STOCKHOLM, Sweden, June 24, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- The product company of Atlas Copco Tools and Assembly Systems in Tierp, Sweden, has been granted ISO 14001 certification for its operations according to its documented Environmental Policy. With the recent certification, 79% of the Atlas Copco Group's production sites worldwide are ISO 14001 certified.
The ISO 14001 certificate can only be gained by complying with strict international standards in terms of protection of the environment and safety at work. To retain the certification, the company's environmental performance will be checked continuously.
Manifesting the Group's intention to comply with environmental legislation and make continuous improvements in environmental performance, the environmental policy covers virtually all aspects of Atlas Copco Tools and Assembly Systems' operations.
The following changes in the manufacturing process reflect the company's commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations:
-- For component cleaning, trichloroethylene has been replaced by a
non-toxic degreaser.
-- For surface coating of components, a new, more environmentally
friendly black oxide process has been installed.
-- For equipment cooling freons have been replaced with another
cooling medium with less ozone depletion potential (ODP).
-- Waste is sorted at source into different categories to avoid
adding to landfills.
The environmental improvements are not restricted to the manufacturing side. Office air conditioning systems now use environmentally friendly cooling media. The design department enforces a policy that avoids using toxic chemicals and focuses on recycling and energy efficiency. And the purchasing department places clearly defined environmental demands on the products and services of sub-suppliers and contractors.