Source: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan.
Ash Grove Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Curtis Lesslie, PE, announced that the company is currently the only domestic cement manufacturer to have its entire fleet of eight operating clinker manufacturing facilities earn the prestigious ISO 14001 certification. In 2010, seven of the company’s facilities earned the designation; its reconstructed Foreman, Ark., plant earned it in December 2011, according to Lesslie.
The certification, administered by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), requires companies to adopt a rigorous, systematic environmental management system customized to the needs unique to its facilities and subject it to continuous improvement. Once such a program is implemented, certified third-party auditors conduct an extensive audit to verify compliance with the ISO standards before certification is granted and follow up with annual assurance audits.
“We are pleased to have earned the ISO 14001 certification for all of our plants. The certification validates all of the work Ash Grove has done to create and maintain our environmental management systems. Our commitment to earning the certification is a cornerstone of our environmental leadership program,” said Lesslie.
Celebrating 130 years of operations in 2012, Ash Grove has ISO 14001-certified plants, in addition to its Foreman location, in Chanute, Kan.; Durkee, Ore.; Leamington, Utah; Louisville, Neb.; Midlothian, Texas; Montana City, Mont.; and Seattle, Wash.
