Environmental Stewardship

To proactively tackle the persistent issue of dust emissions when filling
large flexible intermediate bulk containers in our industrial mineral
operations, we installed a sealing sleeve at the discharge point at our
Lampazos site. This sealing sleeve effectively secures the neck of the
bulk bag under pressure, significantly reducing dust emissions and
enhancing the safety and cleanliness of the work environment.

Each Eastern Red Cedar tree at Roff draws approximately 50 gallons of water from the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer every day, which adds up to over 18,200 gallons per tree each year. While these trees are native to the area, fire suppression and a state-wide planting initiative in the 1930s (intended to reduce soil erosion) dramatically increased the trees’ spread, and they are now considered invasive. Our team at Roff has made a concentrated effort since 2022 to remove these trees from the property and re-establish the natural grassland. In 2024, almost 1,000 trees were removed, reducing the draw on the aquifer by over 18 million gallons for the year. So far, in total, the site’s management of the trees has saved well over 23.6 million gallons, and the team plans to continue eliminating Eastern Red Cedars.

This past year, we implemented a hopper system, a versatile steel dumpster used in conjunction with a forklift, in our warehouse in Canoitas, Mexico. This system allows us to group four types of waste through a smart management plan and has led to a significant reduction in waste volumes, smoother waste-storage operations, savings on containers, lower transportation and disposal costs, and a reduction of safety risks.