Ivoclar Inc. North America announced a major investment in solar energy to power its Amherst, NY corporate headquarters, transitioning from fossil fuel dependent to renewable energy as part of the company’s continued global commitment to a safer, healthier environment. The nearly $1 million clean energy project started in 2020 and completed in December 2021 is projected to supply the 100,000-square-foot facility with 750 MWh of energy per year with any unused energy returned to the grid for the benefit of the community. The project included the installation of 1,640 solar panels by locally owned Buffalo Solar and benefits the environment by saving the emissions of approximately 532 metric tons CO2 yearly into the air, the equivalent of planting approximately 8,789 trees per year. The company estimates that 65% of its annual energy requirement will be generated by this project.
As an international company, the Ivoclar Group is a leading global manufacturer of dental products, with an ongoing commitment to supporting people, communities and the environment. The company aims to sustainably improve the health and quality of the life of people all over the world. In addition to manufacturing high-quality products, Ivoclar Group wishes to make an active contribution to sustainable development as defined by the United Nations in its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and in accordance with the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
The power facility at the headquarters in Schaan, Liechtenstein which began operating in 2018, supplies the company headquarters with electricity, warm and cold water, as well as with compressed air and reduces its consumption of natural gas. State-of-the-art heat recovery technology is further helping the company’s efforts to reduce its need for natural gas. In the course of the project “global greenhouse gas balance of the Ivoclar Group” CO2 emissions have been reduced globally. Moreover, the Ivoclar Group increases its use of photovoltaics – not only at the NY corporate headquarters in Amherst, New York.
“We were thrilled to get to work with like-minded individuals at Ivoclar on this project,” said Tyler Uebelhoer, Co-Founder and CEO of Buffalo Solar. “They were very responsive to the environmental aspects of the solar project, which is not that common. We love it when our customers care as much as we do about making a real difference.”
In addition to the solar panel project, Ivoclar North America has created an internal task force to explore and evaluate a cleaner and more sustainable business operation. Some of these initiatives include new packaging and transportation solutions, utilization of hybrid vehicles and reducing plastic water bottle usage.
“We are moving deliberately forward to reduce our carbon emission footprint in our locality and worldwide as part of Ivoclar’s global commitment to improving the environment and addressing climate change,” said Christian Brutzer, President Ivoclar Inc. North America. Ivoclar Inc. is one of the world’s leading-edge dental companies, producing integrated solutions to improve the state of oral health care throughout the world.
The Ivoclar Group, headquartered in Schaan, Liechtenstein, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of integrated solutions for high-quality dental applications. The company’s success is based on a comprehensive portfolio of products, systems and services, strong research and development capabilities and a clear commitment to training and further education. The group of companies, which sells its products to around 130 countries, has 47 subsidiaries and branch offices and employs roughly 3,500 people worldwide. More information about the Ivoclar Group is available at ivoclar.com.