US Department of Energy Honors Shaw Industries for Achieving 25% Energy Reduction

The U.S. Department of Energy recognized Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw) for contributing to the $2.4 billion in energy cost savings cumulated by U.S. manufacturers participating in the Better Plants® program. Shaw was one of nine companies recognized for achieving its goal this year by improving energy intensity by 33 percent over seven years across 105 U.S. facilities.
 
“We are proud to be part of the Better Plants Program. Shaw’s energy reduction strategy is one of the cornerstones of our ongoing sustainability efforts,” said Paul Murray, vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs at Shaw. “We remain focused on reducing the amount of energy used to manufacture our products both to decrease the amount of emissions impacting our environment and to decrease our costs.”
Close to 160 industrial organizations representing more than 2,400 facilities are partnering with the Energy Department through Better Plants. Together, these partners consume about 2.2 quadrillion BTUs of energy, which is approximately 11.4 percent of the U.S. manufacturing sector’s total use, or about the same as the state of Tennessee’s annual energy consumption.
 
“When companies save energy, they also save money and reduce harmful carbon pollution,” said Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. “This is especially true in the manufacturing sector, where energy costs are often a significant contributor to total operating costs. Manufacturers participating in the Better Plants program, including our new partners in the water and wastewater treatment sector, are leading the way in showing how energy efficiency is a smart business strategy, as well as a smart conservation strategy that will help to protect our environment for future generations.”
 
Other companies recognized include 3M, Ingersoll Rand, Johnson & Johnson and Roche Diagnostics among others.
 
Better Buildings, Better Plants
 
The Better Buildings, Better Plants program is part of President Obama’s broader Better Buildings Initiative, which Drives American commercial and industrial buildings to become at least 20 percent more energy efficient over the next 10 years. The Initiative also includes the Better Buildings Challenge through which U.S. companies, universities, school districts, multifamily housing owners, and state and local governments have committed to reducing energy use across their building portfolios by 20 percent or more. “Better Plants” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Energy.
 
The accomplishments announced today are summarized in the Energy Department’s Fall 2015 Better Plants Progress Update, available HERE.