Purchase wind-generated electricity and carbon offsets for natural gas helps company reduce its carbon footprint

JESSUP, MD –– Tate®, a market leader in the manufacture of raised floors and airflow management solutions, announced it has eliminated 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions caused primarily by electricity and natural gas usage in its three North American facilities. Continued efforts to reduce energy consumption, coupled with the purchase of carbon offsets and wind credits, have helped Tate become a net zero manufacturer. As a member of the Kingspan Group, Tate is contributing toward the goal set for all Kingspan Group’s businesses to be 50 percent net zero energy by 2016 and 100 percent by 2020.

The recent purchase of 1,854 metric tons of CO2 emission offsets for natural gas usage and an additional 263,700 kwh of wind-generated electrical energy credits helped Tate achieve its environmental goal of 100 percent carbon neutrality while also achieving 58 percent net zero energy to reach Kingspan’s 2016 goal ahead of schedule.

In 2011, Tate announced it had purchased more than 11.6 million kilowatt hours of wind-generated renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset 100 percent of the electricity the company consumes at its Red Lion, Pa., manufacturing facility. The company recently marked similar milestones at its Jessup, Md., and Oakville, Ontario, plants. Combined with energy reduction efforts at all three facilities, Tate has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 7,950 metric tons annually since 2010.

“Tate takes environmental stewardship seriously, both in terms of the systems and components we choose to manufacture and sell and the manufacturing processes and facilities we operate,” said Ed Blazeck, director of operations at Tate. “The purchase of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets is just the latest in an impressive list of actions Tate has taken to eliminate its carbon footprint, while offering a  key green building solution for high-performance, sustainable and cost-effective indoor environments.”

In addition to offsetting electricity and gas consumption, Tate’s commitment to responsible, sustainable business practices is reflected in the following statistics:

    99 percent of manufacturing waste diverted from landfills
    4 million gallons of water recycled annually
    10 percent (or approx. 360 MWh/year) reduction in air compressor energy
    50 percent (on average) recycled content in products
    75 percent of materials used in manufacturing Tate products are sourced within 500 miles of Tate’s factories

In recognition of Tate’s efforts to reduce the risk of climate change through the use of green power, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the company as a Green Power Partner, joining a group of more than 1,300 organizations that voluntarily purchase billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.

Tate’s carbon offsets or verified emission reductions (VERs) are verified by the American Carbon Registry, and will offset 100 percent of the gas the company consumes in Tate’s North American-based manufacturing facilities. Tate is purchasing its carbon offsets from Renewable Choice Energy, which focuses on projects that capture and destroy methane, a potent GHG recognized by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a major cause of climate change.

For more information about Tate’s commitment to sustainability, please visit www.tateinc.com, read the sustainability mission statement and download the High Performance & Sustainable Green Building Solutions brochure.

ABOUT TATE®

Tate is headquartered south of Baltimore, in Jessup, Md., and is a member of the Kingspan Group of companies. Tate is a leading manufacturer of raised access floors and in-floor cooling systems, with over 500 million square feet of underfloor service distribution systems installed. Tate products provide high performance and sustainable service distribution solutions in libraries, laboratories, casinos and in office, education, data center and clean room facilities.