HanesBrands, Winston-Salem, N.C., has received its 10th consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star Sustained Excellence/Partner of the Year award.
The company won the award for its continued success in energy conservation, carbon-emissions reduction and environmental sustainability.
Hanes was recognized by the EPA for its 2018 environmental stewardship performance, which has been published on the company’s Hanes for Good corporate social responsibility website. The company surpassed its 2020 goals, including: renewable energy sources that accounted for 41% of the company’s energy usage; a 23% reduction in energy use per pound of production vs. its 2007 baseline and a 2% reduction from 2017; a 36% decrease in carbon-dioxide emissions; a 31% cut in water use against the company’s 2020 goal of 50%; and an 86% diversion of supply-chain waste, or 107 million pounds, from landfills while working toward a 2020 goal of 100%.
Also in 2018, the company developed the capability to convert wastewater sludge to energy, retrofitted 10 facilities with LED tubes and improved water efficiency in boiler operations with reverse-osmosis technology.
“We’re celebrating a decade of environmental excellence with the honor of a 2019 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award because HanesBrands’ 68,000 worldwide employees have embraced environmental stewardship and actively led our energy-management initiatives,” says Mike Faircloth, group president, global supply chain, information technology and e-commerce for HanesBrands. “And we’re very proud to remain the only apparel company to earn sustained excellence honors in the EPA Energy Star program’s 27-year history.
“But we have much work yet to do as we remain intensely focused on achieving our 2020 environmental sustainability goals,” he adds. “We believe this effort and our commitment to be an international leader in eco-friendly business operations creates value for our company, our investors, our consumers, our employees and our communities.” — D.S.
