Kimball Office recognized as environmental steward
JASPER, IN– Kimball(R) Office is honored to announce that its two Indiana manufacturing facilities, located in Jasper and Salem, have been accepted into the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). The program recognizes companies for demonstrating long-term compliance with environmental laws and voluntarily agreeing to implement continuous improvements in sustainability.  

“It is an honor for our Jasper and Salem facilities to be recognized for their consistent and continual efforts with our environmental management system,” said Jeff Fenwick, Vice President and General Manager for Kimball Office, following a presentation by IDEM officials.

Kimball Office’s manufacturing facilities earned this recognition by surpassing IDEM’s environmental regulatory guidelines. Kimball Office-Jasper has eliminated 51,593 pounds of solid waste, since 2008 by encouraging vendors to reduce packaging use and decreasing scrap from its cut-to-size operations. Kimball Office-Salem has reduced its solid waste by more than 47 percent, or 218,420 pounds, since 2007.

To accomplish this, the company reduced its hand sanding processes, thereby reducing paper waste, and switched to an ultraviolet (UV) light-cure flat-line finish process that replaced the old-style manual spray finish process. Kimball Office-Salem also implemented a return-to-vendor process for inbound materials packaging. Employees at both of the Kimball Office facilities have been encouraged to look for additional opportunities to reduce waste.

“Kimball Office has certainly earned its place as a new ESP member,” said IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly. ESP members voluntarily eliminate waste, preserve resources and protect their employees and the environment. The ESP is recognition for going beyond the basic requirements of the law.

Rhonda Scherer, Safety and Environmental Manager for Kimball Office-Jasper, said, “This recognition is a tribute to the type of commitment and effort put forth by all of our Kimball Office employees to support actions that improve our environmental record and performance. Our employees have shown that good environmental management is also good for business.”

Shawn McCormick, Safety and Environmental Manager for Kimball Office-Salem, added, “At Kimball Office, our commitment to provide customers with the highest quality products is combined with the commitment to respect and protect the environment.”

To become an ESP member, a business must maintain an exemplary compliance record, certify that it has adopted and implemented an approved environmental management system, and commit to specific measures for continued improvement in its environmental performance. To maintain ESP membership, companies must report on their environmental initiatives every year and reapply for ESP membership every three years.

About Kimball Office:
A recognized leader in fine workplace furnishings, Kimball(R) Office has been building its reputation on quality and integrity of design for 40 years. Kimball Office serves the business market with casegoods, seating and systems furniture in wood and metal and in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary. A full line of products provides solutions to businesses ranging from multinational corporations to start-up companies. Kimball Office is a brand unit of Kimball International, a $1.2 billion publicly traded company headquartered in Jasper, Indiana.

Source: Kimball Office, www.kimballoffice.com
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