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Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.

For nearly 10 years, Alex Sim has been an EHS Leader at our plant in Kearny, New Jersey, U.S., bringing an in-depth understanding of how government, private enterprise, and public demand have shaped both U.S. and global environmental policy. His interest in environmental issues, including the impact human activity has on natural resources, goes back even further. Among his friends and family, he’s known as an outdoor enthusiast and an advocate for recycling and responsible energy use. Alex shares some of the Kearny plant’s recent successes and offers perspective on what it takes to be a leader in sustainability within our industry.

On maintaining ties to the communities where we operate 

With Owens Corning’s position as a global leader, it is important to view the company’s impacts not just manufacturing site by manufacturing site, or state by state, but as a comprehensive global entity. In my role as an EHS Leader, it is important to maintain awareness of overall company goals in order to keep making positive progress with respect to air emissions management and other sustainability initiatives.

In 2023, the Kearny site conducted our first environmental community engagement exercise, the aim of which was to connect with local community organizations and community leaders. The result of these communications generated positive feedback regarding the level of responsibility with which Owens Corning conducts its business practices as a good industrial neighbor.

On the regulations that are shaping our industry 

Historic landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have improved the quality of important public resources that everyone should have the right to enjoy equally. Working within those regulations to maintain our site in Kearny puts into perspective how important it is to responsibly manage our site operations.

I feel fortunate to work for an organization that prioritizes responsible action to ensure that our emissions are quantified accurately and treated appropriately in order to minimize impacts to the regional and global community. For example, in Kearny, a new regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) was installed on a voluntary basis and ahead of regulatory requirements in order to properly manage Roofing manufacturing emissions.

During my time at Owens Corning Kearny, I have had a chance to contribute to the specification and installation of several new environmental control devices designed to limit the facility’s air emissions and maintain indoor air quality for our employees. These include fume collectors, dust collectors, and duct systems. While regulatory air emissions requirements can sometimes be complex to navigate, they ensure that we are operating in a manner consistent with industry standards to maintain the quality of our region’s air resources.

On collaboration between individuals and across functions 

Teamwork and collaboration is one of the most important aspects of our job as EHS professionals. Effective communication between EHS personnel across the organization, between site EHS and consultants, and with regulators is essential to ensure that we are working towards improving sustainability performance. Without effective collaboration and teamwork, it would not be possible to ensure that work on complex air emissions regulations is being navigated correctly and the best results are achieved for our site, our employees, and the community.

As a sponsor of the annual LA Pride Parade, AEG continues to amplify its support for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, more than 100 employees from the company’s Southern California business divisions came together on June 9, 2024 to march alongside the company’s float at one of the largest LA Pride Parades.

The theme for this year’s parade was “Power in Pride,” which served as an important reminder that through the power of togetherness we can uplift the community.

Contributing to the celebrations, employees from AEG, AEG Presents, AXS, Dignity Health Sports Park, Goldenvoice, the LA Galaxy and the LA Kings wore Power in Pride themed t-shirts and hats, carried themed flags and banners, and distributed Pride flags, pins, and hats to spectators.

The company’s float was co-branded with AEG, AEG Presents, AXS, LA Kings and LA Galaxy logos and rainbow themed stars. DJs Yungmiss and TAI brought the rhythm, as float performers danced to the beats. The performers were organized by employees from Goldenvoice who oversee the division’s Queer+ initiative.

The 2024 LA Pride Parade took place at the site of the first permitted gay parade in the world. This year’s grand marshals included actor George Takei, wrestler Cassandro, El Exótico and Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Kristin Crowley, the first woman, and first out person to ever hold the LAFD’s highest position.

AEG has been recognized by The Human Rights Campaign as one of the nation’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality” and has achieved a perfect score for the fifth consecutive year on the Corporate Equality Index – the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

The Nurse is In

“After helping send people down the right path, I feel like I am making a difference here in the lives of our employees. That’s a good feeling, and it’s one of the best parts of my job.”

Stanley Coppola, RN, OHN, International Paper’s Franklin, Va., Pulp Mill, was not always an occupational health nurse (OHN), but he always found ways to support those around him. He began his career in workers’ compensation insurance, while volunteering as an emergency medical technician. He became an emergency room RN just outside the heart of the Big Apple – New York City. Now, a little more than a year into his role at Franklin, Coppola, like the rest of IP’s OHN team, sees the strength of International Paper’s culture of safety within the communities where IP operates.

