2006 by 22%. Building 701, from an energy consumption standpoint, performs 93% better than similar office buildings nationwide. This reduces our utility costs and delivers on our corporate commitment to continually look for ways to improve our environmental footprint while providing a comfortable, healthy place to work.

Click here to see Armstrong’s Building 701’s energy profile on the Energy Star web site.

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Our 22% improvement can be attributed to three elements. The first is improved equipment operating schedules, including optimized set points for heating, etc. Second is reduced chilled water for cooling and reduced steam usage for heating, an outcome of our first element. Third is recalibration of utility measurement devices.

Dave Eberly, principal engineer, Armstrong Facilities Management, says, “Building 701’s 93 rating is about as good as any building can get. However, we’ll continue to look at how we operate and make improvements when they make sense.”

The Energy Star label is the mark of superior energy performance and identifies a building as one of the most efficient in the nation. In addition to the Energy Star rating, Building 701 meets or exceeds American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for thermal comfort (ASHRAE Standard 55), indoor air quality (ASHRAE Standard 62) and Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recommended lighting levels for a comfortable work environment.

Jim Baker, director, Facilities Management, says, “The Energy Star label is meaningful in a number of ways. It reinforces our company’s commitment to reduce water and electrical consumption, and proves that we’re performing against goals. Plus, hitting these milestones provides a good benchmark to follow as we review our other building operations. We hope achievements like the Energy Star designation inspire Armstrong employees to be more sustainable at home, too.”

The EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy introduced the Energy Star program in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. The Energy Star is awarded to facilities that achieve energy performance ratings of 75 or better, on a scale of 1 to 100. Ratings are calculated by comparing buildings of similar square footage on factors such as location, energy consumption, number of occupants, number of computers and other equipment and hours of operation. Buildings must also conform to industry standard for thermal comfort, air ventilation, control of indoor air pollutants and illumination.


Granting Sustainable Wishes – Green Genie
When our customers wished for an easier, faster way to search, evaluate and document the environmental attributes of our commercial ceiling, suspension and wall system options, we responded. Green Genie is a new interactive web-based tool that
matches our products with your project's sustainable requirements. With just a click or two, Green Genie calculates a product’s recycled content value and regional materials eligibility. The tool also calculates LEED® credit information and provides customized, downloadable documentation letters.
 

Armstrong and Capita Architecture Collaborate
on Carbon-Neutral Building
Armstrong and Capita Architecture, the fifth largest architectural group in the UK and one of its leading sustainable architecture and design firms, brought together twelve employees from each company for a two-day workshop to explore the challenges our industry faces in developing carbon-neutral design solutions. .

Ceiling Recycling Program Update
Since its introduction in 1999, Armstrong’s Ceiling Recycling Program has diverted more than 70 million square feet, or 35,000 tons, of old acoustical ceiling tiles from landfills. The nation’s first and longest running program of its kind enables building owners to ship mineral fiber and fiberglass ceilings from renovation projects to an Armstrong ceiling plant as an alternative to landfill disposal. Armstrong even pays for shipping the old ceilings which are used to make new sustainable ceilings.

Click here to see the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program on TV.

To strengthen the effort, Armstrong has created a new consolidation network for smaller quantities of ceilings. This network is comprised of our certified direct contractors, Armstrong distributors, and outside recycling partners throughout the US.

For more information on how you can recycle old ceiling tiles, click here. The program applies to commercial renovation projects only.


Recycling Case Studies
Campbell University
Campbell University recycled over 100,000 sq. ft. of ceiling tile when renovating its new Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in downtown Raleigh.

Campbell’s Vice President, Jim Roberts, said the reason for recycling is the nearly 4,000 young people on campus who constantly remind the faculty and staff about the importance of caring for the environment and their future. He added the financial benefit doesn’t hurt either – the school reduces its landfill disposal charges and waste stream.

Campbell learned of our Ceiling Recycling Program through Southeastern Interiors, an acoustical contracting firm that has shipped more than 40 trailers full of discarded ceiling tiles to be recycled.

Pfizer
As part of ongoing renovations for its corporate offices in New York City, Pfizer, the world's largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company, recycled nearly two million square feet of ceiling tiles in 2008 through our program. That’s nearly 950 tons of waste that found a second life as raw materials for new acoustical ceilings tiles.

Recycling old ceilings, which can help contribute to LEED® credits, proves to be nearly as fast, and often less expensive, than the cost of handling, transportation, container and landfill fees. So our program has little, if any, adverse impact on a renovation project’s schedule and bottom line.



