Manufacturing Sustainably Isn t Just a Goal. At Aurora, It s an Ongoing, Daily Focus.

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1 Manufacturing Sustainably Isn t Just a Gal. At Aurra, It s an Onging, Daily Fcus. Here at Aurra, we care abut the envirnment and believe that wise, thughtful use f resurces isn t just imprtant, but is essential, t running a manufacturing peratin. That cmmitment t sustainable manufacturing practices was a significant factr in deciding t mve frm ur frmer plant in Aurra, Illinis, USA, t a new facility in Yrkville that culd be redesigned with numerus state-f-the-art sustainability upgrades. It s als why we ve spent millins n sustainability upgrades at ur new Yrkville, Illinis, plant and made a cmmitment t implementing ISO14001 as the framewrk fr an extensive Envirnmental Management System. We wrk daily t implement and upgrade ur sustainability prgram. But that cmmitment ges far beynd ur walls. In additin t maintaining glbally-apprved envirnmental prtectin standards, Aurra is als setting a sustainability standard fr ther manufacturers in Nrth America and Eurpe and sharing the lessns we have learned. As members f the Valley Industrial Assciatin (VIA), which serves manufacturers thrughut Nrthern Illinis, we ve begun sharing ur sustainability management ideas with ther manufacturing peratins in the regin and are helping them identify ways t save energy and water resurces and als reduce waste. We hpe t have a wider impact ver time as we share these lessns with thers in the US and glbal textile and printing industries. It s a big task, yet an imprtant ne. It s als cmplex, as yu ll see belw. But it s wrth the time and effrt we ve invested building a glbal mdel fr sustainable manufacturing. And it s anther reasn why we are prud t Invest in American Manufacturing. Sustainability Facts: At the new Yrkville, Ill., plant, Aurra has implemented (and qualified fr) the fllwing sustainability plans and certificatins: ISO14001 We began the planning prcess fr implementing ISO14001 in 2009 and are certified t the latest standard (ISO14001:2015) as f February The Smart Ideas fr Yur Business Prgram t save electricity thrugh CmEd (reginal electric utility) 1

2 The energysmart prgram t save natural gas thrugh Nicr Gas What is ISO14001, why is ISO14001 certificatin imprtant and hw is this gd fr the envirnment? ISO14001 is a glbally-accepted standard and framewrk fr establishing, implementing and maintaining an nging Envirnmental Management System (EMS) and is nw the framewrk fr Aurra s nging EMS. ISO14001 prvides a cmprehensive framewrk fr managing all aspects f an EMS. ISO14001 ensures the rganizatin has a cmmitment t cntinual imprvement, pllutin preventin and cmpliance with requirements. Aurra s EMS gals include reducing landfill waste, reducing energy cnsumptin and imprving waste water prcessing. ISO14001 prvides evidence and reassurance t ur custmers and supply chain partners that we have an EMS plan in place that we are fllwing daily at all levels f the rganizatin. Implementatin invlves all ur emplyees and buy-in frm emplyees at every level, in every department, as well as emplyee training. The natural gas and electricity cmpnents f Aurra s new plant were designed t significantly reduce manufacturing carbn ftprint. Belw are basic metrics that cmpare electric and natural gas usage at the frmer plant in Aurra, Illinis, and the new plant in Yrkville, Illinis. As a reference, Aurra relcated manufacturing peratins t the new Yrkville plant in 2015: New Yrkville Manufacturing Operatin cmpared t Aurra Plant Electric 10% reductin in electric cnsumptin in the new plant Natural Gas 50% reductin in natural gas cnsumptin the new plant This reductin in natural gas and electricity cnsumptin at the new plant represents an annual reductin f 4,134 metric tns f CO 2. That is the equivalent f 465,178 gallns f gasline per year r 4,523,015 punds f cal burned. Surce: Measures taken in the new plant t reduce electric and natural gas cnsumptin include: Aurra made the cmmitment t invest in and install the best equipment. Over $1 millin was invested in new equipment alne. New equipment included: Variable Speed Drives t adjust mtr speed t match demand (t prevent perating equipment at full speeds always). New higher efficiency bilers pwered by gas. A Building Autmatin System (BAS) that allws us t schedule equipment t turn n and ff autmatically thrugh a central cmputer, which helps reduce energy cnsumptin: 2