“It’s a small town. Everybody knows each other,” said Coppola. “It’s one thing to have coworkers you want to keep safe, but, when it’s family or close friends that you’ve known forever, they take ownership of watching out for each other.”

For our OHNs at IP, everything begins and ends with safety — nothing is more important than team members getting home to their families at the end of each shift. To make this possible, it requires teamwork to look out for each other and dedicated safety professionals to ensure everyone is following procedures and protocol.

A Better Pill to Swallow

Angela Conlay, RN, OHN, has lived just a 30-minute drive from the Mansfield, La. Containerboard Mill nearly her entire life. Caring for her coworkers means caring for the people who make her community feel like home.

“Not only do we help when people are hurt, we do everything we can to prevent anything from happening in the first place,” she explained. “We educate as much as we can before, during and after anyone comes into our offices.”

Led by Donna Fudale, IP occupational health program manager, OHNs take the tall task of educating employees to heart. With regular weekly meetings, they discuss current topics, best practices and support each other in focusing on their facilities’ unique needs. They also collaborate with each site’s environmental health and safety (EH&S) teams.

Being able to watch and support our safety team educating our team is amazing.

– Angela Conlay, RN, OHN

“They aren’t pulling the teams into classrooms for eight hours at a time. Instead, they are going to the crews wherever they are to have open and hands-on discussions in their own work areas. Approaches like this matter to people because it helps things to stick.”

The Ripple Effects of Positive Impact

The concept of community plays an immense role in each of our mill’s culture of safety. Communities have been the heart of IP’s dedication to team members and safety for more than 125 years. There are many collaborative efforts, such as conversations and health fairs, to build trust and foster wellness – inside and outside the facility.

The annual health fairs organized by OHNs support employees even further by helping connect team members to a wide range of local community health services. These events offer eye exams, hearing tests, mammograms, dermatology screenings, safety and personal protective equipment demonstrations, opportunities to talk to physicians from hospitals and Veteran Affairs medical centers, and more. Every fair tends to look a little different, but each OHN pours a sky-high level of care into each one.

The most memorable moments are when I can use my nursing skills to help a coworker in need, like training our emergency medical responders and then hearing how they were able to apply their training to help their family members or close friends outside of work.

– Elizabeth Bryan, RN, OHN

“The most memorable moments are when I can use my nursing skills to help a coworker in need, like training our emergency medical responders and then hearing how they were able to apply their training to help their family members or close friends outside of work,” said Elizabeth Bryan, RN, OHN, Columbus, Miss., Pulp Mill, with nearly15 years of IP service.

In honor of Occupational Health Nurses Week at International Paper, the best appreciation anyone can send to their facility’s OHN is to take the time to say thank you and rest assured knowing they are there to help and will communicate any possible health and safety concerns. Angela Conlay said it best: “None of it matters if our employees are not taken care of.”

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.

The Nurse is In

“After helping send people down the right path, I feel like I am making a difference here in the lives of our employees. That’s a good feeling, and it’s one of the best parts of my job.”

Stanley Coppola, RN, OHN, International Paper’s Franklin, Va., Pulp Mill, was not always an occupational health nurse (OHN), but he always found ways to support those around him. He began his career in workers’ compensation insurance, while volunteering as an emergency medical technician. He became an emergency room RN just outside the heart of the Big Apple – New York City. Now, a little more than a year into his role at Franklin, Coppola, like the rest of IP’s OHN team, sees the strength of International Paper’s culture of safety within the communities where IP operates.

“It’s a small town. Everybody knows each other,” said Coppola. “It’s one thing to have coworkers you want to keep safe, but, when it’s family or close friends that you’ve known forever, they take ownership of watching out for each other.”

For our OHNs at IP, everything begins and ends with safety — nothing is more important than team members getting home to their families at the end of each shift. To make this possible, it requires teamwork to look out for each other and dedicated safety professionals to ensure everyone is following procedures and protocol.

A Better Pill to Swallow

Angela Conlay, RN, OHN, has lived just a 30-minute drive from the Mansfield, La. Containerboard Mill nearly her entire life. Caring for her coworkers means caring for the people who make her community feel like home.

“Not only do we help when people are hurt, we do everything we can to prevent anything from happening in the first place,” she explained. “We educate as much as we can before, during and after anyone comes into our offices.”

