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Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.'s Engineering Technology Center (ETC) in Chicago has received LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), further advancing the company's goal to leverage high-performance design across its existing facilities.
LEED certification – which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is an internationally recognized and nationally accepted benchmark for green buildings. Certification indicates that a building was designed and is managed using strategies aimed at improving key environmental measures, such as energy efficiency and water conservation.
"Wrigley is proud to have earned LEED Silver certification for our Engineering Technology Center, further signifying the company's long-standing commitment to advancing global sustainability," said Dushan Petrovich, president of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. in a prepared statement. "We recognize the footprint our business has on the environment and through the operation of environmentally-friendly facilities, we're able to minimize our impact while contributing to the city's vision to create a more sustainable community."
Wrigley purchased the 91,300 square-foot ETC in 2005 and refurbished the building to house the company's engineering team, packaging labs and model shop. With energy, environmental quality and site improvements in mind, high-efficiency design was applied to the reconstruction, including the installation of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, flexible workspace and a white roof — which lowers energy use through the reduction of seasonal heating and air-conditioning.
To further enhance the building's efficiency, Wrigley worked with specialized building management company, Transwestern, to introduce several initiatives that had a positive impact at Wrigley's LEED Gold-certified Global Innovation Center.
As a result, the ETC building uses approximately 37 percent less energy and 20 percent less water because of environmentally-friendly measures, including:
An advanced-energy management system, which enables the facility to program temperature settings for reduced energy output during evenings and weekends.
Active e-waste recycling efforts, which safely recycles or repurposes more than 95 percent of all electronics that are no longer functioning or needed for company use.
An environmentally-friendly exterior maintenance program, including pest management and landscaping practices.
