
December 30, 2024
FOND DU LAC – As an outboard engine producer, Katelin Odom, senior sustainability manager said Mercury Marine has long aimed to literally accelerate boaters’ passion for the water.
Fostering that respect for a natural resource, she said, has organically led the company to adopt a mindset of sustainability.
Odom said Mercury Marine’s practices have begun garnering attention.
In the past year, the company – a division of the Brunswick Corporation – was acknowledged for its innovation (and minimizing its environmental impact) as a CES Innovation Award honoree and the NMMA Innovation Award recipient at the Miami International Boat Show for its Avator Electric Outboards.
Mercury Marine was also awarded the 2024 Wisconsin Business Friends of the Environment Award for environmental innovation from the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
Then, in November, the company was recognized for earning its Green Masters designation from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) for the 14th year, as well as acknowledged as a Top Performer in the category of Sustainability in Supply Chain Management.
Odom said the recognition pays heed to the seriousness with which the company takes sustainability and continually challenges its employees to enhance its sustainability efforts. These efforts, she said, fall into four key strategic pillars: engaging people, innovating products, operating sustainably (environmental compliance and climate mitigation) and conserving waterways (marine and freshwater conservation).
Embracing the green
Per the WSBC’s criteria, Green Masters status signifies an organization has identified and is effectively managing its material sustainability issues and performance related to those issues; takes a comprehensive approach to sustainability and is actively leading the transformation to a more sustainable society.
The Green Masters program recognizes businesses’ efforts on a scale measuring the degree to which sustainability is integrated into their business model – from adapting, to advancing, then to maturing and finally, Green Master.
Odom said Mercury Marine has held the Green Masters designation for the past 14 years it has participated in the program.

Two years ago, Jessy Servi Ortiz – managing director of the WSBC – said, the Council expanded its assessment from gauging nine areas to 15, across four categories:
- Environment: energy management; greenhouse gas management; sustainable transportation; water resource management; biodiversity and ecological impacts; waste management; materials management; product circulatory and life cycle management
- Society: community impacts and customer welfare
- Workforce: employee health and safety; employee experience; diversity, equity and inclusion
- Governance and leadership: ethical governance and sustainable leadership and supply chain management
“In 2023, we completely overhauled the program, and as part of that, allowed companies to select their (sustainability) priorities,” Servi Ortiz said.
She said this allowed the WSBC to honor companies at the category level for meaningful improvements and/or stellar performance in key areas in addition to doing well in all categories.
Servi Ortiz said not only did WSBC recognize Mercury Marine as a Green Master for the past year but also as the recipient of an honor relative to its supply chain management as a result of program modifications.
“Mercury Marine as an engine builder has a diverse supply chain,” she said, “and as a long-time performer, it was great to give them additional recognition outside the Green Masters program to say, ‘(Supply chain management) is an area where they’re really excelling not only in your own operations and practice but also looking at your value chain – upstream and downstream.’”
A supply-chain mindset
Sustainable supply chain management, Odom said, integrates environmental and social considerations into every stage of a company’s supply chain – starting with raw material sourcing and continuing through to product distribution – all with the goal of minimizing environmental impacts through reduced waste, ethical labor practices and eco-friendly materials.
In 2024, she said, one of Mercury Marine’s key methods was its effort to use more recycled aluminum.
“We’re big users of aluminum, as it’s the most-used material by mass in Mercury Marine engines,” she said. “One of the cool and impressive projects we’ve undertaken in the past few years is to use more recycled aluminum in our supply chain, and that’s really good for the environment as virgin aluminum has a larger carbon footprint versus recycled aluminum.”
Odom said the Green Masters program prompted the company to look closely at product circularity and lifecycle management and to look for opportunities to impact each product from “cradle to grave.”
“It’s prompted a (holistic view) of looking at it from a full lifecycle perspective – not just where the product is now but where its (materials) originated and what emissions existed in the supply chain before it even got to our factory,” she said.
Waste and energy management
Odom said Mercury Marine has also prominently embraced energy and waste management during the past year, as evinced by its Avator Electric Outboards and the establishment of a large-scale solar array project in Fond du Lac County.