Led by Donna Fudale, IP occupational health program manager, OHNs take the tall task of educating employees to heart. With regular weekly meetings, they discuss current topics, best practices and support each other in focusing on their facilities’ unique needs. They also collaborate with each site’s environmental health and safety (EH&S) teams.

Being able to watch and support our safety team educating our team is amazing.

– Angela Conlay, RN, OHN

“They aren’t pulling the teams into classrooms for eight hours at a time. Instead, they are going to the crews wherever they are to have open and hands-on discussions in their own work areas. Approaches like this matter to people because it helps things to stick.”

The Ripple Effects of Positive Impact

The concept of community plays an immense role in each of our mill’s culture of safety. Communities have been the heart of IP’s dedication to team members and safety for more than 125 years. There are many collaborative efforts, such as conversations and health fairs, to build trust and foster wellness – inside and outside the facility.

The annual health fairs organized by OHNs support employees even further by helping connect team members to a wide range of local community health services. These events offer eye exams, hearing tests, mammograms, dermatology screenings, safety and personal protective equipment demonstrations, opportunities to talk to physicians from hospitals and Veteran Affairs medical centers, and more. Every fair tends to look a little different, but each OHN pours a sky-high level of care into each one.

The most memorable moments are when I can use my nursing skills to help a coworker in need, like training our emergency medical responders and then hearing how they were able to apply their training to help their family members or close friends outside of work.

– Elizabeth Bryan, RN, OHN

“The most memorable moments are when I can use my nursing skills to help a coworker in need, like training our emergency medical responders and then hearing how they were able to apply their training to help their family members or close friends outside of work,” said Elizabeth Bryan, RN, OHN, Columbus, Miss., Pulp Mill, with nearly15 years of IP service.

In honor of Occupational Health Nurses Week at International Paper, the best appreciation anyone can send to their facility’s OHN is to take the time to say thank you and rest assured knowing they are there to help and will communicate any possible health and safety concerns. Angela Conlay said it best: “None of it matters if our employees are not taken care of.”

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of bills and regulations aimed at enhancing transparency regarding the societal and environmental impacts of business operations.

These policies include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures, California Senate Bill 253 Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the California Senate Bill 261 the Greenhouse Gases: Climate-Related Financial Risk, with others being discussed. While the SEC climate disclosure rule continues to be debated, the California regulations are pressing onward, with their first wave of reports due beginning in 2026.

Companies need to be aware of their legal obligations and begin preparing now.

Organizations, especially those who already generate voluntary sustainability reports that are aligned to frameworks like the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), or the Sustainability Accounting Standards (SASB), will be well-positioned to respond to these new regulations.

This is because there are several familiar components embedded within these regulations such as emissions reporting; Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies; identification and quantification of certain climate-related risks and opportunities; and more. Businesses who have yet to establish a sustainability program or disclose to the likes of EcoVadis or CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project), however, may find themselves overwhelmed and already behind schedule.

Other companies may find that they are not directly subject to these new regulations, and therefore believe they will not be affected by their rulings.

However, many of the ESG-oriented regulations also incorporate responsibility for a company’s value chain. Consider the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). These two laws go hand-in-hand, charging companies with establishing practices to address their identified material impacts on the environment as well as their impacts on human rights. The scope extends from a company’s own operations and their subsidiaries’ operations to also include the impacts associated with their supply chains’ operations.

So, while an organization itself may not be directly tied to the regulation, their value chain might. Companies should therefore prepare to respond to their customers and other stakeholders who fall within the scope of these new regulations.

There are four tactical steps companies can take to be ready:

Identify your legal obligations – consider which regulations do and/or will apply to your organization. In several instances, there are ramp-up periods where additional information will be required in future years.Conduct a readiness gap assessment – take stock of your current practices as they relate to the new disclosure requirements. Develop action plans and strategies to fill these gaps.Calculate GHG emissions – begin with scopes 1 & 2 which are directly tied to your operations. For some companies, you will also need to begin assessing your scope 3 which means involving your value chain. Once you have calculated your emissions, consider defining your approach in what is called an “Inventory Management Plan.” This document outlines the process for which your organization collects, calculates, and manages their GHG data and serves as an important tool for third-party assurance or verification.Report your required non-financial information – leverage frameworks, like TCFD, to effectively communicate and address your stakeholders on material ESG topics. In doing so, you demonstrate maturity as you report on your company’s ESG objectives, strategies, goals and performance.

