Responsible Construction Practices
Frost seeks opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment and natural resources available to us. All new Frost buildings are constructed to effectively manage consumption of water and energy and minimize waste. We work with environmental firms, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity so decommissioned equipment and materials can be used elsewhere in our communities.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Frost, and the general contractors we hire, use construction practices that are both operationally efficient and efficient in terms of natural resource consumption. General contractors are required to employ lean construction methods whereby materials are ordered and delivered just in time for use, minimizing waste resulting from onsite storage.
When available, we select products manufactured from recycled materials, such as demountable wall systems. These products not only redirect materials from the landfill to the manufacturing process, but they also reduce the amount of waste created with conventional construction methods involving drywall and wood.
Our use of LED lighting reduces energy consumption and results in fewer maintenance trips.
Water conservation is integral to doing business in Texas. At Frost, we have adjusted our construction practices to select paving around our facilities that reduces the potential for ground water contamination and requires less frequent resurfacing. In our larger facilities, water-saving landscaping is installed and we capture condensate from air conditioning systems to reduce potable water use.
As we continue to carry out our organic growth strategy, with a plan to open approximately 17 new financial centers in 2024, Frost remains committed to effectively managing our consumption of natural resources.
ONE FROST
Construction of our One Frost technology and operations center in northwest San Antonio allowed us to integrate resource preservation and water conservation methods on a significant scale, including:
- Window coverings that automatically adjust based on the season and position of the sun. This reduces the energy consumption of our HVAC system and also optimizes use of natural light.
- Electric lights that automatically dim when more natural light is present.
- Use 100% LED lighting and occupancy sensors to turn off lights when an area is not occupied.
- A condensate recovery system that captures condensation from our HVAC system for reuse, reducing water consumption and waste.
- Extended the reclaimed water system from the highway near our campus for landscape watering, again reducing the use of potable water.
- Deployed demountable walls for interior finishes. This provides us with the flexibility to make workspace modification while reducing the amount of waste created by conventional construction methods using drywall and wood.
CONSERVING AND RECYCLING PAPER
Frost’s focus on conservation extends well beyond the construction of new locations. Recycle programs and digital processes have been adopted throughout our branch network. In 2023, we recycled more than 1,750,000 pounds of paper.
Beginning with the construction of One Frost, we introduced a program designed to reduce resource consumption by capturing documents destined for individual printers and holding them in a queue until an employee physically goes to the printer to retrieve the documents. Documents not retrieved and printed within 72 hours are deleted from the queue, reducing wasted paper, ink and electricity while also addressing privacy concerns associated with leaving uncollected documents on a printer.
Frost seeks out technology solutions to further reduce our paper consumption. In recent years, we have deployed technology solutions to move our vendor communications from paper to web-based applications; implement electronic document review and approval; and introduced an online expense processing platform, where invoices and receipts are processed digitally. While all of these efforts result in a significant reduction in paper consumption, Frost’s commitment to paper conservation can be traced back three decades to when we first introduced image statements to our customers.
At Frost, we have a long-term view in mind. We understand it is our responsibility to protect our environment for future generations.
MEMBER FDICR(02/22)