our operations
As the world's leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, we believe market leadership demands environmental leadership. In fact, environmental stewardship is one of our company's core values. Focused on reducing the impact of manufacturing operations across the globe, Carrier has set the industry standard for environmentally sound business practices and a commitment to sustainability across our products, services, operations and culture.
On the operations side, Carrier doubled sales but held factory energy use flat from 1997 through 2005. Since 2006, the company has exceeded its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by three percent each year. In 2009, two Carrier factories joined only nine others in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating for existing buildings—a fi rst for the heating, air conditioning and refrigeration industry worldwide. In 2011, Carrier's Monterrey Commercial Plant became the first HVAC factory in the world to receive LEED Gold certification and is the first factory outside of the U.S. to receive such certification for an existing building.
In 2009, Carrier factories in Charlotte, N.C., and Huntington, Ind., became only the 10th and 11th in the world at that time to receive the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building rating for existing buildings.
Carrier was among early leaders to launch factory energy reduction goals in 1988, and expanded to broader global environmental, health and safety metrics in 1997. In 2003, Carrier, as a business unit of United Technologies Corp., was the first manufacturer of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems to join the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders program by declaring and reporting progress towards climate change goals. From 2006 to 2010, Carrier reduced its air emissions by 60 percent and water usage by 30 percent on an absolute basis. Since 2006, the company has lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.
Carrier and parent company United Technologies (UTC) apply the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards in the design of all new UTC properties.
Carrier measures itself in six comprehensive categories.
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Product impacts
- Air chemical emissions
- Water use
- Waste generation
- Workplace safety
Beyond our operations, we expect our suppliers to embrace environmental, health and safety progress. In 2008, Carrier began to measure this progress with key and critical suppliers. Today, suppliers representing more than 70% of Carrier's spend have met our EH&S expectations.
In 2008, Carrier Montluel was the first industrial site in France to use 100 percent green electricity. Carrier signed an AlpEnergie 100 contract with GDF-SUEZ to provide cleaner energy sources for its factory in Montluel, France. The contract guaranteed that 100 percent of the electricity supplied to the site was produced from hydro-electric renewable energy sources.