Bringing it all together

After you have identified and established your stakeholder obligations and reporting deadlines, the fifth step is to begin to create a collaborative team to properly address these challenges. Involving your finance, operations, supply chain, and legal teams will support the success of your sustainability program. This will allow your organization to synergize and streamline the work, leverage existing resources and best practices, and put your company in a position to disclose with confidence. Sustainability, and its related ESG reporting, is a journey.

The new regulations are designed to help guide you along the way, but we know that with more and more pressure and noise, it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. Our ESG experts can help you conduct readiness gap assessments, conduct GHG emissions inventories for Scopes 1, 2, and 3, support strategy development, generate reports aligned to various frameworks like TCFD, GRI, and SASB, and much more.

Contact our team today for help with your corporate sustainability reporting and disclosure!

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of bills and regulations aimed at enhancing transparency regarding the societal and environmental impacts of business operations.

These policies include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures, California Senate Bill 253 Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the California Senate Bill 261 the Greenhouse Gases: Climate-Related Financial Risk, with others being discussed. While the SEC climate disclosure rule continues to be debated, the California regulations are pressing onward, with their first wave of reports due beginning in 2026.

Companies need to be aware of their legal obligations and begin preparing now.

Organizations, especially those who already generate voluntary sustainability reports that are aligned to frameworks like the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), or the Sustainability Accounting Standards (SASB), will be well-positioned to respond to these new regulations.

This is because there are several familiar components embedded within these regulations such as emissions reporting; Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies; identification and quantification of certain climate-related risks and opportunities; and more. Businesses who have yet to establish a sustainability program or disclose to the likes of EcoVadis or CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project), however, may find themselves overwhelmed and already behind schedule.

Other companies may find that they are not directly subject to these new regulations, and therefore believe they will not be affected by their rulings.

However, many of the ESG-oriented regulations also incorporate responsibility for a company’s value chain. Consider the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). These two laws go hand-in-hand, charging companies with establishing practices to address their identified material impacts on the environment as well as their impacts on human rights. The scope extends from a company’s own operations and their subsidiaries’ operations to also include the impacts associated with their supply chains’ operations.

So, while an organization itself may not be directly tied to the regulation, their value chain might. Companies should therefore prepare to respond to their customers and other stakeholders who fall within the scope of these new regulations.

There are four tactical steps companies can take to be ready:

Identify your legal obligations – consider which regulations do and/or will apply to your organization. In several instances, there are ramp-up periods where additional information will be required in future years.Conduct a readiness gap assessment – take stock of your current practices as they relate to the new disclosure requirements. Develop action plans and strategies to fill these gaps.Calculate GHG emissions – begin with scopes 1 & 2 which are directly tied to your operations. For some companies, you will also need to begin assessing your scope 3 which means involving your value chain. Once you have calculated your emissions, consider defining your approach in what is called an “Inventory Management Plan.” This document outlines the process for which your organization collects, calculates, and manages their GHG data and serves as an important tool for third-party assurance or verification.Report your required non-financial information – leverage frameworks, like TCFD, to effectively communicate and address your stakeholders on material ESG topics. In doing so, you demonstrate maturity as you report on your company’s ESG objectives, strategies, goals and performance.

Bringing it all together

After you have identified and established your stakeholder obligations and reporting deadlines, the fifth step is to begin to create a collaborative team to properly address these challenges. Involving your finance, operations, supply chain, and legal teams will support the success of your sustainability program. This will allow your organization to synergize and streamline the work, leverage existing resources and best practices, and put your company in a position to disclose with confidence. Sustainability, and its related ESG reporting, is a journey.

The new regulations are designed to help guide you along the way, but we know that with more and more pressure and noise, it can be hard to see the forest through the trees. Our ESG experts can help you conduct readiness gap assessments, conduct GHG emissions inventories for Scopes 1, 2, and 3, support strategy development, generate reports aligned to various frameworks like TCFD, GRI, and SASB, and much more.

Contact our team today for help with your corporate sustainability reporting and disclosure!

ATLANTA, Ga., June 11, 2024 /3BL/ – As climate-related disclosures transition from voluntary to regulatory, companies face increasing pressure to understand and comply with evolving requirements. To address this critical need for clarity and guidance, Environment+Energy Leader is pleased to announce a webinar titled “Navigating the Rapidly Changing World of Climate-Related Disclosures,” scheduled for June 12.

