Chapman Manufacturing in Durham Wins Award for Environmental Awareness

Recognized as a tried and true "Made in the USA" company, Chapman Manufacturing now has another label to be proud of: being a GreenCircle Award recipient.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Thursday recognized 23 Connecticut businesses and individuals for their efforts to protect the environment.

DEEP held a ceremony honoring the 23 businesses, including Chapman, during the GreenCircle awards ceremony at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wallingford.  

DEEP specifically recognized Chapman for its implementation of a new recycling program. In this new program, Chapman has implemented a machine oil separator that is used to remove fine metal particles from their used machine oils, DEEP said. 

This enables the company to continue to reuse the oil on a daily basis.  

Apart from this, all of Chapman's fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and computer/electronics are recycled and unnecessary office equipment and chairs are donated to the Goodwill.

"Everyone here Chapman contributes to our being green so we were thrilled to win the Green Circle Award," said Chapman marketing head Joel Cassamar. "We have a lot to be proud of; we're a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat because we cultivate native plants and animal habitats. Everything from our cutting oils to cans and bottles to shipping boxes are recycled. We re-use our office shredding as packaging material and have reduced printing substantially. Our next project is to recycle our pesky fax machine and convert our customers and vendors to e-mail."

Chapman has roots in Durham going back to 1936. It is located at the corner of Route 17 and Saw Mill Road. The company underwent an expansion in 2011.

“For the past 15 years, GreenCircle Awards have called attention to the voluntary efforts of businesses, organizations, and individuals, that have played a very real role in improving the environment of our state,” said Daniel C. Esty, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “Through the GreenCircle awards we are able to recognize the good works being done by so many people to improve the quality of life in Connecticut and build a sustainable future for our state.” 

Apart from Chapman, DEEP also recognized Bull Metal Products Inc. in Middletown, Bristol Myers-Squibb in Wallingford, and businesses from Waterbury, Watertown, Ellington, Farmington, Falls Village and several other communities.