On February 9th, 2010, ERMCO reached yet another milestone. Qualifying under the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Air Pollution Control TAPCR permitting guidelines, all ERMCO emission sources were exempted from air emission permits. Only city wastewater (NPDES) and state stormwater permits remain with this exemption.
ERMCO’s commitment as an environmental steward has paved the way toward meeting and exceeding the guidelines established under ISO 14001. In 2015, ERMCO installed Reflect and Duo solar systems. These combined systems can produce approximately 500 kW, which feed into the local utility lines. The lines feed the Three-Phase Operation and allow ERMCO to reduce its power requirements from the local utility.
Unlike many industries ERMCO has chosen to invest wisely in managing our environmental impact through best technologies and recycling practices. Our Environmental Management System has served as a bench mark for CAPS Research, a joint venture whose purpose is to better understand how organizations in the utilities industry supply chain are addressing climate change and are working to reduce their impacts in key environmental performance areas including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption, water use, waste & materials management and toxic emissions. The research is sponsored by a group of investor-owned electric utility companies that have committed to work with their suppliers to advance sustainable business practices across their supply chains. CAPS Research is a non-profit research organization jointly sponsored by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. CAPS Research remains committed to quality products and world-class customer service.
ERMCO’s manufacturing history began in January 1971, and we have never used askerals or any other oil containing PCB’s. In addition, every rail car delivering to our facilities is checked for contamination, and all processing equipment, holding tanks and samples of finished transformers are checked for possible contamination on a regular basis. All tests have shown less than 1 part per million of possible contamination. As product development evolved so did ERMCO’s effort to reduce our environmental footprint. In the late 1980’s and on into the 1990’s advances were made in surface coating allowing ERMCO to replace traditional painting systems with modern powder coatings. To date, as a result of new technologies, ERMCO does not produce any hazardous waste streams. Even residual powder paint resulting from general cleaning and filter changes has been granted state exemptions allowing disposal in public landfills, all due to the non-hazardous paint formulations.
Being mindful of our natural resources, ERMCO’s recycling efforts continue to discover innovative ways to reclaim raw and spent materials. For example, cardboard, wood pallets, transformer oil and scrap metal are all recycled in an effort to minimize waste while enhancing profitability. Also, ERMCO carefully monitors wastewater and storm water to assure the return of one of the world’s most precious resources back to nature as intended. In partnering with local recyclers, ERMCO continues to find solutions to excess landfill waste.“Lean & Green” is a reality highly regarded within our organization. Recyclables include:
ERMCO has transitioned from traditional oil absorbents to recyclable Higher Quality Absorbents (No Longer MRO Purchased/Inventoried). This has meant an estimated 25% plus reduction in cost for the management of reclaimed transformer oil and the end of land filling sorbent materials. Benefits of recycle sorbents include:
From biodegradable transformer oils to reusable shipping products, ERMCO leads the way in Environmental Stewardship. ERMCO continues to research better, safer methods of operation in the design of products and raw material use.
ERMCO’s Environmental Management System serves as a benchmark for CAPS Research, a joint venture dedicated to understanding and mitigating climate impacts in the industry’s supply chain. Key environmental performance areas include greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use, waste & materials management and toxic emissions.
Since ERMCO’s inception in 1971, we’ve never used askerals or any oils containing PCBs. To this day, we regularly check for contamination and do not produce any hazardous waste streams — a result of our continued investments in new technologies and commitment to reducing our environmental footprint.
From wood pallets and scrap metals to plastic drums and reclaimed powder paint, we’re continually innovating solutions for reclaiming raw and spent materials. In addition to using higher quality absorbents, our team partners with local recyclers and carefully monitors our wastewater and stormwater.
Our dedicated team selflessly serves the community, especially in times of natural disasters — because we know the impact we make on peoples’ lives.
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