Seattle-based Bouldering Project, a flourishing chain of indoor bouldering gyms with 12 locations peppered nationwide, grappled with an air quality issue as pronounced as the holds on its climbing walls. Positioned in bustling urban areas and often buzzing with climbers, Bouldering Project’s facilities dealt with a persistent challenge: managing copious amounts of airborne chalk dust while ensuring optimal indoor air quality (IAQ) for their members. The delicate particulate matter from the chalk, essential for grip but a threat to clean air filtration, posed a significant challenge, impacting not only the health and comfort of climbers but also the overall environmental sustainability of the operations. 

The Staggering Cost of Clean Air Filtration

Across Bouldering Project’s diverse range of facilities, the requirement for clean air filtration translated into a single yet substantial company-wide operational demand: to identify and implement a sustainable and efficient air filtration solution. Depending on the size of the facility, the number of air filters used varied significantly. For instance, its smaller sites might use around six filters in the rooftop units (RTUs) per replacement cycle. In contrast, larger facilities, like the Springdale gym in Austin, could use upwards of 60 filters across 11 RTUs. During the peak climbing season, particularly in dry and dusty conditions, these filters were replaced as frequently as three times a week. 

Data centers are critical to many global tech operations. They are high-stakes environments where every kilowatt of energy and every cubic foot of air counts. Traditionally, data centers rely on single-use air filters, which are environmentally costly as they amass significant waste, totaling thousands of pounds of landfill waste annually to purify the air. Sustainable air filtration is the key.

As more companies grew their commitments to zero waste and energy reduction, the challenge was clear and pressing: the industry needed a sustainable air filtration systems solution that matched ambitious environmental goals. This challenge led Apple to us in 2019 — because of our renowned innovations in automotive air filtration. Known for creating high-performance, washable, and reusable filters, Apple saw the potential to apply K&N’s expertise in a new way — inside its data centers.

Don’t Miss Out on Innovations – Like Sustainable Air filters – That Can Cut Costs While Helping the Planet

If you’ve been involved in industry events, kept up with the latest sector news, or noticed an increase in eco-friendly advertising, you’re likely aware that sustainability is a hot topic in today’s business world. This focus on environmentally conscious practices is becoming increasingly prominent across various industries, highlighting a growing universal concern about ecological responsibility.

But the good news is that the emphasis on climate protection has resulted in a flurry of new ideas and approaches to increase efficiency and reduce energy use across the globe. These innovations encompass enhanced airflow management, energy-efficient layout designs, variable-speed fans for optimized equipment cooling, and strategies to consolidate underutilized resources. Such advancements are making a notable impact in various sectors, effectively reducing energy consumption and yielding considerable cost savings. But more still needs to be done if the industrial sector is to rein in its considerable carbon footprint.

Consider your air filtration system. This often-overlooked component is a hidden treasure. For industrial facility managers, optimizing this system can be a golden opportunity to enhance sustainability and simultaneously reduce both energy consumption and operational expenses. Here are a few reasons why:

By choosing K&N filters, you can eliminate the recurring expenses of purchasing and disposing of single-use filters, cutting down on both replacement costs and associated operational inefficiencies. This approach not only furthers corporate sustainability goals but also supports financial health through long-term cost reductions.

Energy Efficiency 

The energy consumption of your air filtration system impacts the overall cost and sustainability of your facility. A system that consumes more energy will result in higher operating costs, and usually a larger carbon footprint. Choosing an energy-efficient air filter can help reduce these environmental impacts — and save money in the long run.

That’s why K&N Global Filtration’s high-flow, low-impact industrial air filtration solutions are generating major interest in industrial and commercial facilities worldwide. Simply put, our industrial air filters are high-performance for optimal airflow, all while consuming less energy than single-use, disposable air filters. Why? Our filters are built with an innovative low-air-restriction design, which we pioneered in the auto industry more than 50 years ago and recently adapted for industrial facilities. In addition, our filters offer high-efficiency MERV ratings that help achieve your energy-saving goals.

Durability Translates Into Savings on Labor and More

In addition to improving energy efficiency, the reusability and extensive lifespan of a K&N air filter means fewer labor hours spent removing and re-installing new filters, as well as reduced transportation costs to dispose of end-of-life filters. That can add up to notable cost savings.

Frequent replacements can also be time-consuming and disruptive to operations. Our washable and reusable filters can be easily cleaned and re-installed, minimizing downtime and ensuring that your equipment remains in optimal condition. Washing is only needed every two to four years to prolong the life of your filters.

