Twenty projects initiated by Xerox employees from around the world helped the company make big monetary, waste and energy savings.

The projects were recognized as winners of the company's 16th annual Earth Awards. They helped Xerox save $7.3 million, eliminate 1.3 million pounds of waste and reduce energy use by 500,000 kilowatt hours.

More than 50 projects from 16 facilities vied for the awards, which are given based on innovation, direct benefits to Xerox, duration of the project and documented, measurable results.

"Each year, depending on which projects win and which are deemed the most successful...they are then communicated throughout the company and if they are applicable to other locations, which some may not be, they are often implemented," said Elissa Nesbitt, Xerox's manager of public and community relations.

The Webster Consumables Manufacturing Plant in Webster, New York, was awarded for finding ways to reuse or recycle much of the packaging that came with incoming parts, including 800,000 foam sheets, 200,000 pieces of tag board, 60,000 plastic bags, 57,000 corrugated cartons and 6,900 plastic skids

By using an alternative material for equipment cleaning, a team in Wilsonville, Ore., made the cleaning process faster, made it more environmentally responsible, eliminated 400 pounds of landfill waste a year and cut labor costs by $37,000.

A project from Venray, Netherlands, replaced an old chilled water system with one that uses ammonia, a natural refrigerant, which reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 130,000 kg in six months. The project is expected to also reduce energy use by 300,000 kilowatt hours a year and save $15,000 a year.

To meet a self-set goal of reducing waste by 20 percent, a Rio, Brazil, team replaced one-time use cloths with washable cloths, replaced metal barrels with reusable bags, started composting cafeteria waste and found a new use for the more than 10 tons of toner waste it generates, sending the toner to be used as product for roadways.

Another benefit from some of the projects was increased sales. A Xerox Canada team in Mississauga earned Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Certification for onsite print services sites across Canada. Several customers said the certification made the different when they were deciding where to print, and sales form those accounts totaled $12.5 million.

^{Logo - CC license by kretyen}