Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Worldwide Clairol
A Climate Wise Case Study

The Company

Worldwide Clairol, a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, is a manufacturer of hair care and hair color products. With headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, Worldwide Clairol has facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and South Africa. Activities at the Stamford, CT, site include research and development, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping.

Corporate Goals

One of Worldwide Clairol’s corporate goals is to continually improve energy efficiency and effectiveness. In 1999, Clairol plans to decrease energy use per unit of production by 10% compared to 1998. The program objectives include:

  • determine overall energy usage and cost relative to facilities and systems develop appropriate metrics
  • understand effective energy use and costs relative to production volume and other metrics
  • maintain an ongoing evaluation of energy efficiency and conservation improvement opportunities
  • calculate cost-benefits including all associated savings and environmental improvements
  • implement viable improvements
  • develop a system for measuring and tracking progress

Climate Wise Action Plan

The major initiatives of Clairol’s Climate Wise Action Plan include:

  • develop metrics system for analyzing and tracking energy use and costs compared to production
  • finish evaluation of co-generation plant
  • implement new energy efficiency measures

Energy efficiency actions specified in the action plan include:

  • air conditioning chiller system improvements
  • air handler system upgrades
  • air compression system improvements and leak prevention program
  • additional lighting retrofits
  • additional process cooling system refinements
  • new high volume production line

Pollution prevention actions taken by Clairol include:

  1. reduced hairspray VOC content from 80% to 55%
  2. recycle 60% of solid waste
  3. increase production capability within same facility area
  4. increase product yield by 5%
  5. implemented closed-loop process cooling, saving over 100,000 gallons/day of water
  6. implemented clean-in-place vessel rinsewater reduction project
  7. initiated trip reduction program
  8. operate as Small Quantity Generator of hazardous waste

Energy, Environmental and Economic Savings

  • In last 3 years, production is up 45%, but energy use has increased only 21% and energy costs increased only 15%.
  • Since baseline year 1995, actions have resulted in annual savings of 26 million kWh or 1.4 million pounds of CO2.
  • Actions have resulted in $94,000/year savings, additional actions will result in $189,000 projected savings in 2000.

Other Environmental Accomplishments

  • ISO-14001 Certification
  • Star Trek partner
  • DEP Green Circle Award

Content Last Updated on December 8, 2006