GE Water & Process Technologies has honoured Clear Path Recycling, based in North Carolina, United States (U.S.) with both its prestigious Ecomagination Leadership, as well as Return on Environment (ROE) awards to recognise the operation’s plastic bottle recycling alongside its noteworthy reductions in chemical usage and cost.
Clear Path, a joint venture between Shaw Industries – a leading floorcovering provider – and DAK Americas – a leading producer of polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) resin – recycles an estimated three billion plastic bottles per year. Additionally, converting post-consumer PET packaging products into polyester fibre for Shaw’s carpet products saves approximately 1.5 trillion British thermal units of energy annually.
The GE Water & Process Technologies Ecomagination Leadership award recognises the achievements of industrial users for striking a positive balance between today’s environmental, industrial and sustainability challenges, and given to the top GE customers in environmental and economic performance. On the other hand, the GE Water & Process Technologies ROE is a prestigious award honouring a significant environmental accomplishment in water, energy, or resource.
“Delivering a high-quality, environmentally sustainable solution cost-effectively is paramount. GE devised a far-reaching strategy for us to improve chemical control, use more efficient chemical products and capture data to improve operations,” Carlos Garcia, managing director of Clear Path Recycling, said. “The project exceeded our expectations in lowering costs, and the quality of our recycled product greatly improved. We are honoured that GE recognised us with Ecomagination Leadership and ROE awards.”
Faced with running a recycling operation more economically and the desire to become even more sustainable, Clear Path turned to GE’s advanced chemistry and digital tools to optimise its PET plastic bottle recycling process. After a period of time, the company substantially reduced their chemical usage and costs while simultaneously improving process control and quality.
“Our products are at the centre of places where millions of life events occur. We can have a positive impact on people’s lives with our products and our operations,” Paul Murray, vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs, Shaw Industries Group, Inc, stated. “A focus on material health, material reutilization and continuous improvement is part of our strategic approach to sustainability. That’s exemplified by this project.”
GE Water & Process Technologies provided Clear Path with chemistry and its InSight* asset performance management system, including advanced analytics and process controls, and product quality improved dramatically, and material handling safety was enhanced.
Gary Brown and Richard Ringler, both from GE, presented the awards at a ceremony last month to Clear Path’s Carlos Garcia, Marcelo Leal, and Kent Robinson.
Amy Ericson, global leader, chemical and monitoring solutions – GE Water & Process Technologies, said, “This project is a shining example that a company can achieve sustainability goals while also realizing economic benefits. Clear Path Recycling is very deserving of both the GE Ecomagination Leadership and ROE awards for its leadership in this space.”
*A trademark of General Electric Company that may be registered in one or more countries.
