EPA renews Osceola, Ark., facility's membership in Performance Track program

CYRO Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Degussa, has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for environmental excellence and sustainability.

The EPA granted the company's acrylic manufacturing facility in Osceola, Ark., renewing member status to its National Environmental Performance Track, which is considered the "gold standard" for facility-based environmental performance. This program recognizes U.S. manufacturing plants that lead the industry on critical sustainability issues such as minimizing material waste, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.

Membership renewal was granted to CYRO's Osceola plant, which features an ISO-certified Environmental Management System, after it met annual performance goals and committed to implement four new strategies for continued environmentally-beneficial operations during the next three years.

CYRO's Osceola facility pledged the following commitments for the 2006-2009 period: reduce chemical waste by recycling materials during processing; participate in a reclamation program to reduce non-hazardous waste; re-design pallets to decrease the use of packaging materials; and use alternative sheet-cutting equipment to lower the amount of acrylic sawdust byproduct.

These initiatives were accepted by the EPA, resulting in CYRO's continued acceptance in the program.