METTLER TOLEDO proudly announces ISO 14001 environmental certification of its Worthington, Ohio facility. The production facility creates weighing solutions for both industrial and retail applications and serves as a distribution center for delivering METTLER TOLEDO products in the Americas.
ISO 14001 certification provides companies with a standardized framework for creating an effective environmental management system. It offers a systematic approach to identifying environmental objectives and targets and helps to control the environmental impact of company activities.
Environmental Insights
To ensure its environmental efforts remain a priority, METTLER TOLEDO created an Environmental Management Team comprised of employees from various departments – including management-level representation. The goal of this team is to implement and maintain the facility policies according to ISO 14001. The team has created an open dialog with all plant employees. They regularly hold informational meetings and frequently ask for suggestions to improve the program.
“Through this certification, METTLER TOLEDO has gained greater insight into the environmental impact of our products and activities, and we have taken strides to lessen our ecological footprint,” said Darrell Flocken, Quality Manager at the Worthington facility and member of the Environmental Management Team, “…although ISO 14001 accreditation is new to our facility, most of our environmental procedures are not. In fact, some policies have been in place for over 30 years, and our workplace policies span all departments from product design, production, logistics, and service.”
Recycling Program
The newly certified METTLER TOLEDO facility has an extensive recycling program that not only includes production waste but also recyclable items from its customers and employees. METTLER TOLEDO is active in recycling 14 different categories of waste and only uses recyclable or reusable packaging materials for its products. In addition to the nearly 230 tons of waste that was recycled in 2009, the Worthington facility also provides proper disposal of employees’ batteries, light bulbs, and computer equipment. In addition, as a service program for its customers, METTLER TOLEDO helps to recycle and dispose of used customer equipment and non-working printed circuit boards (PCB).
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
The Worthington production facility also fully complies with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive for the restriction of hazardous substances. RoHS is a European directive that restricts the use of six different hazardous materials – including lead – in electric and electrical equipment. Even though RoHS is not yet a requirement in the United States, all newly produced METTLER TOLEDO equipment voluntarily conforms to its principles.
Why this is important
When asked why this certification and the efforts of METTLER TOLEDO are important to its customers, Todd Manifold, General Manager of the Worthington facility says, “Both retailers and suppliers share a responsibility to conduct their businesses in a safe and sustainable manner. While it is necessary for each of us to make environmentally sound decisions, it is our collective effort that makes the largest impact. Many of our customers – both large and small – already have sustainability programs of their own, and it’s important to them that their suppliers share the same ideal.”
