Dr Pepper Snapple Group HQ Earns LEED Gold

July 19, 2012

Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Plano, Texas headquarters earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for a multi-use building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

DPSU HQ image Designated a "multi-use facility” because it includes not only offices but also a research and development center and a data center, the Plano facility was awarded LEED Gold recognition in the Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance category.

The building had previously earned an EPA Energy Star rating in 2011, recognizing its work to minimize energy use each year since 2008 for a total reduction of 3.2 million kWh by the end of 2011.

“Earning LEED Gold certification for our Plano headquarters is a significant achievement for DPS and our ongoing sustainability efforts,” said Tim Gratto vice president of sustainability for DPS. “This project spanned several years, and its success is a testament to the great work and dedication of a facilities team that has truly embraced our environmental sustainability commitments.”

DPS headquarters achieved LEED Gold certification by retro-commissioning the Plano facility. The implementation of sustainable building practices enabled the company to reduce the building operating budget by 25 percent. In addition, it will take less than one year for the company to pay back the capital investment on green initiatives.

The company garnered notable accomplishments in the following LEED credit areas:

Water Efficiency: It reduced landscaping water use by 50 percent through the use of water sensors to more accurately determine water needs.
Energy and Atmosphere – Used light meters to identify lighting efficiencies across the property, resulting in the reduction of more than 2 million KWh of energy. LED lights were added to exterior areas and several areas found to be excessively lit were de-lamped. Light sensors were also installed in common areas.
Sustainable Sites: Partnering with its landscape provider, DPS converted to a native/adaptive plant life model on the property, which will help plant life expectancy rates, as well as control erosion and improve pest management.
Materials Resources: DPS invested in low-emitting energy equipment throughout the facility. Today, all laptops on the property are Energy Star rated, and the company is in the process of converting equipment using the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT.
Indoor Environmental Quality: The facility now uses 100 percent green cleaning products, and the custodial staff has been trained in green cleaning processes and proper disposal procedures.

DPS continues to explore ways to improve sustainable attributes at other sites. In April 2011, the company was awarded LEED Silver certification for its 850,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art regional manufacturing and distribution center in Victorville, Calif. The distribution center, which completed the DPS hub-and-spoke distribution system, has been a game changer, eliminating the need for cross-country shipping of many finished products and removing 33 million pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.

Read These Related Articles:

Keywords: leed certification

« View All Articles

Guest Columns

Key Themes Emerge at FMI Sustainability Summit

Areas of focus included making the business case for sustainability, leadership development and radical collaboration.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

What's Your Sustainability Elevator Speech?

A new FMI toolkit offers concise, customizable strategic language to help executives effectively articulate the business case for sustainability in less than 60 seconds.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

On a Mission to Reduce Food Waste

FMI, GMA and the National Restaurant Association are developing an aggressive strategy that will direct more edible food to the hungry and waste away from landfills.

Source: Food Marketing Institute

See All Guest Columns »