3 The Building Autmatin System ties varius pieces f equipment back t a server. This nt nly prvides real time mnitring and reprting features, but als cntrls and ptimizes the running and shutting dwn f equipment. As a result, this equipment des nt have t run lnger than necessary. Unit heaters. Prper insulatin. Heat exchangers that recver heat and then re-use that heat t preheat water fr the bilers and ther equipment. Untld manpwer hurs frm 2009 t present were invested in develping Aurra s sustainability plan. Additinal labr hurs were spent installing the equipment. Aurra replaced steam, which was used fr heating in sme areas f the frmer plant, with natural gas heaters thrughut the new plant. In the new plant Aurra als installed a state-f-the-art finishing Wide Width Range, cmbined and ptimized tw standard-width finishing Ranges int ne, and then recycled tw lder Ranges that were beynd their useful life by decnstructing them and recycling the metal. The new plant exclusively uses LED lighting thrughut the new plant, which is bth energy-efficient and lng-lasting. This als reduces landfill waste. The new plant has: * 75+ exterir LED lights and * 500+ interir LED lights. Aurra has made a significant investment at the new Yrkville plant in an advanced plan fr managing water use and water-based effluent. This includes: A pre-treatment prgram fr the effluent prduced frm wash peratins. The system is gverned by the Illinis Envirnmental Prtectin Agency (IEPA) and the Yrkville Bristl Sanitatin District. As part f this, Aurra adjusts ph levels and cntrls slids levels. This is a cnstantly evlving system and Aurra is cntinually lking fr new methds t remve slids. Meanwhile, water usage in the new plant is currently 50% less than the amunt f water used in the Aurra plant. This was accmplished by: Switching frm narrw rpe bleaching f fabric t pen wide-width bleaching. Cmbining the scur, de-size and chemical applicatins, which were dne in separate steps in Aurra. In Yrkville thse steps are dne simultaneusly. Implementing best practices t minimize water usage fr clean-up and prcessing. Aurra fllws specific US EPA and IEPA guidelines, which are nw easier t manage than at the ld plant. Fr example: 3

4 Aurra s Natinal Pllutant Discharge Eliminatin System (NPDES) fr strm water runff is easier t manage at Yrkville because all the manufacturing is under a single rf. Aurra installed new pipes and drains. There is als n bulk strage f chemistries nsite r utdr tanks, which makes management f chemicals safer. The air permit requirements are easier t manage in the new plant because the new equipment is s efficient. Aurra des nt use slvent-based chemistries. N slvent-based catings r finishes are used. Aurra used nly water-based chemistries at the ld plant and uses nly water-based chemistries at the new plant. All f Aurra s prducts are made with water-based chemistries. Is Aurra s Yrkville plant better fr the envirnment than, say, a plant in a cuntry with n similar laws and guidelines? Yes, and by a great deal. The Aurra plant perates under an EPA-regulated and apprved air permit designed t prtect air quality. This includes significant limits n vlatile rganic materials (VOM) and hazardus air pllutants (HAP) that might be released by a manufacturing peratin. The plant perates under a water discharge permit which sets strict standards fr the cntent and amunt f effluent discharged. This includes: Adjusting PH levels within specific Ranges; 24/7 system mnitring; Regularly cllecting water samples, and Meeting specific guidelines fr remval f slids. Alng with ph and slids previusly discussed, varius ther chemicals are always mnitred clsely. Treated effluent discharged frm a plant in the US, such as Aurra s, which fllws EPA guidelines, is significantly kinder t water reginal water resurces than effluent discharged by manufacturers in ther parts f the wrld in cuntries with n envirnmental enfrcement agencies. Aurra has achieved great strides in sustainability ver the past three years, but we als see ur sustainability plan as a cntinual and evlving prcess. Future sustainability steps include: Cntinuing t reduce material sent t land fill. Reducing electricity cnsumptin. Imprving the cleanliness f ur waste water effluent by evaluating and implementing varius waste treatment systems. 4

5 Cntinuing t evaluate the prduct life cycle f ur prducts and develping dispsal/recycling recmmendatins. Aurra s sustainability gals, technlgies and prgrams benefit yur emplyees, as well as the envirnment: All levels f emplyment at the Yrkville plant are invlved in ur EMS. Fr example, the hurly wrk frce is engaged and enthusiastic abut supprting effrts that prtect the envirnment and are happy t wrk fr a cmpany that has a cmmitment t sustainability. Our emplyees d nt want t harm the envirnment. They want t help it. They als enjy wrking in a clean, safe envirnment. Aurra s sustainability gals, technlgies and prgrams als benefit ur custmers: In additin t ffering prducts at a cmpetitive pricing, we can ffer an authentic and verifiable sustainability stry they can incrprate int their messaging and marketing. Increasingly, cnsumers are lking fr prducts made by manufacturers wh are cmmitted t using manufacturing prcesses that are enhanced t prtect the envirnment. In turn, many brands are lking fr supply chain partners that have verifiable sustainability prgrams. Aurra is a supply chain partner with a verifiable sustainability stry their custmers can cunt n. What are VOC s and des Aurra use chemicals that cntain VOCs? Aurra des nt use chemicals that cntain Vlatile Organic Cmpunds, r VOC s, which are cmmn in many slvent-based dyes and chemicals. Many VOC s are harmful t human health and the envirnment. 5