3M China: Wind Tape

3M sells scores of energy-and resource-saving products in China, from light-enhancing coatings for signs to films that help windows insulate better. 3M Wind Tape provides effective erosion and abrasion control for wind turbine blades. The company has been producing eco-friendly products since it first began operating in China in 1984, well before the government imposed environmental rules. In 1994, 3M installed China's first thermal oxidation furnace to cut toxic emission and save energy by recycling excess heat. And since 2000, it has rolled out 98 projects in its Pollution Prevention Pays (3P) program, reducing an estimated 17,000 tons of poisonous waste and saving the company $48.6 million in costs.