PROGRESS REPORT

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Energy and Greenhouse Gases
 In 2008, Armstrong joined The Climate Registry – a nonprofit collaboration that sets consistent and transparent standards to calculate, verify and report a company’s greenhouse gas emissions.This partnership will help us maintain the highest standards of accuracy with respect to measuring and reporting our greenhouse gas emissions.

We are on target to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 10% by 2015. In 2008, our CO2 footprint reduction was the equivalent of removing more than 24,560 cars from the road. The following plants made notable contributions to that achievement:
  • Our Pensacola, Fla., plant reduced CO2 emissions 5,000 tons by making our ceiling tile dryer equipment more efficient.
  • By improving its manufacturing process, our Mobile, Ala., plant reduced CO2 emissions 18% per square foot of ceiling produced.
  • Our South Gate, Calif., plant improved its compressed air system which reduced its CO2 emissions by 189 tons.
Our Ceiling Recycling Program has saved enough energy to power the average home for three years (45 million kWh); it has averted use of almost 15 million kilograms of CO2, the equivalent of driving a car over 119 million miles.


Water
Our Marietta, Pa., and Macon, Ga., plants have reduced water use by 16% and 5% respectively.
  • By understanding how water travels through these facilities, we found ways to reuse it. For example, instead of treating all water that moves through the manufacturing cycle, we’ve pinpointed exactly where and when water needs to be treated. The untreated water can be immediately re-circulated. This approach minimizes our need for “new” fresh water, and we aren’t discharging treated water back into the environment.
  • By using simple, but effective, measurement tools like water stream mapping and level controls, we can better manage our fresh water intake and minimize overflow waste. Our plants aggressively pursue recycling treated water that previously was discharged.
Our Ceiling Recycling Program has saved over 66 million gallons of water since its inception in 1999 which is the equivalent of more than six million loads of laundry.


Forest Management
 We support sustainable forest management practices globally, including planting trees to replenish what we harvest.
  • We partner with Hardwood Forestry Fund on tree planting and forest management activities that promote natural regeneration of hardwoods. Each project has a land management plan to ensure the highest likelihood of success. In just two years, these efforts will yield over one million trees in the U.S.
  • We continue to work with Tropical Forest Foundation to establish supply chain management systems and education and outreach programs with offshore suppliers.
  • Armstrong launched FSC-certified WoodWorks ceilings, the first ceilings in the industry with the combination of FSC certification, Class A fire rating, no added formaldehyde and 92% pre-consumer recycled content.



PRODUCT PROFILES

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WoodWorks Commercial Ceilings
FSC-certified/No Added Formaldehyde/Class A Fire Rating
Armstrong’s portfolio of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified WoodWorks ceilings is the first in the industry to combine the sustainable attributes of no-added urea formaldehyde and high recycled content (92%) with California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase l compliance and a Class A fire rating for the entire composite ceiling panel, not just the substrate.

Designed to help warm a space, WoodWorks ceilings are well-suited for retail, hospitality, healthcare, higher education and office environments as well as lobbies, entryways and conference rooms. WoodWorks ceilings are available in maple, light cherry, dark cherry and rapidly renewable bamboo. They can be ordered perforated, for acoustical control, and un-perforated. The panels can be installed in standard suspension systems and are tested and approved for all seismic areas.

High Recycled Content (HRC) Commercial Ceilings and
Suspension Systems
Armstrong now has the broadest portfolio of high recycled content (HRC) ceilings and suspension systems in the industry. Three of our most popular ceilings – Ultima and Cirrus - contain 80% to 83% recycled content . They can also be reclaimed as part of Armstrong’s Ceiling Recycling Program, a closed loop process that has diverted more than 70 million square feet of discarded ceiling tiles from landfills since the program began in 1999.

Armstrong HRC suspension systems contain 84% recycled content and Armstrong standard suspension systems have 30% recycled content and
the highest percentage of post-consumer content in the industry.


Linoleum Turns 100
Linoleum is the original green floor, made of the same natural materials today as it was 100 years ago: linseed oil, powdered wood and cork, ground limestone, resins and pigments, mixed and affixed to a jute fiber backing.

In recent years, architects and designers have buoyed linoleum back into the spotlight, after an almost 25-year hiatus, because of its style and sustainability. In addition to its renewable and recycled content, linoleum’s low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions contribute to better indoor air quality. Armstrong’s new, high performance Linoleum with NATURCote does away with the need to wax, and our S-761 non-heat weld seaming system makes installation far easier. Today’s linoleum is a modern-day trifecta: sustainable, practical and versatile.