Wrigley Earns LEED(R) Silver Green Building Certification for Engineering Technology Center in Chicago

CHICAGO, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company'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. "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.
• An EPA Energy Star water-efficiency monitoring program to assess and thereby reduce water use for the building and landscape irrigation.
• Energy-efficient lighting and lighting occupancy sensors.
• An advanced recycling program, which saves nearly 75 tons of waste from entering landfills each year.

Additionally, the ETC introduced a unique program to encourage Wrigley associates to commute to work by means other than a personal vehicle. As part of the program, associates now receive subsidized public transportation and free access to lockers and showers, if they choose to commute via cycling or other alternative transportation options.  

"USGBC's vision is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling a socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "We applaud Wrigley and their committed associates for supporting and contributing to this mission both within the city of Chicago and around the world."

Wrigley's focus on enhancing the Chicago community goes beyond its operations. As part of the Wrigley Associate Volunteer Effort (WAVE) program, Wrigley associates are able to exhibit their generous spirit for volunteering throughout the year. Through the support of various organizations such as Friends of the Chicago River, Keep Chicago Beautiful and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Wrigley associates enjoy an active role in keeping Chicago a vibrant place to live and work.

"The ETC LEED certification is a terrific example of Wrigley's sustainability efforts in action," comments Julia Tuthill Mulligan, Vice President of Global Sustainability. "Through continued progress and education, we're committed to doing our part for people and the planet by making sustainability second nature in everything we do."

To learn more about Wrigley's global sustainability efforts, visit the "Our Commitment" section of Wrigley.com.

About Wrigley

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, lollipops, and chocolate. The Company has operations in more than 40 countries and distributes its world-famous brands in more than 180 countries. Three of these brands – Wrigley's Spearmint®, Juicy Fruit®, and Altoids® – have heritages stretching back more than a century. Other well-loved brands include Doublemint®, Life Savers®, Skittles®, Big Red®, Boomer, Pim Pom, Winterfresh®, Extra®, Starburst®, Freedent®, Hubba Bubba®, Orbit®, Excel, Creme Savers®, Eclipse®, Airwaves, Solano, Sugus, Lockets, P.K., Cool Air and 5®. Wrigley is headquartered in Chicago , Illinois and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, based in McLean, Virginia . Mars is a $30-billion, family-owned company that produces some of the world's leading confectionery, food and petcare products and has growing beverage and health & nutrition businesses.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.  

SOURCE Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company