Gunlocke’s green story can be traced back to 1952 with the installation of a Water Tube Boiler designed to burn process wood waste for energy recovery. To this day, instead of sending the wood waste (a renewable biomass material) to a landfill, it is used to provide over 50% of our total energy consumption.

Our environmental stewardship took a tremendous leap forward in the mid 1990’s with the introduction of lean manufacturing, cellular processes and a comprehensive environmental management system. The lean manufacturing and cellular process techniques we use serves to reduce waste and eliminate harmful solvents, enabling improvement of environmental performance and business performance at the same time —less waste equals less cost. The comprehensive environmental management system provides a set of processes, practices and tracking mechanisms to reduce our environmental impact as well as increase our operating efficiency.

“Lean” leads to “Green.” This simple concept is the basis of Gunlocke’s current green initiatives. We recognize that a vibrant, healthy planet yields the products we create and our future is dependent upon the commitment we make to sustain the natural environment.

Our strong commitments are supported by dedicated resources with specific goals and metrics to help us act on our promises. In the end, the real measure will be our accomplishments, and the lasting effect they have on our environment.

Sincerely,

Roy Green, LEED® AP
Director of Stewardship/Sustainability