IT Cabling Manufacturer Siemon’s American Operations are Significantly Carbon Negative

June 25, 2010 Watertown, CT, USA – Siemon, a worldwide leader in IT network infrastructure, today announced that its U.S. and Canada operations have achieved carbon negativity. Siemon reached this green benchmark through an aggressive program of environmental improvement initiatives, including the development of more energy-efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes, Zero-landfill recycling, increased reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar power and carbon offsets based on extensive forestland conservation efforts. Siemon is the first and only network cabling manufacturer to achieve this notable green milestone.

The announcement is based on an extensive audit that identified Siemon’s 2009 US and Canada-based carbon emission sources and calculated their total carbon footprint utilizing publicly available U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. The scope of the study focused on facility-level emissions within organizational boundaries as specified by ISO 14064-1 and included electricity and fossil fuel usage-related CO2 output at Siemon’s Watertown, CT based global headquarters and United States manufacturing facility as well as the effects of the facility’s waste management programs. The audit also compiled fuel consumption for the company’s US and Canada auto fleet and air travel.

Siemon’s 2009 carbon reduction and sustainability programs were also analyzed using EPA data. According to the calculations, Branch Hill Farms, a 3000 acre tree farm established and operated by the Siemon Company board of directors as well as 900 metric tons of waste recycled at Siemon in 2009 and company’s clean solar energy system further reduced yearly carbon output by a combined 16,330 metric tons.

Balanced against the approximately 4880 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the combined 16,330 metric tons of carbon reductions and offsets noted above brings Siemon’s total US and Canada carbon footprint figures to negative 11,450 metric tons – a carbon reduction over 3.3 times larger than the company’s actual carbon output.

“Just about every enterprise – especially manufacturers like Siemon – will produce carbon, but our success proves that there are economical and effective ways to offset the impact of those emissions,” explained Carl Siemon, the company’s CEO.

According to Mr. Siemon, his company’s approach was twofold. Siemon adheres to longstanding continual improvement policies that drive efficient manufacturing and business processes. A more efficient use of energy and materials is not only sound business practice, but also makes the company a more environmentally sustainable operation. Confident that carbon emissions were being reduced at the source, Siemon developed ways to cut further through better waste management, alternative fuels and offsets. As Siemon continues to improve internal operations and processes, they are also working proactively with suppliers and partners to identify areas where mutual improvements to upstream and downstream impact can be made.

“We didn’t set out to be carbon negative,” Mr. Siemon explained. “We just want to be as efficient and environmentally responsible as possible. Being carbon negative is the natural result of over 50 years of progressive environmental stewardship.”

For more information on Siemon’s environmental initiatives, including an overview of their carbon footprint analysis, visit www.siemon.com/green.