AIS

AIS reduced emissions from its operations and became the world’s first CarbonNeutral® systems manufacturer

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AIS is one of the top seven systems furniture companies in the U.S. Having received industry recognition for its lean manufacturing processes, the company applied this same innovative approach to its environmental program. Feeling a strong responsibility to reduce the emissions from its operations, AIS become the world's first systems manufacturer to become a CarbonNeutral® company in May 2010.

Objectives

• Demonstrate industry leadership by implementing an efficient, credible carbon reduction program.
• Promote environmental responsibility to staff and encourage low carbon behavior.
• Raise AIS's profile by strengthening the company's environmental credentials.

Program developed

• Commissioned The CarbonNeutral Company to conduct a greenhouse gas assessment of AIS's energy consumption, business travel, corporate fleet, waste sent to landfill, deliveries and staff commuting.
• Set an internal emission reduction target of 25% to be achieved in three years. In 2012 the company plans to install technology that will recapture and reuse the heat emitted from its paint line drying oven to generate renewable energy that will be used on site.
• Established a cross-departmental environment group to identify and implement carbon reduction initiatives.
• Reduced all of the company's unavoidable emissions to zero through three high quality carbon offset projects: Big River/Salmon Creek Forestry in California; Tieling Coal Mine Methane Capture in China and the Damao Wind Power project, also in China. AIS chose a global approach with their offset project choices to facilitate the move to a low carbon world.

Communicate

• Launched AIS's CarbonNeutral company certification to the industry and media at NeoCon.
• Educated employees with a presentation about AIS's environmental program which highlighted the cost savings that could be realized through low carbon behavior. The presentation was delivered to every department and was designed to be thought provoking rather than political, allowing the individual to make their own mind up about how much they wanted to be involved.
• Included links to carbon calculators on the company's website to enable customers, suppliers and staff to measure and reduce their carbon footprints.

Results

• Employees have embraced AIS's CarbonNeutral® program which is responsible for a noticeable shift to low carbon behavior. The program was implemented from the top down, but the staff are now the ones putting forward innovative ideas to save carbon emissions both at home and in the office.
• The company achieved positive press coverage across many industry publications in the architectural/design commercial furniture arenas as well as the environmentally focused media. The local Massachusetts media also ran the story in various outlets receiving strong support from the local residents.

As a company, we firmly believe that we have a responsibility to reduce the carbon emissions from our manufacturing. We decided on an offset inclusive carbon management program because it is an effective and immediate way for us to reduce all of our emissions. When we looked at companies to work with, it became very clear that The CarbonNeutral Company has the strongest integrity levels in the market.