Whelen’s Sustainability Efforts

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, take a look at some of the ways Whelen is working to create a healthier planet. 

This Earth Day, we wanted to highlight the efforts that we take to be as green as possible. Whelen embraces and practices environmental sustainability every day at our manufacturing plants. We recognize the importance of taking care of the environment and we find any way we can to make sure we are helping, not hurting our planet.

Whelen’s sustainability journey has been driven by bold aspirations and a comprehensive approach. Sustainability is and always will be a priority for Whelen. Our passion for green practices at our facilities is driven by the belief that how we treat our planet directly impacts our future.

Here are three sustainability initiatives we practice each day:

A Bright Idea

Solar panels are used at both our facilities, and we utilize motion sensors to minimize any wasted electricity.

Fun Fact! Our 323 kW solar panels result in a 1/4 load reduction at our CT plant.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Alongside traditional plastic and cardboard recycling, we recycle over 1 million pounds per year of optic-grade polycarbonate – either from defects or scraps. We also recycle our scrap metal!

Some other unique things we reuse around the plant include:

• Our hard coat overspray we use on products
• Internal packing material
• Winter parking lot sand

Warm Up to Sustainability

Our entire New Hampshire facility is heated by woodchips, helping to minimize our global footprint. We take all our access wood shavings from logging and turn them into heat, allowing us to use ZERO oil tanks.

Specifically, we heat 563,441 square feet of manufacturing space with processed wood chips, 2,091 ton of wood chips burned, reducing carbon emissions by 2,173 ton in the 2019-20 heating season.

We’re continuously identifying new ways we can make a positive impact on our planet. All the work we do aims to improve environmental health, not just for our customers, suppliers, and employees, but also for our broader global community. We are optimistic about the future and look forward to continuing to positively impact our environment.

Happy Earth Day!