Press Release

REPORT ON THE BROWNSVILLE CONFERENCE
ON INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY AND ECO-EFFICIENCY

(Brownsville, TX)-- Helping manufacturers improve their bottom line through waste reduction, energy efficiency and industrial recycling was the focus of a two-day eco-industrial development conference on "IMPROVING THE BOTTOM LINE THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL EFFICIENCY". The conference on improving profits and helping the environment was held March 6-7, 1997, in Brownsville, Texas, at the Four Points by ITT Sheraton Hotel.

Local business leaders and representatives from communities across the country heard about pioneering efforts to develop an eco-industrial network in Brownsville/Matamoros. The Brownsville Economic Development Council (BEDC), a joint sponsor of the conference with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), presented the findings of a two-year study of the potential for waste exchanges and recycling networks to help companies cut costs and reduce their consumption of raw materials.

With assistance from the federal government, BEDC hired Bechtel Corporation and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center to develop a computer database and model that maps out a workable network of exchanges. The study looked at the inputs and outputs of 35 local firms and 100 national industry types to develop a regional community of manufacturers linked through a network of material exchanges.

"This conference offered an excellent opportunity for local manufacturers, big and small, to discover how they can benefit from eco-industrial development," said Marie McDermott, president of BEDC. "We believe BEDC can also utilize this concept as a tool to attract more industry and investment to the area,"

EDF presented examples of the benefits to manufacturers of implementing waste reduction, energy efficiency, and recycling programs, including a model program of eco-efficiency services being developed at an industrial park in Matamoros.

"These examples show that reducing waste and pollution can be good for the bottom line. We want to let other business leaders on the border know about these opportunities so that they can begin putting them in place at their own facilities," said Ramon Alvarez, a staff scientist at EDF.

The keynote address was delivered by Libor Rostik, vice president of development and technology at Chaparral Steel, based in Midlothian, Texas. Chaparral's steel mill satisfies 40 percent of its raw material needs with recycled scrap steel from old automobiles. In addition, Chaparral has established goals of achieving zero waste from its manufacturing facility by turning everything it makes into a useful product in cooperation with adjacent firms.

Speakers from local companies included W. Glen Goudeau, Director General of Lucent Technologies. Lucent, the first North American manufacturer to be awarded the Deming Prize for quality, is recognized as a leader in the local manufacturing community. Goudeau spoke of Lucent's success in implementing cost-saving and environmentally-friendly practices, noting his facility's recent awarding of the ISO 14000 certification.

Also featured was Andy Cichon of Summit Componentes, where efforts to incorporate waste reduction practices throughout the plastics molding operation have resulted in significant cost savings.

Contact: Rick Luna, BEDC, (210) 541-1183; alvarez @ edf.org
Dr. Ramon Alvarez, EDF, (512) 478-5161

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