Sustainability from Head to Toe

From product to packaging, K&N Global Filtration’s commitment to sustainability shines through. Our industrial air filters not only enhance performance and reduce landfill waste but our V-Bank and panel filters also arrive in reusable, eco-friendly packaging crafted from 70-100% recycled materials. We pride ourselves on being eco-conscious in every way! If you’d like to learn more about how K&N Global Filtration industrial air filters can benefit your industrial facility, schedule a meeting with us here, sign up for a free pilot, or visit our website for more information.

Industrial Air Filter Solutions Shine at Digital Infrastructure Industry Fall Conferences

The past few months have been remarkable for the K&N Global Filtration team as we showcased our innovative new air filter solutions for industrial facilities at multiple industry conferences across the globe.

During our time spent talking with industry leaders at events spanning three continents, one thing is clear: The need for more efficient and sustainable operations has never been more critical. Data centers worldwide continue to expand rapidly, and the surge in energy consumption due to AI and high-performance computing is posing new challenges to keep costs down and operate efficiently while being environmentally responsible.

Fortunately, K&N’s washable and reusable air filters are setting new standards in the digital infrastructure industry, helping organizations overcome efficiency and sustainability challenges. We had the opportunity to showcase the benefits of our products to industry leaders, opening their eyes to the future of industrial air filtration.

K&N’s revolutionary air filters deliver:

• High flow – Up to 40% less restrictive than disposable
• Low impact – Less landfill waste
• Big savings – Significant cost savings over disposable filters

K&N Global Filtration On the Road
Our world tour throughout the fall season included several stops across the U.S., Europe and Asia: 

• Datacloud USA – Austin, Texas
  In September, the K&N Global Filtration team descended upon Datacloud USA in Austin to share our air filtration solutions with key leaders in the data infrastructure industry.
  
• DCD > Connect London
  In early October, we landed in London for the DCD > Connect London event, the ultimate discovery experience for the data center industry supply chain.

• 7×24 Exchange Fall Conference
  Back across the pond, we sponsored the 7×24 Exchange Fall Conference in Grapevine, Texas, where critical sustainability topics were discussed, such as decarbonization and data center cooling considerations. 
  
• Data Centre World Asia – Singapore
  In early October, we touched down in the Asia-Pacific region for Data Centre World Asia, Asia’s best-attended technology event. APAC is one of the fastest-growing digital hubs in the world, and we enjoyed presenting our air filtration solutions to this thriving market.
  
• Capacity Europe – London
  After DCW Asia, we headed back to London where we met with a multitude of digital infrastructure leaders at Capacity Europe. This event did not disappoint with over 3,000 attendees from over 900 companies across several European countries.
  
• DCD > Connect Virginia
  In November, the K&N team made a trip to Data Center Alley at DCD > Connect Virginia to talk about our reusable and washable air filters with more leaders in the industry, helping them rethink their air filtration solutions. 

K&N Global Filtration is excited to announce the formation of our new industrial group bringing high-performance, sustainable air filtration solutions to providers of mission critical infrastructure, including data centers and other industrial markets.

Tons of disposable filter waste generated

Each year, thousands of tons of air filter waste from data center facilities ends up in landfills. Stacking up, year after year.

“Disposing of conventional air filters has not only become more challenging and expensive, but is highly unsustainable and environmentally irresponsible,” comments Randy Bays, CEO of K&N Global Filtration. In 2021 alone, data centers worldwide contributed to 2.4 percent of global energy consumption. Our industrial group was formed to help solve these issues.”

K&N: the sustainable solution

Just as our founders disrupted the automotive industry more than 50 years ago, we are revolutionizing data centers and industrial applications with first-of-its-kind, high-performance and reusable air filtration solutions. K&N Global Filtration’s technology saves money, lowers energy costs, and provides significant sustainability benefits for data center and industrial applications everywhere.

“We strive to maintain our legacy of premium air filtration and the highest standards of performance. Innovation and performance are quite literally the values K&N is built on and we’re thrilled to bring our long-standing leadership and commitment to air filtration solutions to other critical industries,” Bays said.

With a rich history of innovation and premium product performance, K&N Global Filtration is dedicated to eliminating single-use air filter waste. To learn more about K&N;s industrial filters, visit knglobalfiltration.com or email at [email protected].