The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today welcomed Smith+Nephew, a Memphis, Tennessee-based producer of medical devices, including orthopedic implants and trauma surgical instruments, into the Tennessee Green Star Partnership.

The Tennessee Green Star Partnership is an environmental leadership program that recognizes manufacturers who are committed to sustainability and exhibit continuous improvement throughout their entire operation.

“Smith+Nephew has demonstrated its strong commitment to deploying sustainable practices in the manufacturing sector and we hope other manufacturers in Tennessee follow suit,” said Kendra Abkowitz, director of TDEC’s Office of Policy and Sustainable Practices. “TDEC looks forward to expanding the Green Star Partnership as manufacturers increasingly recognize the importance of their role in protecting Tennessee’s environment.”

“An example of Smith+Nephew’s position to support sustainable practices is its commitment to implement 100 percent renewable electricity for all its Memphis locations by 2022,” said Billy Powell, HSE Regional Director – North America. “Smith+Nephew initiated this plan in 2020 by purchasing over 72,000 MWh of renewable energy credits from the TVA Green Flex Participation program. The Memphis locations are ISO 14001 and 13485 certified and produce an average of four million units annually.”

Smith+Nephew has made significant commitments to sustainability across all operations and through its manufacturing plants. During calendar year 2019, Smith+Nephew was able to decrease water consumption at their largest manufacturing location by 30 percent compared to 2016 levels. It converted water-cooled air compressor units to air-cooled and estimate that they have saved between 20-30 million gallons year over year since the conversion. It also monitors water use for trends in consumption associated with its production discharge and from utility information and investigate the cause of any upwards trend. The Smith+Nephew Memphis locations are looking to achieve Zero Waste to Landfill by 2025 and currently recycle over 1,500 tons a year from its manufacturing operations. Recently, one of the plants has diverted an additional 33.7 tons of material from landfilling by using Waste-to-Energy treatment.

To become a member in the Tennessee Green Star Partnership, a manufacturer must operate under an ISO 14001 certification, a voluntary environmental management standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization, and/or an environmental management system that conforms to ISO 14001, and must have a minimum of three years of exceptional environmental compliance with TDEC.

For more information about TDEC’s Green Star Partnership program, please visit this site.