Dometic North America is working to reduce its environmental footprint with a new plan that targets net-zero carbon dioxide emissions and sustainability initiatives.
In Tennessee, the supplier’s RV-focused facility in Greenbriar is using renewable energy sources to offset electrical use. Access to hydro-electric, wind, solar and biomass power was made possible through “Green Switch and Green Flex” – a cooperative sustainability program offered by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Since shifting to renewable energy sources in March, the Greenbriar facility reduced nearly 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Based on monthly averages, Scope 2 GHG emissions – indirect emissions associated with electricity, steam, heat or cooling – are projected to reduce by 1,500 metric tons in the city’s coming years.
“As an outdoor company, we are committed to reducing the climate impact of our operations,” said Mark Nelson, a Greenbriar operations manager. “Sustainable practices are imperative not only for our business, but every business. We are excited to kick off these new initiatives and to have such strong support within our organization.”
The Greenbrier location recently received approval to construct a new water heater wash line, which will use recirculating waterjet technology. The line aims at reducing water use by 4.5 million gallons, waste water by 232,000 gallons and chemical use by 6,500 gallons annually.
In addition to the TVA program, Dometic’s Greenbrier site focused on CO2e reduction in Scope 3 areas – emissions from assets not owned or controlled by the company. The supplier specifically targeted truck use and capacity efforts.
“The team saw that historical utilization created opportunities for improvement that would not only improve transportation costs, but also drastically reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions from truck traffic,” the company stated.
Other green initiatives launched on this year’s Earth Day, including plant-wide single-stream recycling efforts. The initiatives aim at getting Greenbrier to a “Zero Landfill” status by 2023.
