Ohio, February 1, 1999 - Honda of America Mfg., Inc. (HAM) announced on January 29, 1999 that all four of its plants in Ohio have achieved ISO 14001 registration, a global environmental management system.
This makes HAM an auto industry leader at implementing the environmental management system under guidelines of the International Organization for Standardization in Geneva, said HAM Senior Vice President John Adams, general manager of the company's auto manufacturing.

"ISO 14001 registration goes beyond government compliance with a system focused on continuous environmental improvement," Adams said. "Achieving this environmental registration was a huge effort on the part of 13,200 HAM associates at our auto, motorcycle and engine plants who got involved in our environmental processes."

Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant, Anna Engine Plant and Marysville Motorcycle Plant achieved ISO 14001 registration by implementing comprehensive environmental management systems at each plant, said Richard Lahiere, Senior Manager of HAM's Environmental Health and Safety Department.

To achieve registration, each plant established procedures to control, measure and improve environmental performance. Third-party auditors inspect each plant twice a year to ensure conformance with ISO 14001 requirements.

"Honda is committed to a Green Factory concept, which aims to make us industry leaders at reducing waste and emissions, and improve our environmental impact," Lahiere said. "ISO 14001 establishes clear guidelines on how to manage environmental activities in a manufacturing setting."

In December, the Marysville Motorcycle Plant earned the "Ohio Governor's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pollution Prevention" for replacing a solvent-based paint system with a powder coat paint process. The new system significantly reduced air emissions while improving manufacturing efficiencies.

Efforts to reduce HAM's impact on the environment have been going on for years. The East Liberty Auto Plant started production in 1989 with the first waterborne paint system for automobiles in the United States. In 1993, the Marysville Auto Plant reduced emissions by 305,000 pounds per year by improving the capture of paint solvents. The Anna Engine Plant receives scrap steel from stamping operations at the Marysville Auto Plant for casting into engine and brake components. This resulted in recycling more than 30,000 tons of steel in 1997.

In 1998, Honda of America Mfg., Inc. produced 694,000 cars, 918,000 auto and motorcycle engines, 38,200 motorcycles and 127,000 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for the US and North America, and for export around the world. Located in west-central Ohio, the plants produce the Honda Accord, Acura 3.2TL, Honda Civic and Acura CL automobiles; Gold Wing, Valkyrie and Shadow motorcycles; and FourTrax ATVs.