The move to create two new Avator Electric Outboards in 2023 – each crafted with many recycled or reusable components – she said, is a game-changer in the outboard industry and are ideal for powering aluminum fishing boats, micro skiffs, rigid inflatables, tenders and small pontoons.
“These electric outboards are our first big push into electric engines, and they reflect the high-performance product design Mercury is known for,” she said. “We went through a rigorous R&D process and ensured the supply is as clean as we can possibly get it… The big picture with these outboards is that they make boating possible with no exhaust fumes and zero direct emissions – a first for us.”
Odom said the Mercury Marine campus in Fond du Lac is also receiving clean energy produced by the 5-megawatt Ledgeview Solar Project in eastern Fond du Lac County.
The 32-acre project was made possible through the Alliant Energy Renewable Energy Partner program, Odom said, and features 12,000 solar panels.
“This began operating in August 2024, generating enough power to offset (the energy use) of 1,300 homes a year,” she said. “The energy created goes back to the grid and offsets the electricity we consume on the Fond du Lac campus.”
The project, combined with Mercury Marine’s other solar investments, provides clean renewable energy as part of the company’s efforts to derive 50% of its electricity usage from renewable sources by 2030, she said, which also helps to cut operational costs.
“When costs go down, it’s better for us, better for our customers and better for the environment – the triple bottom line,” she said.
Odom said the company regularly performs energy audits for electricity, natural gas and compressed air, of which the campus is a significant user.
Beyond its use, storing the compressed air uses a great deal of energy, she said, necessitating additional audits to eliminate leaks.
“By identifying leaks, we not only reduce energy use and save money but it’s a quick way to eliminate the loss of a lot of energy,” she said. “This is a great example of how sustainability is just plain good business, helping our bottom line and doing what’s best for the environment.”
Water resource management is also top of mind for Mercury Marine, Odom said, whether reducing water waste in processes or recycling water on campus.

In all instances, actions to manage waste, reduce energy usage and adopt other sustainable practices is an all-hands-on-deck effort, she said, and includes effort toward zero-waste-to-landfill operations.
Odom said she’s also been “super impressed” with the company’s commitment to sustainability on the manufacturing floor, including staffing a dedicated electrical engineer to work with Focus on Energy initiatives “day in and day out” for more efficiency and less energy usage.
Throughout the campus, Odom said plant managers work with their teams to reduce water usage in everyday processes.
During a recent renovation of one of the campus’ plants, Odom said she was struck by the environmental impact as a result of the efforts of Christian Langreck, facilities project manager.
“He spearheaded the project to recycle 8,000 tons of concrete – an extraordinary amount of concrete – 800 tons of steel and completed an LED lighting upgrade within the plant,” she said.
Odom said it took 400 trucks to haul the concrete off campus to be recycled.
“I’m floored and inspired by so many people at all levels of the business who work so diligently to make these projects happen, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because it’s a value proposition for our business,” she said.
Mercury Marine, Odom said, truly believes sustainability “makes us a stronger business.”
Sustainability is status quo
For Mercury Marine, Odom said championing sustainability is a core principle that permeates the way it does business, drives its commitment to a healthy and happy work environment and plays a leading role in the democratization of boating and improvements to products across the life cycle.
“Sustainability goes all the way to the top at Brunswick, as (CEO) David Foulkes celebrates sustainability activities and successes with our employees through weekly updates and quarterly town halls where sustainability is shared and celebrated,” she said.
The Fond du Lac campus has a sustainability council comprised of employees across departments, who Odom said work together on enterprise-level goals and to address issues.
She said she recognizes Mercury Marine’s products have a deep connection with the environment that resonates with its 3,850 employees.
“Unlike pencils, pens or shorts, the products we produce bring us really close to nature, and that’s a special connection we want to protect and promote,” she said.
To the company’s employees, Odom said, this connection represents a great responsibility.
“We want to ensure that our business practices, our processes, our products – throughout their entire lifecycle – not just meet environmental requirements but exceed expectations,” Odom said. “As a leader in the marine industry, we need to set a precedent to have safe, healthy and clean waterways and for the environment in general to be as healthy as it can be. Sustainable business practices start in taking care of where you operate.”