Maximizing energy efficiency is a directive for all Hanesbrands facilities around the world. For decades, our facilities have operated with strong energy management practices. Our current energy management policy, which was developed in 2008, follows U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star formal guidelines. Approximately 4 million square feet of our manufacturing, assembly, distribution, office, and retail facilities have already been designed to achieve Energy Star or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, and we pursue these certifications where feasible. In recognition of our work, the U.S. EPA named Hanesbrands a 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year.

Energy efficiency also aligns with our longstanding commitment to lean manufacturing, which aims to eliminate unnecessary resources from processes. We have held dozens of lean events to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in our use of energy, and we use our existing organizational lean structure and resources to help manage our energy program.

From 2007 to 2009, our energy management efforts reduced our company’s energy intensity (a measure of energy efficiency per unit of production) by 11 percent. Over the same period, we reduced CO₂ emissions from energy use by 11.3 percent.

Highlights of our energy efficiency efforts include:

• Advanced lighting systems in our El Salvador Socks facility were designed to avoid nearly 4 million kilowatt-hours per year, saving approximately $380,000 per year.
• Our Perris, California, distribution center has received LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. At 1.3 million square feet, it was, at the time of certification in February 2010, the largest single free-standing LEED New Construction certified warehouse/distribution building in the world.
• Innovative heat recovery systems at our dye facilities reduce steam requirements by preheating incoming process water with heat contained in outgoing wastewater – saving nearly 2 million gallons of fuel oil and $3 million per year.
• Lighting retrofits completed or in process at many of our distribution facilities will reduce lighting energy needs up to 80 percent. A similar review is under way at our sewing facilities for 2010.
• We install and continually adjust automated HVAC control systems at our manufacturing facilities that optimize the energy used in heating and cooling our buildings. At our Clarksville, Arkansas, hosiery manufacturing facility, recent adjustments to these systems produced an additional savings of nearly $45,000 annually.
• We are exploring use of aerogel, an advanced insulation material used in the high-tech outdoor gear we produced specifically for our Expedition Hanesbrands Mount Everest summit bid, as energy-efficient insulation for certain manufacturing applications.