ITW FEG has long responded to and supported the energy-saving and sustainable design efforts of our customers with industry-leading research and development. Today ITW FEG manufacturers collectively have 381 ENERGY STAR qualified units, a 56 percent increase in its ENERGY STAR product offering over 2008. ITW FEG continues to support your system with energy-efficient equipment that can provide 10 percent to nearly 60 percent in energy saving annually. ITW FEG is the only commercial foodservice equipment manufacturer to receive the 2009 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award.
We believe in ENERGY STAR and the saving in energy and water that its symbol promises our customers. That's why you'll see the ENERGY STAR label on more than 300 ENERGY STAR qualified units of Hobart and Traulsen equipment. It's on Hobart warewashers, steamers and fryers, Traulsen refrigerators, freezers and hot-food holding cabinets.
The ENERGY STAR symbol is not just on our qualified equipment. It's on our Web sites, educational e-mails, product brochures, training materials, ads, point-of-sale material and virtually all the other communications we create. If you visit us at trade shows, you'll see that our support for ENERGY STAR and sustainable design is an integral part of our exhibits and kiosks, too.
We are committed to informing our customers and the industry about the many benefits of ENERGY STAR and sustainable design. We believe the core message—lowering costs, conserving energy and minimizing the environmental impact of equipment and buildings—is essential to the long-term growth and success of the foodservice and food retail industry. That's why Hobart was the first commercial food equipment company to join the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization supporting the design, construction and manufacturing of buildings and equipment that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.
We practice what we preach not only in the equipment we make but also in the plants in which we make them. Hobart's Hillsboro, Ohio, plant—where we manufacture retail scales and wrappers—continues to enhance its comprehensive waste-reduction program that includes both process materials and household waste. At Traulsen's plant in Fort Worth, Texas, an employee sustainability team has worked to reduce energy, paper consumption and waste. Click here for more information about Hobart's internal sustainable manufacturing initiatives.
We are naturally proud of ITW FEG's selection as ENERGY STAR 2009 Partner of the Year. To us, it is a demonstration that, above all else, we are a proud supporter of you.