Projection screen manufacturer Da-Lite in Warsaw has been working toward a 100 percent landfill diversion rate for several years. Company representatives say they set the goal because they believe it’s the right thing to do. The organization encourages vendors to use recyclable packaging for the components needed to manufacture Da-Lite products. Foam inserts and packaging are reused, and employees have access to a household items recycling center at work. In 2008 Da-Lite received ISO 14001:2004 certification for environmentally responsible manufacturing and became landfill free two years later. In the first four months that the green initiatives were introduced, Da-Lite eliminated the usage of 4,000 KWH of electricity per day, 12,000 gallons of water per day and nearly 10 tons of trash in total. The average American household puts more trash into landfills each week than Da-Lite’s Warsaw manufacturing facility contributes in a year, according to the company. Any waste that cannot be redistributed or recycled is sent by Da-Lite to a waste-to-energy facility in Indianapolis. The solid waste that is sent to the facility contributes to the steam heat that flows through the downtown Indianapolis heating loop, providing a green thermal source for downtown businesses and a university campus. Since 2007, the average water usage at Da-Lite has been decreased by 42 percent, natural gas consumption by 27 percent, and in 2008 motion sensor lighting was installed in the 315,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. In 2011, all 30 of Da-Lite’s projection screen fabrics received certification for GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality and GREENGUARD Children and Schools.
