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General Shale subsidiary wins environmental award

Words: Dawn HenningGeneral Shale’s stellar record of environmental stewardship is well recognized within the manufacturing industry, and a recent award affirms the company’s efforts. Arriscraft International, a subsidiary of General Shale, has been recognized by the Cambridge (Ontario) Chamber of Commerce with its distinguished annual award for excellence in energy conservation.

General Shale is the North American subsidiary of Wienerberger AG and a leading manufacturer of brick, one of the world’s oldest green building materials. General Shale is celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2013.

In the area of conserving energy, Arriscraft — a manufacturer of stone products located in Ontario — has reduced its kilowatt hours per 1,000 kilograms of material produced by 23 percent since 1999. Andy Hall serves as plant manager for the Arriscraft facility.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, and this is a good example of our employees’ efforts at our locations throughout North America,” says Dick Green, CEO of General Shale.

“We are very proud of our environmental stewardship. Technology has improved so that production processes require 70 percent less energy than in the 1970s, and our reclamation and recycling efforts continue to be a top priority.”

Each year, the Cambridge Chamber honors individuals and businesses that have made an important contribution to the economic and social wellbeing of the city. The Cambridge Chamber’s award winners for 2012 were announced at a special presentation in March.

The Environment-Excellence in Energy Conservation award recognizes a business that embraces sustainable best practices and outstanding programs designed to maintain, protect and promote a healthy environment. Specific areas of judging include energy use reduction, energy alternatives and/or the adoption, implementation or adherence to environmentally friendly business practices on a company-wide basis. The 2012 Business Excellence Awards attracted 56 nominations in categories that included environmental, entrepreneurship, personal business achievement, lifetime achievement, business of the year and more.
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