Bloomington, Ind. — About 3,000 solar panels now line the rooftops at Cook Medical’s headquarters. This project to invest in sustainable solar energy is Cook’s most recent initiative to create cleaner, healthier communities.
At the beginning of 2022, Cook Medical began installing solar panels on several buildings at Cook’s headquarters. The first building to receive solar panels was the North American Distribution Center, where many products are shipped out to patients. At this building alone, the solar panels will offset more than 1,000 metric tons of CO2 in the first year of use—the equivalent of the amount of CO2 generated from burning six rail cars’ worth of coal.
Cook also installed solar panels on the rooftops of several other buildings at headquarters. The completed project used more than 3,000 solar panels total.
“Solar panels derive electricity from the sun, a renewable energy source. This is important, as the state of Indiana currently relies largely on finite resources like coal and natural gas to fuel the electric grid,” said Erin Kunkel, corporate social responsibility manager at Cook. “Incorporating solar panels and other forms of renewable energy is an important step to reduce Cook’s carbon footprint.”
The solar panel project at Cook headquarters follows years of initiatives at other Cook facilities to be more conscious of our impact on the environment. Several other Cook facilities have received the International Standards of Operations (ISO) 14001 certification; ISO 14001 is a set of requirements that demonstrate core competencies related to manufacturing products, services and systems. For example, a company can achieve ISO 14001 certification of their environmental management system’s ability to minimize negative environmental impact. Other sustainability efforts made by Cook facilities around the globe include:
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- Brisbane, Australia—The first Cook Medical manufacturing site to use solar power to supplement energy use in 2015.
- Limerick, Ireland—Achieved ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 (requirements for energy efficiency) certifications in 2019.
- Bjaverskov, Denmark—Achieved ISO 14001 certification in March 2020.
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina— Achieved ISO 14001 certification in February 2022. More environmental objectives for this Cook facility include:
- Reduce energy consumption by 10% by 2027.
- Assess environmental compliance assurance.
- Establish baseline and optimize waste management system by 2024.
- Increase recycling of metals, plastics, and cardboard by 5% by 2023.
“Cook has always had an emphasis on serving the communities where we live and work. For years, we’ve been making changes to various Cook facilities to make sure we are a responsible community member. As we continue making steps to reduce our carbon footprint, we’re getting products to patients in a way that has less of an impact on the environment,” said Kunkel.
To learn more about Cook’s sustainability efforts, visit https://csr.cookmedical.com/climate-action.
About Cook Medical
Since 1963, Cook Medical has worked closely with physicians to develop technologies that eliminate the need for open surgery. Today we invent, manufacture and deliver a unique portfolio of medical devices to the healthcare systems of the world. Serving patients is a privilege, and we demand the highest standards of quality, ethics and service. We have remained family owned so that we have the freedom to focus on what we care about: patients, our employees and our communities.
Find out more at CookMedical.com and for the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
News coverage of this announcement
Inside Indiana Business—Cook Medical installs solar panels at headquarters