'Ford & ISO 14001' Provides Roadmap to Environmental Savings

    WASHINGTON, April 3 Ford Motor Company has saved millions
of dollars since becoming the first automaker to certify all of its
manufacturing facilities worldwide to the ISO 14001 international standard on
Environmental Management Systems in 1998.

    In a new book released this month by The McGraw-Hill Companies: "Ford &
ISO 14001; The Synergy Between Preserving the Environment and Rewarding
Shareholders" (293 pages, $99.95 ISBN: 0-07-137463-9), author Tim O'Brien,
director of Ford's Environmental Quality Office, chronicles the successful
strategy of the world's second largest automaker in achieving independent
certification of more than 140 enormously complex manufacturing facilities in
26 countries (currently 106 facilities in 25 countries since the spin-off of
Visteon).

    "The bottom line is we have proven that business and the environment can
live in harmony," said O'Brien.  "Ford has demonstrated it can save millions
of dollars and at the same time reduce our environmental impact."

    ISO 14001 establishes universally accepted requirements for environmental
management that have been adopted and sanctioned by standards bodies in most
industrialized nations. The presence of an ISO 14001 certificate informs
purchasers that companies have a general policy to address, among other
things, prevention of pollution and compliance with all relevant laws and
regulations.  Purchasers are assured that a company has a management system to
achieve its environmental objectives and targets, and a structure to help it
improve the management system through corrective and preventive actions and
training.

    "Ford & ISO 14001" is designed to enhance efforts in training,
implementation, and tracking performance related to an ISO 14001-based
Environmental Management System no matter what the company size or industry.
It includes an entire sample EMS manual and dozens of system documents that
users are free to adapt in their own company, potentially saving thousands of
dollars and countless hours of development time.

    According to O'Brien, "Our goal was to take the lessons learned and
experience that we gained, and put it into a format that would appeal to a
large variety of people.  Sharing this information is another example of
Ford's environmental commitment.  We achieved global certification well ahead
of any other auto manufacturer, and three years after fully implementing this
process, some of our competitors are still playing catch up.  I am extremely
proud to be able to bring attention to Ford's leadership in this environmental
area."

    As a result of its success, Ford became the first US automaker to require
ISO 14001 EMS certification of all of its suppliers and manufacturing
facilities in 1999.  This requirement, which applies to about 5,000
organizations worldwide, calls for suppliers to certify at least one
manufacturing site by the end of 2001.  The requirement also states that all
of the suppliers' manufacturing sites shipping products to Ford must be
certified by July 1, 2003.

    "Ford & ISO 14001" is written for environmental managers, environmental
health and safety managers, environmental engineers and persons responsible
for implementing ISO 14001.  It may also be appropriate for senior managers
and students looking for a greater understanding in the practical application
of environmental management in today's global business environment.

    O'Brien will donate all royalties from the sale of the book to the Edison
Institute for the establishment of an environmental curriculum at the Henry
Ford Academy of Manufacturing Science in Dearborn, Michigan.