Bendix Earns Ohio Epa’s Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Award For Environmental Stewardship
AVON, OH… Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) has been awarded the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Gold Award, marking the company’s highest recognition yet with the Ohio EPA for environmental stewardship and sustainability leadership.
This latest honor follows Bendix’s previous E3 Silver Awards in 2017 and 2020 and affirms its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact through waste diversion, energy conservation, and sustainable operations.
The Ohio EPA selected Bendix for Gold in recognition of the company’s sustainability initiatives at its new headquarters in Avon, Ohio, and across its North American operations. The E3 Gold Award is reserved for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies that go well beyond compliance with environmental regulations, demonstrating leadership in resource conservation, pollution prevention, and green building practices.
“Environmental stewardship has always been a core value at Bendix,” said Maria Gutierrez, Bendix senior director, environmental, social, and governance. “Earning E3 Gold reflects the measurable progress our teams have driven across Bendix operations. Our LEED Silver-certified headquarters in Avon has played a key role in advancing our sustainability strategy, and this award is a testament to how far we’ve come.”
Advancing From Silver to Gold
From its early waste-reduction initiatives to its latest energy-efficiency advancements, Bendix has built an environmental strategy that integrates sustainability into all aspects of its operations. As a subsidiary of Munich-based Knorr-Bremse, Bendix aligns with the company’s global commitment to reducing CO2? emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net-zero status by 2050.
In addition, all Bendix North American manufacturing facilities, and the Avon campus, are ISO 14001:2015 certified, underscoring the company’s systematic approach to environmental management and continuous improvement.
The Ohio EPA recognized Bendix’s significant environmental accomplishments, including:
* LEED Silver-Certified Headquarters in Avon: Opened in 2021, the more than 200,000-square-foot facility was designed with sustainability in mind, featuring energy-efficient lighting, daylight harvesting, advanced HVAC controls, and extensive waste-diversion systems.
* Zero Waste to Landfill and Comprehensive Waste Diversion: Bendix has maintained 100% landfill diversion at its Avon headquarters through centralized waste collection, single-stream recycling, composting, and super recycling stations.
* Dramatic Energy Efficiency Gains: Moving from Elyria to Avon enabled a nearly 50% reduction in total energy consumption, supported by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets covering 100% of the Avon facility’s electricity use.
* Remanufacturing and Circular Economy Leadership: Bendix remanufactures a wide range of components – including valves, air compressors, and electronics – recovering up to 80% of the original materials and reducing reliance on new raw materials.
* Innovative Stormwater and Biodiversity Management: Avon headquarters is a No-Exposure Certified facility, meaning all stormwater is managed through on-site retention basins equipped with sediment traps to prevent environmental impact. Additionally, native flora, wetland preservation, and habitat improvements support local biodiversity.
* Employee-Driven Green Initiatives: Led by the Bendix Green Team, employees actively participate in Earth Week celebrations, waste audits, community garden projects, e-waste collection, and America Recycles Day activities.
Bendix earned Gold-level recognition in the final round of the Ohio EPA’s E3 program, which concluded in 2024 after many years of recognizing organizations that went beyond regulatory requirements in energy conservation, waste reduction, and pollution prevention.
“We’ve embedded environmental thinking into everything we do – from facility design to manufacturing processes to employee engagement,” Gutierrez said. “This award is a tribute to the work happening every day at Bendix to operate more efficiently and protect the environment.”