CERRITOS, Calif.—R.D. Abbott Co. Inc. is implementing recycling initiatives, increasing lighting efficiency and minimizing waste streams as it looks to improve its carbon footprint, according to a company news release.
The firm donates its bottles and cans to a nearby middle school, which redeems them as part of its fundraising efforts, R.D. Abbott said. It also donates old computers to local schools and community members after cleaning the hard drives.
It has motion-activated timers for office lighting installed in four different areas of its Cerritos headquarters. Hazardous materials in the warehouse are disposed of responsibly and packing supplies such as cardboard boxes and fill materials that arrive with inbound shipments are re-used. The use of packaging peanuts is limited.
R.D. Abbott minimizes paper waste by sending documents electronically when possible, and when documents are printed, workers shred them so the waste sent to the landfill is more compact, the company said. The information technology department recycles its ink cartridges.
The company said it also provided employees with personalized water tumblers to limit the use of disposable cups.
Sarah Jenkins, a rubber technologist and member of R.D. Abbott's central research team, monitors the company's carbon footprint. As recycling efforts change, it's necessary to think critically about how to reduce volumes of used resources, not just about reusing and recycling materials, Jenkins said.
Along with its resource management, R.D. Abbott plans to reduce its carbon footprint through the addition of LED lighting, it said.
R.D. Abbott is an elastomers supplier and materials science company, distributing such products as elastomeric polymers, rubber chemicals and dispersions, polymeric plasticizers and fillers, among others.