Water Conservation

Medtronic used approximately 1.1 million cubic meters of water in fiscal year 2011, representing nearly an 8 percent reduction compared to fiscal year 2010 when normalized to revenue.

Through production optimization and implementation of water conservation efforts we achieved significant savings at our U.S. facilities in Tempe, Arizona; Northridge, California; Warsaw Indiana; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Employee Ingenuity Increases Water Conservation at CRDM Headquarters

While inspecting the cooling/HVAC system atop our Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management facility in Mounds View, Minnesota, USA, Medtronic mechanic Kevin Asher noticed an excess amount of condensed water flowing into rooftop drains. He responded by designing a closed-loop sump system to capture and recycle the water back into the cooling system. The sump system, which was subsequently installed on all six rooftop cooling systems, cost only $5,000 and is saving an estimated 1,000,000 gallons or 3,785 cubic meters of water per year. A Medtronic operations group is evaluating if this system can be used at additional facilities.