“ A natural fit with our emphasis on recycling.”

ESCO

The Story

"For us, purchasing Green Power Certificates is a natural fit with our emphasis on recycling."

Arne Lorenz, Safety and Environment Manager, ESCO

The Facts

ESCO Corporation is a manufacturer of engineered steel products for the global construction and mining markets. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the corporation has grown from a local jobbing foundry to an internationally recognized leader in steel technology, with plants in North America, Europe and Asia. ESCO’s B.C. facility, located in Port Coquitlam, produces steel castings for industry.

The Opportunity

Although most people don’t think of "foundry" and "recycling" in the same sentence, ESCO’s business is largely based on recycling. The raw material it uses is almost entirely scrap metal, making the company one of the largest metal recyclers by weight in B.C. ESCO even buys back its own worn-out products and recycles them to make new products.

It follows, then, that a company that makes recycling an important part of its environmental strategy would be on the lookout for other opportunities to demonstrate environmental stewardship – and ESCO did so by purchasing Green Power Certificates (GPCs).

"Ensuring that our electricity use is environmentally friendly fits in with our environmental health and safety policy, which commits us to protecting the environment. So for us, purchasing GPCs is a natural fit," says Arne Lorenz, ESCO’s Safety and Environment Manager. "Our parent company applauded our decision and our employees have been very receptive."

The Benefits

GPCs help ESCO meet its corporate objective of lowering its emissions. The company’s industrial processes generate greenhouse gases. By buying GPCs, ESCO reduces the emissions related to the energy needs of its operations and thus reduces its overall impact on the environment. Each GPC avoids greenhouse gases being emitted, and ESCO is credited with the emission benefits associated with its purchase.

For ESCO, demonstrating environmental leadership by purchasing GPCs has another benefit: it helps the company maintain a positive community presence. "We want to be operating here in Port Coquitlam for a long time," Lorenz says. "Purchasing GPCs is a way to show our neighbours that we’re good corporate citizens."

ESCO will take advantage of the opportunity to communicate that message at an open house scheduled for fall 2003. The company will present to the local community all the steps that it is taking to be environmentally responsible, including its support of green power generation.

The Big Picture

For ESCO, purchasing GPCs is part of a broader commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability. The company has been an active participant in BC Hydro’s Power Smart program for many years. ESCO implemented a complete lighting retrofit of the foundry building several years ago and recently replaced the motors that run its air quality equipment with more energy-efficient models.

Beyond its own operations, ESCO sees green power generation as contributing to the long-term sustainability of B.C.’s energy future. "Green power is an advantage to all consumers of electricity," Lorenz explains. "Our purchase of GPCs supports the development of the green power industry. The little part we’re doing will help green electricity get kick-started in B.C."

The Conclusion

In the end, ESCO’s decision to purchase GPCs comes down to a sense of corporate satisfaction. Arne Lorenz explains: "We’re not gaining monetarily. We’re not asking for recognition. We didn’t do it to increase our market share. We did it out of our own sense of responsibility."

Last Modified: May 8, 2003

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