By transitioning from traditional disposable filters to K&N’s high-flow, washable technology, McDonald’s saw immediate operational benefits. Labor costs decreased significantly as maintenance teams were able to extend filter change-out cycles from every two weeks to once a month. The simplified maintenance process allowed teams to reallocate labor to other high- priority areas, while the reduced volume of discarded filters contributed to the company’s broader sustainability efforts. The shift also yielded a clear financial return, with McDonald’s realizing full ROI in under nine months.

OVERVIEW

Recognized worldwide for its iconic films, the studio also nurtures a culture that emphasizes innovation, diversity, and environmental stewardship. It is committed to sustainability, integrating eco-friendly practices into both operations and storytelling. In recent years, the studio has intensified its efforts to achieve Zero Waste to Landfill certification, a process that requires diverting at least 90% of waste from landfills. As of 2025, it has successfully diverted over 87% of its campus-wide waste, positioning itself as a leader in corporate sustainability.

CHALLENGE

Despite significant progress in waste diversion, the studio identified an area with substantial environmental impact: disposable HVAC filters. These filters, typically replaced quarterly, contributed approximately 2,800 pounds of waste annually. The operations team recognized an opportunity to further reduce landfill contributions by adopting a more sustainable solution.

SOLUTION

The studio partnered with K&N Engineering, a company renowned for its high-performance, washable, and reusable filters. K&N’s filters are designed for longevity and can be cleaned and reused for years, significantly reducing waste and the frequency of replacements. The pilot program involved replacing traditional disposable HVAC filters across the studio’s campus with K&N’s washable filters. This initiative aligned with their sustainability goals and offered a practical solution to further minimize environmental impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The adoption of K&N washable filters enabled the studio to divert an additional 1% of its waste from landfills annually, contributing to its ongoing journey toward Zero Waste to Landfill certification. This initiative underscores the studio’s commitment to environmental responsibility and its proactive approach to sustainability.

This initiative also led to a dramatic reduction in associated carbon emissions. By eliminating the need for continuous delivery of disposable filters to the facility, the studio was able to reduce carbon emissions by over 98%. In real terms, this translated to the elimination of 25,410 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and 83,868 delivery miles driven over the life of the filters. This underscores their proactive approach to sustainability and its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

SOCIAL IMPACT

The studio has cultivated a culture where sustainability is integral to its identity. They offer internal sustainability tours and encourages employees to participate in initiatives that promote environmental stewardship. This hands-on involvement fosters a sense of pride and community among staff, reinforcing the company’s dedication to making a positive impact on the world.

“As part of the company’s commitment to zero waste, last year Apple completed the installation of reusable air filters at every one of its data centers worldwide. The shift avoids sending 25 tons of dirty filters to landfills each year — enough to fill an entire football field — and cuts fan energy use by 35 percent. Working together beginning in 2019 at Apple’s Reno data center, Apple and automotive filtration and technology company K&N® prototyped and tested 20 versions of an all-new reusable filter design to meet high standards of performance and efficiency. Today the reusable filters are quickly becoming standard, not just for Apple but industrywide. Innovations like this have contributed to significant progress: In the last five years, Apple increased the diversion rate from its data centers from 64 percent to 90 percent.”

Apple, April 2024, – https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/04/apple-cuts-greenhouse-emissions-in-half/

OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS

• 35% more efficient than the legacy disposable filter at capturing dirt.
• 35% reduction in fan energy use.

Testing of both types of filters demonstrated that the washable K&N air filters outperformed the disposable filters, especially in differential pressure testing. The washable filters had less differential pressure across them, which translates to lower energy costs from the fan motors based on room loading and demand.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESULTS

• 25 Tons of disposable waste per year diverted from landfills.

By tracking filter disposal at their Reno site, Apple estimates that 25 tons of dirty air filters have been diverted from the landfill every year since switching to K&N High Performance Washable Filters. Additionally, independent studies have shown switching to K&N washable / reusable filters can eliminate greater than 80% of the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing, distribution and disposal of filters over their 15 year lifecycle. The project helps eliminate greater than 80% of the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing, distribution, and disposal of air filters.

“Sustainability has three components: Economic, Environmental and Social — This makes sense for us on the Economic side because we’ll see payback in less than 12 months. On the Environmental front, we are removing 15 tons of waste from the landfill every year. And on the social side, we are helping create a better experience for the members of the community that use our space. Ticks all the boxes”

PROBLEM:

Until 2024, the Bouldering Project filtered their air the same as any other company: by purchasing and replacing legacy single-use filters and disposing of them in the landfill. The process racked up sizeable operational expenses as Bouldering Project continuously purchased filters to replace the old ones. In fact, in 2023 Bouldering Project purchased and disposed of over 14,000 filters at an average cost of about $10 per filter, generating about 15 tons of mass to landfill and about $150,000 off their bottom line.

As a company that prides itself as being a responsible participant in the climbing community, Bouldering Project recognized that their large contribution of mass to the landfill was unacceptable. Bouldering Project prides itself on it’s superior gym experience, continuously investing to improve the overall gym experience at their facilities — $150,000 per year is money that would be well spent to better the experience and facilities and provide more community support.

SOLUTION

K&N’s High-Flow Washable Filters are and were the perfect solution to help reduce Bouldering Project’s operational expenses and minimize their impact to the landfill. Starting with a small PILOT of 6 filters, in one air handler at a single facility, K&N was able to demonstrate equal/or better filtration with their washable reusable product.

Bouldering Project facility managers integrated the filter washing process into their existing workflows and the PILOT yielded immediate savings on filter purchases at the facility. The PILOT expanded to a larger facility with consistent results as the pilot scaled and in the spring of 2024 Bouldering Project rolled out K&N Washable HVAC filters to all their facilities nationwide.