Otis Worldwide, the vertical transportation pioneer and industry leader, has achieved Gold-level TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) zero waste certification for all five of its manufacturing facilities in China. This underscores the company’s strong commitment to sustainability throughout its global network and makes Otis the first elevator company in China to earn a TRUE Gold rating.
Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), TRUE certification confirms that more than 90% of waste is diverted from landfills, incineration and the environment.
As part of its global Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) goals, Otis has committed to achieve 100% factory eligibility for zero-waste-to-landfill certification by 2025.
“We are dedicated to delivering on our company’s global ESG goals to create value for our colleagues, communities, customers and shareholders – and our planet as a whole,” said Sally Loh, Otis China President. “It would not have been possible for us to achieve this important environmental milestone without every member of our team embracing zero-waste goals and championing China’s growing green economy.”
To meet the requirements of the global TRUE standard, Otis factories in Tianjin (2), Hangzhou, Chongqing and Jiaxing have adopted industry-leading sustainable waste management practices, optimized processes to promote resource efficiency, and developed closed-loop systems that recycle waste materials for reuse.
Otis has put environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) strategies in place and worked with upstream suppliers to eliminate non-recyclable packaging and introduce other waste-management improvements. Otis factories in China have been switching to paperless work practices, reusing pallets and containers for material handling, and composting kitchen waste for onsite vegetable gardens.
The Otis facility in Florence, South Carolina was the first in the global elevator industry to be TRUE-certified in late 2022. All three Otis manufacturing plants in Spain received a local zero-waste-to-landfill certification in 2023.