Airgas, Inc.
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2014)
Reporting Period: 2014
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Energy Efficiency
- Emission and Waste Reduction
- Product Sourcing
- Safety
- Community Engagement
- Talent Development
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced average energy use at Columbia, SC ASU by 13% at high load levels, 8% at medium load levels, and 16% at low load levels.
- Increased bulk gas delivered per gallon of diesel fuel by 3%.
- Reduced N2O emissions in production phase from 20% to 15% (25% improvement).
- Decreased N2O losses at fill plants from 12.1% to 10.5% (100 metric tons reduction).
- Reduced N2O emissions by nearly 99% at five East Region fill plants.
- Increased percentage of retread tires, keeping more than 10,000 tires out of the waste stream (from 74% to 84%).
Social Achievements
- Achieved a 14% improvement in Total Injury Rate (TIR).
- Made a $100,000 donation to Operation Homefront.
- Hired more than 1,100 veterans.
- Enhanced efforts to recruit and develop new college graduates.
Governance Achievements
- Created the Airgas Sustainability Committee in 2014.
- Implemented a self-assessment certification process for suppliers (in progress).
Climate Goals & Targets
Short-term Goals:
- Reduce N2O losses at fill plants by 1% annually.
Environmental Challenges
- High energy consumption at air separation units (ASUs).
- High diesel fuel usage in truck fleets.
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from production and fill plants.
- Tire waste from truck fleet.
- Preventable vehicular accidents.
Mitigation Strategies
- Decommissioned inefficient ASUs and designed new ones with high-efficiency motors and advanced control systems.
- Equipped bulk trucks with idle-time shut-down devices, lightweight components, and wide-based tires.
- Installed electronic on-board computers in bulk trucks to track and reduce fuel-wasting actions.
- Recirculated vent stream back into N2O production process.
- Upgraded equipment and repaired leaks in N2O fill plant piping systems.
- Consolidated N2O storage tanks in East Region.
- Increased use of retread tires.
- Increased winter-driving training materials.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: Supplier audit program planned for launch by end of 2015.
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier segmentation: >85% of hardgoods purchases from 100 suppliers in 2014; self-assessment certification process under development.
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI G4 guidelines (planned for future reports)