Curries Achieves ISO 14001 Certification for Environmental Management

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Apr 22, 2015, 12:37 ET

MASON CITY, Iowa, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Curries, a manufacturer of steel doors and frames, and an ASSA ABLOY Group brand, has achieved ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management at its Mason City, Iowa manufacturing facility. ISO 14001 is a global environmental management system that measures a company's environmental impact on a regular basis seeking year over year improvement.

Recycle stations have been set up throughout the Curries plant to organize leftover material.

Curries employees participate in a dumpster dive to find out how they can manage their waste more responsibly.

All of Curries approximately 600 employees played an important role to achieve this elite certification as employee knowledge and following defined processes are key parts evaluated for awarding of this achievement.

"Curries hopes that our ISO 14001 certification will reinforce to our employees, customers, and the community at large the high level of importance Curries places on minimizing its environmental impact and our commitment to maintaining such focus," says Ross Buchele, director of operations for the Mason City location.

Additionally, company efforts to truly know what its waste is made up of and where it is going has led to many environmental initiatives at the facility. The Curries Sustainability Council, responsible for some of these initiatives, performed a "dumpster dive" with guidance from the Iowa Waste Exchange. This exercise not only illuminated the make-up of the waste but also illuminated potential solutions to improve.

The Council conceptualized and "planted" recycling trees in place of trash barrels throughout its facility. As a result, Curries employees have increased their use of the various recycling streams and have sent 26% less waste to the landfill.

"When the team surveyed the facility, they realized that recyclable items were being thrown away simply because employees didn't have an easy way to separate their waste," noted Heidi Marquardt, Curries, environmental engineer. "Hanging color-coded buckets on the recycling trees helps employees know where to dispose of and recycle their waste."

ABOUT CURRIES
Founded in 1958, CURRIES is an industry leader in the manufacture of hollow metal doors and frames. The company supplies a full line of custom and standard products for new and retrofit construction projects in the commercial, educational and healthcare markets. Curries has been a recipient of the Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Award twice (2004, 2008). www.curries.com

ABOUT ASSA ABLOY
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisfying end-user demands for security, safety and convenience. For more information visit http://www.assaabloy.com/en/com/.

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SOURCE ASSA ABLOY