Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 1, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 M A N U FA C T U R I N G F O C U S Waters Corp. has undertaken a variety of initiatives toward its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2025. Sustainability efforts help Waters satisfy partners' needs BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to WBJ T en years ago, Milford-based Waters Corp. was already working on improving the sustainability of its manu- facturing operations and the products it sells to laboratories and other customers around the world. Today, this has gone from a voluntary effort to do the right thing to a crucial part of doing business in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. "It comes from all directions," said Da- vid Null, Waters' vice president of global supply chain. "Not only government stakeholders, but big partners around the world. In part, pharmaceutical customers are really driving a lot of sustainability, and it's causing us to look at it in a more focused way." Waters' early start in sustain- ability has given it a reputation as a leader. In 2023 alone, the company made the grade for Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies, USA Today's Cli- mate Leaders, and Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies. One of Waters' high-profile green achievements was the 2022 Lead- ership in Energy and Environment De- sign (LEED) certification of its Taunton manufacturing facility, the first chemical plant in the state to achieve that distinc- tion. e facility takes clean gray water previously used for production purposes like cooling and recycles it for uses like landscaping and flushing toilets. Across its global footprint, Waters is reducing its contribution to climate change. Since 2016, the company reports to have cut greenhouse gas emissions by 27% and is moving toward a 35% re- duction by 2025. One piece of this effort is the transition to electric and hybrid vehicles for transportation needs. Waters uses rooop solar to provide power for two of its plants globally and plans to install panels at its Milford site within the next 18 months and eventual- ly at its Taunton location. To balance out the company's use of electricity from the grid, it uses what's known as virtual power purchase agreements. is allows Waters to invest in solar and wind farms in places like Texas and Vermont, helping to make the country's electrical system greener overall. e company uses purchases of renewable energy certificates, which incentivize the instal- lation of clean energy, to fill in the gaps in its green energy plans, Null said. Because RECs represent clean power sources already in the system, Waters considers them more of a last resort. Another key to sustainabil- ity, for both Waters and its customers and suppliers, is designing products and pack- aging to be easily recycled, and to conserve resources. For example, the company's TQ Absolute mass spectrometer system uses about half the electricity and nitrogen and GREEN MANUFACTURING AWARD Waters Corp. Headquarters: Milford Industry subsector: Analytical instruments and software Founded: 1958 Employees: About 8,000 Top executive: President & CEO Udit Batra Primary products: Liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, precision chemistry, laboratory informatics software What makes a manufacturer excellent? Manufacturing excellence embodies peak operational performance, harmonizing quality, cost, delivery, safety, and morale. It propels sustainable growth, bolstering economic resilience and community welfare. Achieving manufacturing excellence involves holistic strategies encompassing process optimization, waste reduction, workforce empowerment, and prioritized safety. creates about half as much heat, when compared to similar instruments. Its components and packaging are made partly from recycled materials. "We know our customers are looking for this," Null said. W Waters' Taunton facility PHOTOS | COURTESY OF WATERS CORP.

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