installed one of the first wet dust collectors in the country on our foundry operations
became one of the first companies in the nation to begin the treatment of wastewater from plating operations
installed sophisticated ultra filtration treatment equipment to remove oils from machining and washer wastewater
began aggressive pollution reduction initiatives directed toward our production operations
pioneered the reformulation of molding sand to reduce the emission of hazardous air pollutants from iron pouring operations
eliminated the use of heavy metals in the paint pigments and plastic formulations
worked with suppliers to develop paints with significantly lower levels of volatile organic compounds by converting all paints to high-solids coatings
replaced spray painting with electrodeposition coating on our large engines reducing organic compound emissions
eliminated the use of chlorinated and ignitable solvents used in the cleaning components and in maintenance operations
eliminated the hazardous air pollutants contained in our high volume spray paints, resulting in better coverage and lower emissions
replaced the electrodeposition coating of aluminum with the application of an aqueous-based rust preventative
reduced TRI releases and hazardous waste generation by over 90% by the end of the decade compared to 1988
implemented iron plating of pistons in our Poplar Bluff facility, eliminating chromium, nickel, and cyanide from the operation
switched from corrugated boxes to returnable packaging for some of our engines
reduced emissions from our engine painting process by more than 80% over the decade
began a systemic evaluation of the indoor air quality at all of our plants with a goal to reduce employee exposures to oil mists by as much as 80% over the next five years
reduced the number of underground storage tanks across the corporation from a high of 72 tanks in 1988 to 16 tanks in 2003
further improved the spill containment and leak detection systems on all remaining underground storage tanks
began a process of eliminating hexavalent chromium and lead from all Briggs & Stratton products
saved 5.4 million kilowatt hours of electricity in facility lighting retrofits by Briggs & Stratton’s Energy Conservation Teams. In comparison, 556 average homes in the U.S. generate the same amount of CO2 emissions in electricity alone! (US EPA Clean Energy Green House Gas Equivalency Calculator)
achieved a 55% reduction in Hazardous waste (tons) per engine manufactured since 1998.
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