"Going Green" Trend Takes Root in Manufacturing

Online, September 24, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Cornerstone Flooring not only provides versatile and long-lasting resinous floors for a variety of industrial applications, but it also provides a way to help a manufacturing facility go green without sacrificing functionality.

According to a recent report by FoodProcessing.com, in conjunction with findings from marketing communications firm J. Walter Thompson Company, lessening the environmental impact in the manufacturing process is one of the fastest-growing trends facing the food and beverage industry this year and beyond. Consumer interest and awareness in this area is rapidly growing thanks in part to increased involvement from outside groups like activist organizations. According to the report more manufacturing facilities of all sizes will start looking for ways to "go green" and promote eco-friendly production through programs like LEED® certification.

Cornerstone Flooring is committed to these green building practices through our Green Building initiative which can help facilities join the trend in a number of ways. Many of our team members are now certified LEED® Green Associates, a credential given to those who train in and display green building expertise in non-technical fields of practice. Cornerstone understands what it takes to build and sustain a LEED®-certified eco-friendly manufacturing facility, and we've put that understanding into all of our resinous flooring systems.

Buildings can qualify for four levels of LEED® certification, Platinum being the highest, based on a points system that measures a building's impact on the environment and ways it promotes eco-friendly production and sustainability. Cornerstone's products can contribute to certification points in a number of categories:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resources
• Indoor Environmental Quality

This push for environmental friendliness in the food and beverage industry is easy to spot. In the past two years alone several LEED® certification barriers have been broken. Cornerstone's AeroFloor® system is installed in the world's first LEED® Platinum winery and brewery at the UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science.

Recently the industry has seen LEED® Platinum statuses awarded to both a snack food manufacturing facility and frozen food manufacturing facility for the first times ever. As more manufacturers strive to achieve these high levels of recognition Cornerstone Flooring will remain committed to growing with the trend and "going green" with our expertise and quality.