YELLOW SPRINGS, OH, May 2, 2005 -- Customers who monitor and sample water resources have experienced firsthand the quality performance of YSI products. What they might not know is that those products are designed to be environmentally responsible, too.
Information about YSI's product design is voluntarily reported in the company's annual sustainability report. This report provides customers and other interested stakeholders with information about the company's financial, environmental, and social responsibility performance. The company's current report, with data from 2003, includes analysis of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, recycling, land use, human rights, and product safety at all its global sales and manufacturing facilities.
The report also states significant sustainability improvement priorities to which YSI is committed.
For example, one priority focuses on decreasing energy use. The company's research and development teams actively look for ways to decrease the energy usage of YSI products. Through creative engineering design, the power consumption of YSI's highest volume component was significantly decreased, thus increasing instrument battery life to 434 hours of operation from 250 hours. Other R&D smart design improvements include such features as power-saving modes and designed-in new energy efficient electronic components.
"YSI's commitment to high environmental standards provides added meaning to the work that each of our employees perform," states Gayle Rominger, senior vice president. "At the same time, innovative thinking around this topic has helped us to provide enhanced performance products to our customers. It's a win-win situation."
In April 2005, YSI was recognized for its second annual sustainability report by the Ceres coalition and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). YSI was presented with the award for Best Small and Medium Enterprise Report, one of four reporting awards given in the international competition co-sponsored by Ceres and ACCA. Other award winners were Hewlett-Packard, Gap Inc., and VanCity Credit Union.
In 1997c YSI embraced the concept of ecological sustainability and took steps to reduce the environmental impact of its products and processes. The Company is ISO 14001 certified and is a member of the EPA's National Environmental Performance Track. A copy of YSI's award-winning 2003 sustainability report is found at www.ysi.com. (Navigate to Corporate>The Planet>Sustainability Report.) The Company is currently working on its next report which contains data from 2004 and analyzes three-year trends.
Founded in 1948, YSI, a $68 million, employee-owned company, is a leading provider of technology solutions and services for data collection and analysis. The company's largest business unit, YSI Environmental, provides data collection instrumentation to global water quality, water quantity, and aquaculture markets.
###
