Eastman Kodak Company Thinks Green
by Michele Kadison
Yet another big corporation is on the green bus driving towards greater sustainability and eco-consciousness. Eastman Kodak Company has created a new set of goals to expand the company’s green mandate in its product line, operational practices, and social awareness. Though the company set up “responsible growth goals” in 2006, it has decided to go even further than its former expectations to reduce emissions while increasing its efforts towards greater responsibility in the marketplace.
So far, Kodak has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions and energy output by 40% since 2002. This number has prevented 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from penetrating the atmosphere. Kodak now intends to lower this percentage another 10% by 2012, which amounts to a 50% reduction since it began thinking about the repercussions of its ecological footprint.
Kodak also plans to ensure that all of its new products are qualified under Energy Star guidelines. This would improve the life cycle of these products from inception to eventual reuse or recycling. The company also is working towards assuring that all of its suppliers are assessed by the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition to make sure that their standards meet the same rigorous expectations that Kodak has set for itself.
The company’s progress is indebted to its use of energy-efficient equipment along with green-minded technicians, allowing for more sustainable design and manufacturing. Because of Kodak’s new methods of industry, the company was able to retire a 67-megawatt power plant in 2007, which earned Kodak a U.S. Department of Energy “Energy Champion Award.” Additionally, Kodak’s world headquarters in Rochester, New York was certified by Energy Star in 2008.
Digital transformation is also responsible for Kodak’s hefty transformation to a business others can look to as a model. Other examples of its growing awareness in the green marketplace is its commitment to a 70% reduction in occupational injury rate by 2012, as well as continuing to fulfill its employee’s expectations as a forward-thinking, sustainable, and consciously eco-aware company.
