Newell Brands has announced the winners of our fourth annual Sustainability Excellence Awards, which recognize initiatives across the company that reduce our environmental impact, contribute positively to our operations and offer more sustainable solutions, often while providing cost savings. The 2023 Sustainability Excellence Awards winners are:

For the second consecutive year, the Rubbermaid Commercial Products® team in Winchester, Virginia, U.S., won the gold award. They expanded their waste reduction program, resulting in over 600 tons of material diverted from landfills and high annual cost savings. The site partnered with other Newell manufacturing sites in Reedsburg, WI, and Winfield, KS, to collect 45,000 lbs. of regrind material and recycle it for production, avoiding a $250,000 expenditure to purchase virgin plastic resin. The team also adopted a new water treatment mechanism, saving 1.5 million gallons annually.

Our Writing team in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium earned the silver award. They simplified the DYMO® 2” LabelWriter label printer spool, improving productivity by removing a secondary step during assembly. The design change also reduced plastic usage by 14 percent, saving 300 tons of virgin plastic and 1.7 million kWh of energy in 2023. The site also installed high-speed doors that reduce energy usage, delivering a two percent cost savings. To foster an ongoing culture of sustainability, Sint-Niklaas’s self-named “Green Team” launched a bicycle lease program for employees to commute to work.

Awarded bronze, our Baby team in Zeven, Germany, modernized their heating system and office building windows, saving €285,000 and 1,012 tons of CO2 since starting the upgrade in 2021. This project reduced gas usage by 48 percent and energy usage by 5 million kWh. This effort is part of the team’s commitment to reduce electricity and gas usage by 10 percent by 2025. 

Other notable nominations included the Chennai, India, and Lonato del Garda, Italy teams’ solar projects; Auckland, New Zealand’s innovative use of ocean-bound plastic; and Mexicali, Mexico’s creative use of overlapping shifts to reduce operational costs and emissions. Each project deserves recognition and brings us closer to achieving our sustainability goals. We thank and congratulate this year’s award winners for their contributions to our sustainability efforts.