Environmental Progress

In any organization, if you want to be certain that something is managed well, then it helps to have a good system in place.

That's the thinking behind ISO 14001, an international standard that sets recommended requirements for an environmental management system (EMS). Endorsed by both the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Portland Cement Association, the standard is intended to improve a company's ability to manage environmental issues.

Ash Grove Cement is in the process of creating and implementing ISO 14001-compliant systems at all of its manufacturing facilities around the country. "For both its neighbors and employees, Ash Grove Cement is committed to environmentally responsible operation, and we launched this effort early in 2005," says Corporate Environmental Manager Bob Vantuyl. "We're implementing this on an aggressive schedule, and we're making sure that each new effort takes advantage of our experience at previous plants. For example, when we formally launched the system at Louisville recently, representatives from Durkee and Chanute were on hand to gain insight for program implementation and to participate in the gap assessment. The result of this coordinated implementation strategy is speed-we're aiming to have all of our facilities running with ISO 14001-compliant systems in less than three years total."

The standard is intended to provide a number of benefits, including:
		Increase in the efficiency and use of both energy and raw materials
		Emissions reductions
		Improved ability to maintain compliance with environmental regulations
		Reliance on a system instead of just the capabilities of an individual in managing an organization's environmental functions.

The company's Louisville plant is currently in the final stages of system implementation. "Fundamentally," says the plant's Environmental Manager Roger Behrns, "this initiative involves a thorough review of our operations to evaluate the potential environmental impacts, followed by a plan to identify and control the aspects of our operations that will minimize those impacts. When we're done, we'll have an EMS that is robust, well-documented, and one that we will work to improve on a continuous basis."

While this effort will result in some changes to the way Ash Grove plants monitor and check their operations, a high level of environmental awareness is already part of the Ash Grove culture. "Just about anything we do has a potential environmental impact," says Louisville plant Repairman Greg Gansemer, "and every one of us is very aware of that fact. While we'll begin using some new documentation, a high degree of care for the environment is just the way we work. So the new EMS will only improve things."

"Overall," says Ash Grove's Vice President, Environmental Affairs Fran Streitman, "we view this as a critical initiative in improving our operations and environmental performance. It's a key component of our environmental efforts as a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Cement Sustainability Initiative. And it's one that will pay back both our neighbors and our customers."

About ISO 14001
		Initially published by the International Standards Organization in 1996 (revised in 2004)
		Specifies the elements for an environmental management system (EMS)
		Focuses on the processes a company uses, not the products it makes
		For more information: www.iso.org