Brunswick Corp. yesterday announced the winners of its inaugural Sustainability Leadership Award Program.
The awards were established in memory of Kevin Grodzki, who spearheaded the company’s sustainability initiatives over numerous years.
“We understand the impact our business has on the world and the opportunities we have to lead the way in sustainable, responsible practices,” said Brunswick CEO David Foulkes in a statement. “Kevin had the foresight to chart the course of our sustainability strategy, and this is one way we can honor his legacy while driving the momentum he ignited by recognizing and rewarding our employees’ relentless pursuit of the sustainable future he envisioned.”
The company gave its sustainability leadership award to Navico’s Project Point Nemo, which assembled a global team to reduce packaging waste and plastics use for Lowrance, Simrad, B&G and C-MAP products.
In the project, molded pulp was used to replace packaging and plastic bags with packaging that is non-toxic, marine-safe and dissolve in hot water.
The efforts will eliminate nearly 400,000 plastic bags, 500,000 plastic clamshell packages and more than 200,000 plastic inserts each year, according to Brunswick.
The company’s Individual Sustainability Award went to Scott Louks of Mercury Marine, who helped the company achieve 35 percent reduced water use and a 58 percent reduction in hazardous waste production.
He also executed a project to install a solar array at the company’s global headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wis., while also guiding two significant Mercury distribution centers in their achievement of “zero waste to landfill” status, according to Brunswick.
