General Cable Joins U.S. Green Building Council
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY, October 20, 2010 - General Cable (NYSE: BGC) continues to accelerate its environmental commitment through its participation in the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Company, who joined the USGBC in order to be better informed and gain tools focused on sustainability and green initiatives within the green building industry, launched a line of 17 FREE(TM) halogen-free premise, fiber and electronics cabling solutions that may qualify for LEED credit under the USGBC.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the system that certifies the greenest performing buildings in the world. General Cable's 17 FREE product innovation nearly coincided with the USGBC's announcement of its LEED Pilot Credit 2. The pilot program potentially gives credit for products geared toward reducing the release of persistent bio-accumulative toxic chemicals, or PBTs, associated with the life cycle of building materials, including electrical wiring and cable jacketing.
General Cable, who initially developed the 17 FREE line after receiving many requests for green products, saw the LEED pilot credit issue as a significant opportunity to capitalize on the new riser-rated halogen-free design.
"As we continue to strengthen as a Lean, flexible and responsive global organization, the quest to introduce new and better products through continuous improvement of environmentally-sound processes and product designs reflect our on-going commitment to achieving industry-leading standards," said Richard Barker, Vice President, Technical Standards & Marketing for General Cable. "We are proud to a part of the U.S. Green Building Council."
With our involvement with the USGBC, as well as the Green Suppliers Network, we not only support our own Lean and Green culture but strengthen our alignment with the sustainability goals of our partners and suppliers," said Bethany Sarchet, National Accounts Manager, General Cable. "Lean manufacturing techniques coupled with sound environmental management strategies will ensure that we are delivering value to our customers - high-quality products with minimal waste and environmental impact."
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The USGBC community is transforming the way we build, design and operate our buildings for healthier places that save precious resources for people to live, work, learn and play in. UGSBC is helping create buildings and communities that regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Council is the driving force of the green building industry, which is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2013. USGBC leads a diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials, concerned citizens, teachers and students. The USGBC community comprises 80 local chapters, 17,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 150,000 individuals who have earned LEED Professional Credentials. Visit www.usgbc.org for more information.
About the Green Suppliers Network
The Green Suppliers Network's Lean and Clean Advantage drives environmental excellence by targeting companies, such as General Cable, with strong environmental records to go above and beyond their legal requirements. By expanding the traditional definition of Lean to one that includes environmental wastes opens up significant business improvement opportunities, further strengthens Lean results, and improves environmental performance.
About General Cable
General Cable (NYSE: BGC), a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial, specialty and communications markets. Energy cables include low-, medium- and high-voltage power distribution and power transmission products. The Industrial and Specialty segment is comprised of application-specific cables for uses such as electrical power generation (traditional fuels, alternative and renewable sources, and distributed generation), the oil, gas and petrochemical industries, transit, mining, industrial automation, marine, military and aerospace applications, power applications in the telecommunications industry, and other key industrial segments. Communications wire and cable products transmit low-voltage signals for voice, data, video and control applications. General Cable, with annual revenues approaching $5 billion, has 47 manufacturing facilities in 25 countries and offers competitive strengths in such areas as breadth of product line, brand recognition, distribution and logistics, sales and service and operating efficiency. Visit our Web site at www.GeneralCable.com.