The webinar will feature Jami Patrick, Vice President of Sustainability and Climate Advisory at Montrose Environmental Group, a leading environmental solutions provider. With over 28 years of experience in environmental and sustainability consulting, Jami is recognized as a trusted advisor to clients worldwide.

The event will focus on the shift towards mandatory climate-related disclosures and the strategic benefits of proactively addressing climate risks. Participants will gain insights into recent and emerging disclosure requirements from regulatory bodies such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), California, and the European Union (EU). Additionally, the webinar will explore the importance of climate disclosures in enhancing business resilience, building investor confidence, and gaining a competitive edge in transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

The webinar will cover topics such as regulatory rules’ applicability and specific requirements, preparation strategies for compliance, and the broader strategic implications of climate disclosures for businesses.

Join Jami Patrick on June 12 to navigate the evolving landscape of climate-related disclosures and position your company for long-term success.

Event Details:

Title: Navigating the Rapidly Changing World of Climate-Related Disclosures 
Date: June 12, 2024 
Time: 12:00 P.M. ET 
Speaker: Jami Patrick, Vice President of Sustainability and Climate Advisory, Montrose Environmental Group 
Registration: Link

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Sarah Washington 
Events Assistant 
sarah.washington@environmentenergyleader.com 

This press release aims to communicate the details of the webinar effectively, highlight the speaker’s expertise, and emphasize the importance of proactive engagement with climate-related disclosures for businesses.

The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) has recognized the top facilities in the refining and petrochemical industries based on 2023 safety performance.Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s refineries in Canton, Ohio; Robinson, Illinois; El Paso, Texas; and Kenai, Alaska, were among the award winners.Canton and Robinson were two of only four facilities to receive AFPM’s highest safety honor.

The challenge of earning a safety award from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) is evident from these numbers: just 35 of AFPM’s 255 member facilities even met the criteria to apply based on their 2023 performance. At AFPM’s recent awards ceremony, Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) Canton, Ohio, and Robinson, Illinois, refineries were two of only four winners of the Distinguished Safety Award (DSA), AFPM’s highest safety honor. The company’s El Paso, Texas, refinery earned the Elite Platinum Award, and its Kenai, Alaska, refinery received the Elite Silver Award.

“The safety performance of our teams represents extraordinary focus on fundamentals,” said MPC Executive Vice President Refining Tim Aydt. “It’s inspiring to think about the consistency of their daily execution and the type of commitment required to earn these high honors.”

AFPM’s awards recognized outstanding occupational and process safety throughout 2023. Among other award criteria, eligible facilities could not have a single recordable injury involving a life-critical task – an activity with the potential to cause serious harm to individuals, severe equipment damage or a negative environmental impact.

“If you meet the screening criteria, you get 30 days to complete a comprehensive written application to tell your story about what sets your site apart,” said MPC Refining Personal Safety and Security Director Fritz Kin. “From these applications, nine sites were selected to be considered for the DSA this year, which involved going through face-to-face interviews with a committee of industry safety experts.”

Along with Canton and Robinson, the El Paso refinery was among the nine DSA finalists. This qualified El Paso to receive one of only five Elite Platinum Awards after the final DSA selections were made. The Kenai refinery’s Elite Silver recognition means its safety performance ranked in the top 10% of the industry. The success of Canton and Robinson marked the first time ever that two MPC refineries earned the DSA in the same year.

In their applications, the four refineries credited several MPC safety initiatives for enhancing their performance:

My Name is On It – a leadership development and mentoring programStart Safe, Stay Safe – focuses on starting jobs safely using the Safe Work Permit, job safety analyses, joint jobsite visits and then stopping work if scope or conditions changeHuman and Organizational Performance – a safety culture shift that views employees as problem solvers and partners in improving safety and learning how work gets done in the field

“The excellent performance of these four refineries carried over to their applications and interviews where they really separated themselves from peers,” Kin said. “To stand out as shining stars when the bar was so high shows just how special they were.”

Much has changed since I started my career at Covia over 20 years ago. I have been able to grow alongside the organization and have been empowered to turn a local plant initiative into an award-nominated conservation program. I appreciate the flexibility and latitude Covia has allowed me as I work to balance our environmental goals with my responsibility to ensure quality and efficiency in our operations.

