As part of our effort to continuously improve our environmental performance, we have incorporated sustainable building principles into all current and future building plans. Every new facility in the United States, for example, is designed according to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED Green Building Rating System TM is a third-party certification program and the nationally-accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. At the very least, we will seek the “certified”standard for our buildings and may, where practicable, pursue a higher LEED certification level. We will determine the level of certification we seek on a case-by-case basis.
We believe it is important to extend the company’s environmental stewardship efforts around the world, including emerging and developing countries in which regulatory standards may be lower than in the United States. Several new facilities integrate sustainable design specifications both in the United States and around the world, including a distribution center in Zanesville, Ohio and an office building in Northampton, United Kingdom. We plan to incorporate standards sufficient to meet LEED certification at our planned distribution facility in Brazil.
See also: Zanesville, Ohio Distribution Center to be LEED Certified