Environmental Leader

To accommodate growth plans to 2016, the outdoor gear and apparel company Patagonia constructed a 171,000-square-foot addition to its 12-year-old, 342,000-square-foot distribution center in Reno, Nevada and achieved LEED Gold certification, writes Modern Materials Handling.

The new green distribution center features:

• A steel frame, insulation, and window glass that contain recycled materials
• Energy-efficient lighting systems  that use motion sensors to help conserve electricity
• A radiant heating system that uses copper tubing and hot water to save on natural gas during the heating season
• Tiles and carpet that include some recycled content, and wood that either reclaimed or harvested in a sustainable way

Patagonia found, however, that there were no industry standards for materials handling, so it created its own yard sticks. The company checked to see if manufacturers incorporated recycled materials into products, asked where the parts for the equipment were sourced, and whether there were options for more efficient motors.

In 2007, Patagonia sent a team around the world to track the carbon footprint of its products. Hear Patogonia’s VP of environmental programs and communication talk about the Footprint Chronicles program.