Quality & Compliance

I started working at Covia in 2001 as a lab technician at the Blue Mountain plant in Ontario, Canada. My work at the time was primarily focused on diamond drill cores and blasting cores. After a few years in this role, I transferred to the Nephton plant, where I moved into my current role as the quality control environmental supervisor. For the quality control part of my job, my team works to ensure customers get a quality product on a timely basis – making sure there are no anomalies or out-of-spec materials present. As for my environmental duties, I help Covia comply with Canadian regulations. I work alongside the plant manager, and across our different departments, to ensure we are adhering to our permits and requirements – educating Team Members at the plant on how to follow these procedures and why they are so vital to our operation. My daily activities include working to address any lab and quality control issues that might arise. I also handle requests for samples, complaints, and customer surveys. My main goal is for Covia to consistently deliver the high-quality mineral products our customers have come to expect. I feel fortunate that my work and my hobbies are closely connected. Living near Ontario’s cottage country, which is known for its outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and kayaking, allows me to indulge in my personal interests during my free time. I love spending time outdoors, especially when I get the chance to go mountain biking or kayaking.

Project Highlight: Turtle Conservation

During my time at Covia, I’ve worked at our two largest Canadian operations located in Peterborough, Ontario, in the Kawartha Lakes region. For the past ten years, we’ve partnered with the local Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry office to help protect local turtle populations. Four species of turtle, including species at risk, nest and live on our property in the adjacent wetlands. Initially, the goal of this initiative was to conduct turtle nesting surveys and monitor nesting sites and activity. Over time, we have gradually developed this partnership to the point where we are collecting turtle eggs from vulnerable nests of painted turtles, snapping turtles, Blanding’s turtles, and spotted turtles to ensure the hatchlings are protected. Every June, my team and I go out and travel around the property to assist turtles in danger around high traffic areas. Our goal is to find turtle nests, document the location, and – depending on the nest – go back and collect the eggs. The eggs then incubate at our plant in the Customer Service area and are monitored and maintained weekly. Over the past five years, we have collected more than 900 eggs, with a 70% hatch rate. Once hatched, we release these new turtles into the wild. While our main focus is supporting the hatching process, we also keep an eye on the adult turtle population. We keep track of any injured turtles and help bring them to the team at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre to get healed before returning to the wild.

Growth in a Changing Industry

There is plenty of excitement and enthusiasm as Covia continues to grow. I am looking forward to the endless possibilities that await new Team Members as they enter a changing industry. I am excited to act as a mentor to assist them in tackling new challenges as they make their own path, just like the hatchlings we help in our conservation efforts. I am happy to take in this new generation of talent and watch them thrive.

Formula 1® (F1) has long pioneered new technologies which have ‘trickled down’ into the car industry, but its latest ambitious goal is to lead in its sustainability efforts. Having previously moved the equivalent of two data centers around the world for each race in order to do everything from timing races to delivering live footage to 180 territories, its technology footprint is a big part of these efforts.

In partnership with Lenovo, F1 is rethinking the way that the organization uses technology. Initiatives such as recycling old computers, using more sustainable hardware, and working to ensure that 40 truckloads of servers don’t have to be shipped from circuit to circuit are helping to reduce the organization’s environmental impact. With ambitious plans to use technology to drive efficiency even further, Lenovo and F1 are working together to drive forward the sustainability agenda of the world’s favorite motorsport.

A New Approach

Sustainability is now foremost in the minds of F1 leaders when choosing new systems and solutions with Lenovo and going through rigorous sustainability checks as part of the selection process. F1 is now taking a ‘less is more’ approach to technology in partnership with Lenovo, choosing more efficient new hardware that delivers outstanding performance while using less energy. This means that F1 can consolidate and reduce the amount of physical hardware in use. The hardware also accumulates far fewer miles of travel, thanks to a new remote operation model, meaning that Lenovo’s cutting-edge data center can deliver high performance from anywhere.

The move to consolidate hardware has also helped curb the energy consumption of the championship. One example is when it comes to rendering timing pages: F1 replaced its previous servers with two Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Tiny workstations. The ThinkStation Tiny is the industry’s smallest ISV-certified workstation, built to work with the latest Intel Core processors, and is EPEAT Gold certified, the most demanding set of criteria for sustainability in electronics.

