Protecting the Environment for Generations to Come.

At McWane, protecting the environment and the health and safety of our employees is one of our highest priorities. Our environmental, health and safety management system is designed to provide an organized and consistent approach to achieving this objective and assuring continuous improvement

Jeet Radia, Senior Vice President Environment, Safety & Human Resources

We take our commitment to the environment seriously. Our approach to environmental and safety issues starts with a clear vision from our leaders, supported by strong policies that place the environment and safety at the core of the business and through a substantial investment in state-of-the-art environmental technologies and modern infrastructure.

McWane addresses the unique environmental and safety challenges faced by our industry with a comprehensive Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management system based on the principles of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14001 standard, Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) 18001 and OSHA Management Guidelines. ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized specification for environmental management systems. Our EHS management system allows us to manufacture our products in an environmentally-compliant and   -friendly way and to provide communities with a foundation for life with clean, safe and dependable drinking water.

In addition to producing environmentally beneficial products, we have developed ways to make our facilities more environmentally-compliant and -friendly as well. Senior Vice President Jeet Radia and McWane’s environmental team have spearheaded company-wide initiatives to examine our manufacturing processes and to look for ways to improve recycling and reuse opportunities and reduce environmental impacts. We are also exploring ways to incorporate green building principles into future EHS capital improvements to further reduce our environmental footprint.

All McWane facilities have implemented environmental practices that, in many instances, exceed U.S. standards, producing performance that is among the best of the industries in which we operate. We improve our performance every day so that we help protect our environment for generations to come.

Protecting the Environment

Protecting the Environment

McWane is committed to a clean environment, for both today and tomorrow. Since 1999, McWane has invested more than $300 million in capital improvements and operations related to environmental compliance.

These expenditures include projects such as state-of-the-art air pollution control systems, including control technology to substantially limit mercury emissions from foundry operations (the first such system in a North American foundry), stormwater collection and treatment systems, and other equipment upgrades intended to protect the environment.

Success stories of environmental improvements and innovative pollution prevention and control projects at McWane facilities are provided here.

Our Environmental Legacy

Our Environmental Legacy

At McWane, we not only focus on today's community, our goal is to protect the environment for today and tomorrow.

Safeguarding the health and safety of each and every one of our team members and protecting the environment in the communities where we operate is job one at McWane. This vision and commitment begins right at the top of the organization with Phillip McWane, Chairman of the Board, and Ruffner Page, President & CEO. All levels of management and all team members company-wide understand and support it.

This vision is embodied in McWane’s Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) policy which comprises three principles:

Compliance

We will manage our business activities to meet all governmental laws and regulations, as well as internally-established environmental, health and safety requirements. Our goal is 100 percent compliance, 100 percent of the time.

Protection

We will conduct our activities in a responsible manner to protect our employees, the public and the environment by focusing on injury and illness prevention, pollution prevention and minimizing impacts and risks to the environment from our operations.

Improvement

We will continually improve our environmental, health and safety performance with primary focus on setting and achieving goals and objectives.

With these principles in mind, our EHS program includes:

  • A centrally-coordinated EHS and HR management structure with experienced and qualified professionals at all levels.
  • A state-of-the-art, web-based EHS management system.
  • A detailed ethics and compliance policy that instills a commitment to ethical behavior and legal compliance across the company.
  • An extensive EHS and management skills training and educational program, known as McWane University.
  • Hundreds of millions of dollars in capital and operational expenditures related to EHS since 1999.
  • Numerous oversight mechanisms, including internal and external (third-party) audits.
  • A financial incentive program for managers based upon EHS-HR performance and the inclusion of EHS-HR performance in annual evaluations.
  • An appropriate range of disciplinary actions for non-compliance.
  • A well-publicized, confidential, 24-hour “access line” for reporting suspected violations of law, regulations or company policy and other concerns.
Investments

Investments

The industry-leading EHS programs that McWane has in place today could not exist without the financial resources to support them. Since 1999, McWane has invested more than $300 million in capital improvements and operations related to environmental compliance, workplace health and safety, and human resources.

In addition to the systems and programs described above, these expenditures include projects such as state-of-the-art pollution control systems that enabled us to achieve compliance with the EPA’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements years before required by regulation. Examples of other projects include stormwater collection and treatment systems, dust-control technologies, totally enclosed guarding systems and other equipment upgrades that improve safety and environmental protection at our plants.

Environmental Management System

Environmental Management System

Consistently managing environmental issues for a heavy manufacturing enterprise across more than 30 manufacturing plants, including 13 iron foundries, in North America and internationally is a complex task. Recognizing these challenges, McWane has in place a well-designed and centrally coordinated Environmental Management System (EMS), which is part of a comprehensive EHS Management System. Our EMS is based upon the principles of ISO 14001 (an international standard for environmental management systems) and EPA’s Compliance Focused EMS.

The EMS provides all McWane facilities with an infrastructure for identifying significant environmental issues, setting measurable goals and establishing and coordinating consistent management practices for all environmental activities, including record keeping and reporting.

The foundation of the EMS is the company’s EHS policy. McWane has issued various directives that address the various aspects of EHS management, including: compliance; management commitment and leadership; roles, responsibilities and accountability; personnel and training; information systems and documentation; hazard assessment, prevention and control; management of change; significant matters reporting and investigation; goals and objectives; management review; emergency preparedness and response; contractor management; pollution prevention; employee involvement; community outreach; managerial employee performance evaluation; communication; and records and document control.

To make these program elements accessible and functional, McWane has invested in state-of-the-art information technology systems. At the core is the EHS Management System website. Its dashboard feature allows users to quickly and easily access information company-wide and link to other electronic web-based tools such as OpsInfo, Dakota Tracer, and Dakota Scout. OpsInfo is a comprehensive web-based software system for electronic management, tracking, trending, analysis and reporting of environmental data and information. The web-based Dakota Tracer and Scout systems allow our company to track corrective actions until they are satisfactorily resolved and document any environmental events/incidents.

ISO & State Certifications

ISO & State Certifications

McWane’s EMS is based on the principles of ISO 14001 and EPA’s Compliance Focused EMS, and all McWane manufacturing facilities are required to implement the EMS.

While it is not a McWane requirement, some McWane facilities have elected to seek ISO 14001 registration and/or equivalent recognition from their state environmental agencies (see below). Obtaining these registrations has been a simple process since the McWane EMS meets and, in many cases, exceeds the criteria for ISO 14001 and equivalent state registration.

ISO 14001 Registered Facilities

Indiana Stewardship Program

Click here for details on other recognitions awarded to McWane facilities.

Environmental Excellence

Environmental Excellence

Our facilities utilize state-of-the-art environmental technologies and infrastructures. In addition to producing environmentally-beneficial products, we continue to make our facilities more environmentally-friendly, as well.

Environmental Excellence stories from a few of our facilities are showcased below.  We are proud to highlight these accomplishments, which are the results of investments of time, resources and money into reducing our environmental footprint.  These are more examples of McWane's pledge to take care of the areas where we live and work--today, and beyond the twenty-first century.

Pollution Prevention Challenge

Pollution Prevention Challenge

The Art of Preventing Pollution Before it Begins

Each December, the McWane Pollution Prevention Challenge (P2C) contest brings together teams from across the McWane family of companies to have their ideas judged for innovation, simplicity, cost savings, and environmental benefits. Since the inaugural competition in 2011, those ideas have generated more than $19 million in company wide savings.  

The P2C competition has changed the way we think, and has served as the hallmark of our efforts toward sustainability and environmental stewardship.