KI Receives Recognition as Green Master
KI is one of a select group of companies to earn the designation of “Green Master,” the highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. The special designation recognizes KI’s dedication to integrating principles of sustainability into its operations while pursuing business excellence.
As a Green Master, KI has performed actions in each of the nine sustainability areas—energy, climate, water, waste management, transportation, supply chain, workforce, governance, and community and educational outreach—and has scored in the top 20 percent of all participating companies.
“KI has exemplified leadership in the sustainable business realm,” says Tom Eggert, executive director of the WI Sustainable Business Council. “There is great potential to make the contract furniture industry more sustainable and we hope others follow in the footsteps of KI.”
“KI is honored to earn Green Master status under the Green Masters Program,” said Norman Nance, vice president, environmental initiatives, KI. “Our commitment to sustainability and sustainable manufacturing practices and procedures are important to our customers, who emphasize good stewardship of the environment and want to do business with companies that share this commitment.”
While sustainable practices have always been a part of KI’s heritage, it has sharpened its environmental focus over the past 20 years and set more aggressive goals for the corporation.
Today, KI has clear sustainability objectives and metrics in place to ensure that it “walks the talk.” More specifically, KI has challenged each of its manufacturing facilities to reduce consumption of energy, water, chemicals, and CO2 emissions.
Additionally, KI has implemented a Design for the Environment (DfE) program that sets guidelines for the engineering and manufacturing of more environmentally friendly products. KI also experiences significant decreases in landfill materials due to its development of alternative recycling streams for items not typically recyclable, such as waste powder and textile scraps.
Last year, KI completed one of the largest energy projects in northeast Wisconsin, installing a 115 KW roof mounted solar panel system on its design center located in Green Bay, Wisc. Over the course of one year, the solar panel system produced electricity to the equivalent of powering over 530 homes for seven days and planting 2,300 trees, saving an estimated $15,600 in energy costs.