EVERETT – The Boeing Co.’s Everett plant has received a prestigious certification for its environmental management techniques.
The International Organization for Standardization verified that the Everett factory meets its requirements for ISO 14001 certification – a set of standards recognized around the world.
“This achievement shows we are serious about being a good environmental steward,” said Ross Bogue, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Everett facility.
To do its part for the environment, the Everett plant annually recycles more than 56 tons of aluminum, 460 tons of steel and 800 tons of wood. In doing so, Boeing makes about $280,000 each year by recycling its tooling scraps and another $180,000 by recycling paper, metal and cardboard, said Scott Lefeber, a Boeing spokesman .
Employees pitch in and recycle their beverage containers – plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The effort typically raises about $5,000 annually, which goes to a nonprofit organization for special needs athletes, Lefeber said.
Since 2000, the Everett facility has reduced energy consumption by more than 31 million kilowatt hours, enough to light more than 10,500 homes for a year. Typically, the facility uses about 258 million kilowatt hours of power annually.
To reduce its use of electricity, Boeing devised a schedule to turn off or reduce lighting in different areas of the factory during low-use periods, Lefeber said. The intensity of lights used for the high bays of the assembly plant dropped from 1,000 watts to 750 watts. Ventilation systems were retrofitted with speed controls, allowing the company to scale back on fans when demand drops. And switching over older computers to LCD saved an estimated 2.6 million kilowatt hours.
The international standards, first published in 1996 in Switzerland by the International Organization for Standardization, are designed to assist companies in implementing and maintaining an effective environmental management system. ISO oversees a number of processes, including work-force training, continued improvement and emergency preparedness.
Herald writer Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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