In the spirit of the Better Building Initiative, 3M committed to reduce energy use by 25 percent in 78 of its plants, encompassing nearly 38 million square-feet of building space. In 2011, 3M has improved energy efficiency in its operations globally by 8.9 percent compared to 2010. The company also managed to save $43 million in energy costs and supported 150 employee-inspired energy projects that saved the company a total of $7.7 million.

“One of the things that we are planning to work on in the next couple of years is to provide more training to people who are leading our energy programs in our facilities,” says Steve Schultz, corporate energy manager for 3M. “We’ve done a lot to try to share information with our customers and suppliers.”

Some of the energy measures that 3M has taken to boost its efficiency include installing adjustable speed drives on motors that drive pumps within the facilities, improving the energy efficiency of air-handling systems, replacing lighting systems and utilizing waste-heat through heat recovery systems.

 “3M has cut its absolute worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent from 1990 to 2010,” adds Tim Thornton, director of 3M Renewable Energy Division’s energy conservation business. “We are proud to take part in this challenge and to share our knowledge with others, so we can all move toward achieving this ambitious goal.”