Toyota's Boston Parts Distribution Center (PDC) and Boston Regional Sales Office, subsidiaries of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc., were honored this week for becoming certified to the International Standardization Organization (ISO) 14001 environmental management standard.

ISO 14001 is an emerging world standard for industrial environmental management improvement. To be certified to the standard, facilities must implement environmental management systems with a policy and procedures addressing such issues as emissions reduction, waste treatment and recycling. Facilities meeting the standard are certified by an independent auditing team.

Toyota is not new to ISO 14001. Numerous Toyota manufacturing plants around the world have already received ISO 14001 certification. In North America alone, eight Toyota plants have been certified--including Toyota's largest manufacturing plant in the United States, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc.

With the certification of the Boston PDC and Regional Sales Office -- the first such combination to be certified -- Toyota has taken its environmental commitment one step further. "At Toyota, we realize that environmental impacts can be created by operations other than manufacturing plants, and we're working to do something about it. This is a big step forward," said Robert Pitts, Group Vice President, Finance and Corporate Services at TMS.

In implementing ISO 14001 at the Boston PDC and Regional Office, Toyota has committed to protecting the environment through recycling, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, and maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies. Cardboard waste reduction of 2 tons per month, wood recycling increased by 3 tons per month, trash reduction by approximately 3.5 tons per month, and a savings of $19,584 by using returnable dealer containers show that environmental responsibility can be good business, as well as the right thing to do.

"Toyota is committed to doing our part to address environmental issues," Pitts said. "An environmental management system has been designed to become a part of our business for the long run."

The Boston PDC and Regional Sales Office join Toyota processing and distribution sites in Fremont, California, Long Beach, California, and Portland, Oregon as ISO-certified facilities.

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, a formal ceremony was held at the Mansfield facilities to recognize the achievement in obtaining ISO 14001 certification. Senior executives from Toyota as well as local town officials were present.

Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation

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