The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing the first four pharmaceutical plants to earn the Energy Star for performing in the top 25 percent of energy performance nationwide, according to an EPA press release. Compared to similar pharmaceutical plants across the country, these facilities on average use nearly 35 percent less energy and together prevent the equivalent of 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the EPA says.

The plants are Allergan’s Waco, Texas facility; AstraZeneca’s Westborough, Mass. plant; AstraZeneca’s Newark, Del. plant; and Schering-Plough’s Cleveland, Tenn. facility.

The pharmaceutical sector spends more than $800 million on energy annually. EPA worked in partnership with pharmaceutical companies across the U.S. to develop the Energy Performance Indicator, which is available to all pharmaceutical companies and enables them to benchmark their energy performance against others in the industry.

For more information on Energy Star and pharmaceutical facilities, visithttp://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=in_focus.bus_pharmaceutical_focus