[ Back ]   [ More News ]   [ Home ]
Boeing Achieves Major Environmental Certification Goal

CHICAGO, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- CHICAGO, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that all of its major manufacturing facilities received the internationally recognized ISO 14001 environmental certification by the end of 2008, marking achievement of one of the company's most significant environmental goals. Certification is a global benchmark of an organization's commitment to understand and continually improve its environmental performance.

"We recognized many areas of excellence at Boeing, from employee involvement programs to recycling efforts, in one of the most aggressive ISO 14001 certification efforts we've seen," said Sidney Vianna, director of Aviation, Space & Defense Services for independent auditors Det Norske Veritas, an accredited certification body of quality, environmental and safety management systems. "Congratulations to Boeing on this significant accomplishment. We look forward to our ongoing partnership in continual environmental improvement."

The following Boeing sites certified during 2008 were commended for their environmental performance with more than 80 positive noteworthy efforts and no major nonconformances:

            Alabama: Huntsville
            Arizona: Mesa
            Australia: Bankstown, Fishermans Bend
            California: El Segundo, Long Beach, Seal Beach, Sylmar, Taft,
                Torrance
            Canada: Winnipeg
            Florida: Kennedy Space Center
            Missouri: St. Louis, St. Charles
            Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
            Texas: San Antonio
            Utah: Salt Lake City
            Washington: Auburn, Frederickson, Renton and North Boeing Field,
                Integrated Defense Systems sites in Puget Sound

"As a responsible corporate citizen and neighbor, we are focused on reducing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and waste at our facilities," said Mary Armstrong, Boeing vice president, Environment, Health and Safety. "Certification is a tremendous achievement by our employees, ensuring that Boeing products, from our super-efficient commercial airplanes to our military aircraft, satellites and world record-holding solar cells, are manufactured in facilities that conform to the ISO 14001 standard of environmental performance."

Facilities in Exmouth, Australia; Everett, Wash.; and Portland, Ore. had previously achieved ISO 14001 certification.

Boeing is committed to pioneering environmentally progressive products and services and reducing its environmental footprint. Some other highlights of its 2008 work include:

    --  The establishment of aggressive targets to improve by 25 percent
        greenhouse gas emissions intensity, energy efficiency and recycling
        rates at its major manufacturing facilities by 2012, with a similar goal
        for hazardous waste reduction.
    --  The world's first series of test flights powered in part by sustainable
        biofuels, in collaboration with Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines
        and Japan Airlines. Boeing is focused on research for advanced
        generations of sustainable biofuels using biomass that do not compete
        with food crops or water resources.
    --  The release of an Environment Report detailing its performance, strategy
        and actions to reduce its environmental footprint and lead the aerospace
        industry with environmentally progressive products and services.
    --  The world's first straight-and-level flight of a manned airplane powered
        only by a fuel-cell, led by Madrid-based Boeing Research &
        Technology Europe. The research may benefit secondary aircraft system
        power use.
    --  Delivery of world-record holding solar cells by Boeing subsidiary
        Spectrolab Inc., to an Australian customer to power a 154MW power
        station.

To learn more about the company's ISO 14001 certification achievement, read the feature story in Boeing Frontiers here.

Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. The company also provides numerous military and commercial airline support services. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales.

Web site: http://www.boeing.com/