Press release

06.29.2020

thyssenkrupp Elevator recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program with a 2020 Better Project Award

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• Award recognizes thyssenkrupp Elevator’s commitment to green building and improving energy efficiency as it reduced natural gas consumption on its structural paint line oven by 35 percent at its manufacturing facility in Tennessee
• The initiative also resulted in a startup time decrease and more than $31,000 in annual energy savings
• The oven is one of many environmentally friendly steps thyssenkrupp Elevator has taken to become a sustainability leader in the vertical transportation industry

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MIDDLETON, Tenn. (June 29, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized Better Plants partner thyssenkrupp Elevator for a 35-percent natural gas reduction of its structural paint line oven used to cure coating on elevator parts at its manufacturing facility in Middleton, Tennessee. As part of the DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative, the Better Plants Program and Challenge works with leading manufacturers and water and wastewater treatment agencies to boost their competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency.

The annual Better Project Awards are bestowed upon partners for outstanding accomplishments in implementing industrial energy, water and waste projects at individual facilities. thyssenkrupp Elevator was honored for its work with the oven that included building an enclosure for the oven and eliminating one of the exhausts to keep temperatures at a maximum. This resulted in a 19-percent drop in fire rating, one-hour reduction in startup time and more than $31,000 in energy savings annually.

Last year, the Middleton facility earned ISO 50001 certification for implementing processes to effectively manage energy use. In 2015, the manufacturing facility was certified LEED Gold for Existing Buildings.

“We appreciate the Department of Energy recognizing our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency in our manufacturing facility. Our commitment to our customers to provide energy-efficient products extends into our own buildings, and we will continue to prioritize health and safety in our daily operations moving forward,” said Kevin Lavallee, President and CEO of thyssenkrupp Elevator North America.

thyssenkrupp Elevator and other 2020 Better Project Award winners were formally recognized at the 2020 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit – a virtual leadership symposium – on June 10, 2020.

As part of the broader Better Buildings Initiative, Better Plants partners voluntarily set a longterm goal, typically to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent over a 10-year period across all their U.S. operations. DOE supports these efforts with technical expertise and national recognition.

“Better Plants partners are implementing innovative energy efficiency solutions in the industrial space that are cutting costs and energy use, and the Better Project Awards honor their leadership,” said Valri Lightner, Deputy Director, Advanced Manufacturing Office, U.S. Department of Energy.

Read more about Better Plants partner results, showcase projects and innovation solutions being shared with others in the 2019 Better Plants Progress Update.

In recent years, thyssenkrupp Elevator has also received the Alliance to Save Energy’s Innovative Star of Energy Efficiency Award, and was recognized by BuildingGreen as a Top Product for its work involving material transparency and LEED v4.

Last month, thyssenkrupp Elevator released its long-term carbon targets as it continues its mission to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) moving forward. By 2030, thyssenkrupp Elevator is targeting a carbon footprint reduction of 25 percent, and by 2040, thyssenkrupp Elevator is aiming to reduce its GHG emissions by 50 percent, for Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

thyssenkrupp Elevator has firmly distinguished itself in the world of elevator sustainability by becoming the first elevator company to retrofit existing elevators to achieve net-zero energy. thyssenkrupp was also the first elevator company to prioritize material transparency, publishing a Health Product Declaration as well as meeting or exceeding the most stringent industry standards, including Cradle to Cradle, the Living Building Challenge, and LEED.

thyssenkrupp Elevator is also the first and only elevator company with Declare labels as well as Bronze and Platinum Cradle to Cradle Material Health Certificates. On top of that, thyssenkrupp Elevator also discloses ingredients in its cabs and entrances down to 1,000 ppm per its Health Product Declaration, all manufactured in its LEED Gold certified facility in Middleton, Tennessee.

Last summer, thyssenkrupp Elevator announced it would pursue LEED v4 certification for its new elevator test tower being built at The Battery Atlanta. The test tower, part of the Innovation and Qualification Center, is one of three buildings that will comprise thyssenkrupp Elevator’s new North American headquarters when it is completed in 2021.