In honor of TAMKO Building Products’ 75th anniversary in business, the company is celebrating its sustainability accomplishments over the last several years, which includes using more than 1 billion pounds of recycled materials in manufacturing its products since 2013.

Since 2013, TAMKO has used 1.1 billion pounds of recycled paper, cardboard, sawdust, plastic and other materials to manufacture its products. At TAMKO’s Knoxville, Tennessee facility alone, more than 89 million pounds of recycled cardboard was used to manufacture products in 2018, which averages to more than 244,000 pounds every day that year.

As part of using recycled materials, TAMKO reused 54 million pounds of material during this time period, reintroducing it back into its production processes. Additionally, 549 million pounds of materials that could not be reused were sent to other recyclers rather than to a landfill.

“We are proud to use recycled materials and incorporate sustainable practices that benefit our business, customers, employees and communities,” said TAMKO President and CEO David Humphreys. “We care about the health and safety of our communities because our people live and work here too.”

In addition to its recycling efforts, TAMKO also continued its focus on reducing consumption of natural resources and promoting healthy environments for its employees and surrounding communities. Specifically, improvements at TAMKO’s Phillipsburg, Kansas facility, reduced potential air emissions by 70 million cubic feet per year. Other process improvements reduced parked idling truck traffic on the street outside TAMKO’s Dallas, Texas facility by 100 percent and reduced total loading time, resulting in a 25 percent reduction in potential idling truck emissions.

TAMKO also looks for ways to reduce its use of natural resources. A rainwater capture and recycling system reduced TAMKO’s Frederick, Maryland facility’s water consumption by approximately 100,000 gallons a year. A project at TAMKO’s High Street facility in Joplin, Missouri recycled water from within its own processes, resulting in a 74 percent savings in overall water use at the facility.

“We strive to protect the environment, and the health and safety of the public, our customers and employees through the goal of 100 percent compliance, 100 percent of the time by 100 percent of the people,” Humphreys said.

Since implementing a Zero Incident Safety Culture (ZISC) in 2005, TAMKO has reduced its number of OSHA recordable injuries by 74 percent. Through all its efforts, TAMKO continuously strives to work safely, produce quality products and protect the environment of the communities where the company operates.