ATLANTA — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy has announced the 2016 Climate Leadership Award recipients who will be honored for their leadership in helping fight climate change. Ingersoll Rand, Davidson, North Carolina, will be presented with an Organizational Leadership Award for phasing out HCFCs and other refrigerants.

Ingersoll Rand has more than 40,000 employees and more than 60 manufacturing sites around the world with brands including Trane and Thermo King. Among its accomplishments, the company has set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal of 35 percent from 2013 by 2020 for global operations. The company has further committed to reduce the climate impact related to the refrigerants used in its products by 50 percent by 2020 and incorporate lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant alternatives across the product portfolio by 2030.

Ingersoll Rand also is using life cycle assessments in its product development process to identify areas of high environmental impact which can then be addressed directly. The company created EcoWise™, a portfolio of products designed to lower environmental impact with next-generation, low-GWP refrigerants and high-efficiency operation.

Through collaboration with external organizations, including the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, Ingersoll Rand contributed to the 2003 Industry Genius book, the 2007 Adjustment to the Montreal Protocol accelerating the HCFC phaseout, and the pending Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs. Ingersoll Rand also partnered with refrigerant manufacturer Chemours® (formerly DuPont) to develop a next-generation, low-GWP refrigerant that is design-compatible with R-410A and efficient and safe, and requires little engineering of current systems.

Ingersoll Rand was previously recognized with a Climate Leadership Award in 2012 for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management—Goal Setting.

“This year’s Climate Leadership Award winners are setting a high bar for organizations across the country,” said McCarthy. “They are proving that climate action isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the profitable thing to do.”

More information about the 2016 Climate Leadership Award winners is available here. 

Publication date: 3/25/2016