Owens Corning Issues 2010 Sustainability Report

TOLEDO, Ohio, June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) today released its fifth annual Sustainability Report, which outlines the company's environmental footprint reduction performance relative to seven key aspects of resource consumption, waste and air emissions.  The company also announced a new set of 2020 goals designed to raise the bar on its commitment to sustainability.

"Our 2010 Sustainability Report demonstrates Owens Corning's continued focus on – and progress toward – improvements in greening our operations and products, and accelerating energy efficiency and renewables penetration in the built environment," said Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Frank O'Brien-Bernini.  "We have met three of our seven goals already and are confident that six of the seven goals will be achieved by 2012."

O'Brien-Bernini said the seventh goal, involving footprint reductions in volatile organic compounds, has generated a 14-percent improvement since 2002 and has already begun to benefit from the company's recent conversion to the manufacture of its revolutionary EcoTouch™ insulation.  EcoTouch™ is a new class of high-performance residential and commercial insulation made with a minimum of 99 percent minerals and plant-based compounds and is third-party certified to be a minimum 50 percent recycled content and formaldehyde-free.

Among the key accomplishments highlighted in the report is a 24-percent intensity reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to 2009 levels.  The company removed 950,000 metric tons of CO2e from its operations in 2010, which is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide-related impact of more than 170,000 passenger cars.  The report highlights additional information on GHG emissions, as well as progress toward intensity reductions in energy usage, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, waste-to-landfill contributions and water usage.

Having significantly reduced its environmental footprint over the past eight years, the company also announced a new set of footprint reduction goals in the report.  These 2020 goals target reductions in energy, greenhouse gas, water, toxic air emissions, particulate matter and waste-to-landfill measures, as well as supplier sustainability and life cycle assessments.

"These new goals raise the bar on our commitment to sustainability and reflect an increasingly holistic approach that encompasses how our company operates, the attributes of our products and our desire to affect change by partnering with our customers and suppliers to deliver sustainable solutions," O'Brien-Bernini added.

The 2010 report also features the company's caring for its employees through its continued quest for an injury-free workplace.  In 2010, the company improved its rate of injuries by 23 percent, marking its ninth consecutive year of safety improvement.  In addition, the report highlights information about the Owens Corning's community involvement and increased accountability for sustainable operations and behavior.  

Owens Corning expanded its sustainability presence with several important developments.  In 2010, the company:

• Earned placement in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an elite listing of the top 10 percent of the world's 2,500 largest companies based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.  
• Joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative.  With its emphasis on sustainability and responsible business practices, the U.N. Global Compact provides the company a strong platform for embracing good corporate principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.  
• Was named to Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens™" list, reflecting its continued progress and dedication to balancing economic growth with social progress and environmental stewardship.

Owens Corning's 2010 Sustainability Report is consistent with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines know as GRI-G3.  GRI's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines set a globally applicable framework for reporting the economic, environmental and social dimensions of an organization's activities, products and services.

The full report and a downloadable summary progress report are available online at: www.sustainability.owenscorning.com.

About Owens Corning
Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems.  A Fortune® 500 company for 57 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives.  Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology with sales of $5.0 billion in 2010 and approximately 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents. Additional information is available at: www.owenscorning.com.

SOURCE Owens Corning