“We have ambitious targets and rely on technical partners like Lenovo to provide us with expert advice and the right solutions to help us reach our goals,” said Chris Roberts, Director of IT, Formula 1. “Our operations are mostly remote, as we move from race to race. This means we need to meet our growing compute needs while on the road and use technology to help reduce our carbon footprint. A large part of this is reducing the amount of equipment that has to travel, and the power consumption that keeps everything moving.”

A Time of Growth

Lenovo’s involvement comes at a time of global expansion for F1, with record attendance and millions of new viewers tuning in worldwide thanks to broadcast deals, including in the US with ESPN. Technology is becoming a key tool in managing this expansion while still maintaining the organization’s sustainability ambitions, with the reliability and high performance of Lenovo servers enabling F1 to expand at speed. Thanks to Lenovo’s consulting services, F1 has been able to bolster its core team and incorporate technology into its operational environment in a more sustainable way, with ongoing workshops with Lenovo experts allowing F1 to focus on its operations, as well as identifying any gaps and improvements and working to address these.

This is happening in parallel with a move towards a more efficient energy generation system which will power the more technology-intensive aspects of F1 races, such as the broadcast area. The Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg in 2023 saw a switch to a low-carbon emission system to power the Formula 1 Event Technical Centre (ETC) where at-track broadcast operations take place. Using a combination of 600 square meters of solar panels on the inner field of the final corner at the Red Bull Ring, plus hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel, the pilot delivered an estimated 90% carbon reduction of the operation of Paddock, Pitlane and F1 broadcast area, in comparison to the previous year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Recycle, Reuse, Recover

Today, asset recovery services are an essential part of sustainability in tech, ensuring that devices are recycled and reused at the end of their lives. Choosing Lenovo’s Asset Recovery Service meant that F1 was able to offset some of the cost of a technology refresh, recouping value from machines that are recycled in a responsible way.

Lenovo’s partnership with F1 has already seen over 800 devices recycled and repurposed and saved from being part of the 62 million tons of e-waste produced in 2022 alone. For F1, ensuring devices are recycled and reused in a protected environment is also highly important, as F1 teams deal with highly confidential data.

“Lenovo provides us with great support across both services and hardware. From boosting our operations with the right devices to powering our backend processing needs with servers and High-Performance Computing solutions, the team really leans in to help us to think about how we grow and do things in a more sustainable way. A key example of this is the Asset Recovery Service, through which Lenovo sustainably disposes of our old devices. We’ve already seen over 95% of old hardware recycled – that’s quite a significant percentage,” said Chris Roberts, Director of IT, Formula 1.

“In the future, we hope to use AI-driven predictive analysis to allow asset recovery to be even more efficient, predicting when machines could be recycled or reused.”

Saving Energy

Lenovo’s fresh approach saw ageing hardware replaced with more efficient new machines: the shift to better-performing hardware has not just meant reduced energy consumption, but also less demand for air conditioning and cooling, all of which helps F1 to hit its emissions reduction targets.

The new remote operation model has seen the number of staff travelling to trackside almost halved from 250 to just 130. This was powered by a move to a state-of-the-art virtualization platform consisting of 1.16THz of processing power spread across 448 CPU Cores along with 3.5TB of RAM, which allows F1 to run 200 virtual machines and the Kubernetes platform from a base in London, regardless of where the cars are racing.

Lenovo has also offered CO2 Offset Services for all the computing hardware supplied to F1, with plans underway to add server technology in the future. Bulk notebook orders are also delivered using sustainable aviation fuels, helping to cut F1’s Scope 3 emissions still further.

Moving towards a More Sustainable Future

Going forward, F1 is considering moving to a consumption-based technology model, paying only for what is used. This will help it to innovate sustainably, keep up with fast-evolving technology, and meet its ambitious goals to stay sustainable while scaling rapidly. F1 has also been offered Lenovo Device Intelligence (LDI) Plus, an AI-powered SaaS service which offers important insights to monitor power consumption in end-user devices.

“F1 is an iconic institution, and one that has captured the attention of millions around the world,” said Claudia Contreras, Executive Director, Sustainability Services at Lenovo. “As it looks to reduce its carbon footprint further, we’re exploring how to enhance performance while consolidating hardware, reducing what needs to be transported. These are just the first steps in our ongoing partnership – we’ll keep working together to help its sustainability efforts while millions of fans keep enjoying the sport.”

Learn more about Lenovo’s Sustainability Solutions.