Mercury Marine wins second Business Friend of the Environment Award

Mercury Marine has been presented a Wisconsin Business Friend of the Environment Award, the second time in four years that Mercury has won the award, also winning the honors in 2014.

The Business Friend of the Environment Awards highlights the actions Wisconsin companies are taking in the areas of pollution prevention, innovative technology and environmental stewardship.

Earlier this year, Mercury Marine launched its all-new V6 and V8 FourStroke outboard platform, the largest engine launch in the company’s almost 80-year history, 19 engines in the 175 horsepower to 300 horsepower range.

“We are honored to win the Business Friend of the Environment Award for the second time,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine vice president of global operations. “The validation-testing of both the V6 and V8 platforms have set a new benchmark in the marine industry relative to the reduced amount of raw materials required for their manufacture, as well as their fuel economy, emissions, and noise abatement.”

Mercury’s continued focus on sustainability has earned the company a Green Masters designation for seven consecutive years and in June, Mercury’s Active Trim technology was honored as the Sustainable Product of the Year Award in Wisconsin.

Fuel-efficiency, low emissions and a quiet engine are three of the many features that customers want in their outboard engines, Buelow said, adding Mercury’s V6 models were 12 to 16 percent more fuel-efficient than their closest competitors at cruising speeds and the V8s were 8 to 10 percent more fuel-efficient.

“We invest a lot of time and effort in our global sustainability efforts,” said Scott Louks, Mercury Marine sustainability and facilities project management manager. “Our 2017 Sustainability report outlined our goals and our successes, and we are well on our way to meeting and exceeding the lofty goals we set out to achieve by 2019.”

Some of Mercury’s sustainable headlines in 2017 include:

• The installation of approximately 2,000 rooftop solar panels at Mercury Marine’s facility in Petit‑Rechain, Belgium, has reduced annual electricity costs by more than 30 percent;
• Mercury Marine has invested in, and successfully implemented, new systems to redirect and reuse water for multiple purposes, and to more efficiently cool and heat water for industrial applications;
• Mercury implemented significant improvements to HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, resulting in a reduction of related energy consumption by more than 11 billion BTUs annually and improved indoor air quality;
• Since 2015, Mercury recycled close to 750 tons of mixed paper, corrugated containers, plastic shrink wrap and drinking bottles. Additionally, approximately 950 tons of wood pallets were diverted from landfills and reconditioned for reuse;
• Throughout 2015 and 2016, Mercury Marine’s use of manufacturing balers prepared more than 1,200 tons of cardboard for recycling. The recycling of these materials resulted in energy savings of approximately 470,000 kWh, enough to power approximately 30 homes for one year.