LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Six of Zeon Chemicals L.P.'s facilities across the U.S. have received ISO certifications, accolades the company says helps to establish it as an industry leader in areas of health, safety and environment (SHE).
Zeon noted in a Feb. 19 news release that it had earned ISO 14001 and 45001 certifications for its chemical manufacturing sites in Louisville; Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Pasadena, Texas. The company's R&D Center, warehouse, and headquarters also were certified.
The honors underscore Zeon's commitment to identifying opportunities for preventing pollution and protecting the environment, while continuously looking for ways to improve occupational health and safety performance.
"This is the culmination of several years of commitment, planning, and hard work," Lori Carson, Zeon's director of safety, health and environment, said in a statement. "We believe certification has elevated our SHE programs beyond strict compliance with U.S. regulatory requirements and equivalent with internationally accepted industry standards."
The certification audit was conducted by NSF International, an independent, global organization that facilitates standards development, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment.
"The benefits (to ISO certification) are numerous," Carson said, noting those benefits include "increased customer confidence, decreased company risk, improved employee environmental awareness and safety culture, greater focus on employee wellbeing, minimized use of natural resources and reduced environmental impact."
Zeon Chemicals L.P. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Zeon Corp., a maker of elastomers, polymers and specialty chemicals. Zeon Chemicals maintains operations in Asia and North America, and has R&D laboratories in Kawasaki, Japan, Louisville and Singapore.
Zeon Corp. has combined sales of $3.1 billion last year. It employs about 3,00 worldwide.
