Where the Vessel is Always Greener: the Environmental Impact of Lee Products

Like many companies, Lee Industries has been examining its environmental footprint. We wanted to think harder about how the products we manufacture fit in a “greener” world.

Lee processing vessels end up as central components in our customers’ manufacturing facilities, where they are used to make an extraordinary range of food, cosmetic, biopharma, chemical, oil and lubrication, and other products. Because we believe it is important that our equipment operates in an ecologically friendly manner, we continually seek ways to engineer our kettles and tanks to minimize their impact on our environment. Here are some of the methods we use to support that goal:

• We use only stainless steel to produce our processing equipment. Stainless steel is non-degradable and 100% recyclable. Stainless steel is made of nickel, iron, chromium, and molybdenum among other raw materials, metals which are always in high demand and therefore have high rates of reuse.


• We offer a variety of finishes to add performance to our stainless-steel vessels and make them easy to clean. This alleviates the need for using plastic inserts that must be pulled, discarded and replaced, reducing non-biodegradable waste.


• Our jacketed vessels use steam as a clean heat supply. Once a boiler generates the steam – a faster and more efficient way to produce heat than via an electric heater – that steam gets turned into condensation, which is then recycled back into steam.


• We utilize premium high-efficiency motors to minimize the electricity needed to power our equipment.


• Lee standards for craftsmanship and material quality are intentionally higher than other manufacturers, to ensure durability in rigorous operations. This extends the useful life of our equipment.

At our core, Lee Industries is an engineering-driven company, constantly seeking to improve our products, solve challenges, and offer efficient processing solutions. In that spirit, we will continue to focus on innovations that make our equipment last longer, use less energy, reduce waste or otherwise positively impact our environment.