Evinrude attains Wisconsin Green Masters level status

Evinrude recently announced that for the second year, it has received recognition as a Green Master, the highest sustainable business rating from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council’s Green Masters Program.

Recognizing sustainable actions by businesses from across the state of Wisconsin, the Green Masters Program works to identify businesses that have taken at least one action within each of the nine pillars of sustainability.

Participants in the program (almost 200 in calendar year 2017) receive recognition for their sustainability accomplishments and develop ideas for future sustainability actions. Only 20 percent of companies that applied during the calendar year are identified and recognized at the Green Masters level for the year.

Following its 2017 induction into the program, Evinrude continued to make sustainability a top priority, implementing several key changes to their business practices and continuing community outreach efforts that support the environment.

Evinrude installed a new factory make-up air handling system and end-of-line quality system. The make-up air handling system helps improve the operator environment within the manufacturing facility and the end-of-line system helps to reduce process emissions and fuel consumption by more than 50 percent.

“Evinrude invented the first commercially viable outboard engine and we are continuously improving marine technology to give our customers an uncompromised boating experience,” said Tracy Crocker, senior vice president and general manager, Evinrude. “For 110 years, Evinrude has been at the cutting edge of innovation, leading the industry in ease of use and fuel efficiency but we know creating sustainable products is not the only action Evinrude can take to protect our environment. To that end, we continue to adopt sustainable business practices for our workplace and take steps to ensure that our manufacturing process has a limited impact on our community.”

The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition and assessment program that enables Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies that are on the road to sustainability.

The program has established three levels of participation: Green Apprentice, Green Professional, and Green Master. Evinrude was recognized today at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference.

“Evinrude continues to demonstrate how a large company can develop a successful sustainability strategy that helps not only the company, but surrounding communities,” said Tom Eggert, executive director, Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. “In today’s economy, meaningful and impactful sustainability efforts are paramount to staying competitive. It is an honor to recognize outstanding companies like Evinrude for their efforts to make Wisconsin greener.”

“We see tremendous value in investing in sustainable business practices,” said Jeff Wasil, emissions compliance engineer, Evinrude. “Even if these practices cost us more at the onset, they are essential to ensuring we limit our environmental impact. For example, last heating season, Evinrude implemented an energy recovery system, which allowed us to heat our test buildings without the use of natural gas through a closed-loop water system we installed to help reduce water waste. Although this system is costlier, it is without a doubt the right thing to do for the environment.”