Kodak Ahead of Schedule on Pledge To Meet Tough Environmental Standards.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1998--Eastman Kodak Company is running ahead of schedule on a voluntary commitment to bring its worldwide manufacturing facilities in line with rigorous international environmental standards.

In 1996, the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO)(a) set forth a new standard, ISO 14002, for environmental management systems -- that aspect of a company's overall management structure that addresses the immediate and long-term impact of the company's activities, products and services on health, safety, and the environment. Companies seeking certification under these standards have to meet strict guidelines relating to the prevention of pollution, accountability, emergency response, audits, life-cycle planning, and much more.

Kodak management decided to put a stake in the ground. "When the standards were announced, Kodak's HSE Management Council set a target that our worldwide manufacturing sites would at very least be `registration-ready' for ISO 14000 by the end of 1998," said Richard Poduska, Kodak's director of health, safety and environmental affairs for worldwide manufacturing.

"We are running well ahead of schedule," Poduska said. "Four plants have achieved certification, three others are in the process and expect to be certified by year-end, and all the others are on track to be `registration ready' by the end of the year."

A year ago, the BASO Precision Optics facility in Taiwan became the first Kodak plant to achieve ISO 14000 certification. Since then, Kodak's plants in Chalon, France, and Annesley, England, have been certified.

(a) ISO is an abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization, a worldwide, non-governmental federation of national standards bodies from more than 100 countries. It was established in 1947, and, in recent years, ISO 9000 standards for quality have been eagerly sought by many manufacturing units, including those at Kodak.

On May 7, Kodak's manufacturing plant in Windsor, Colorado, became the first facility in that state to attain ISO 14000 registration.

Just like the ISO 9000 standards pertaining to quality, many think that ISO 14000 certification will lead to business benefits for companies who achieve it. Some believe it will become "table stakes" for companies marketing products in environmentally conscious parts of the world.

But the Kodak people working to comply with ISO 14000 standards are finding a personal benefit, as well.

"People are proud of it," said Poduska. "They just plain feel good about setting their sights that high, and then working to achieve it."

That feeling of employee pride is more than a fringe benefit of the process, because the goal of ISO 14000 is to develop a culture in which all employees in the company understand the value of environmental protection.

In that regard, Kodak has a leg-up.

"We've had a corporate Health, Safety, and Environmental Affairs unit in place for many years," said Poduska, "and we have worked hard over the years to ensure good environmental practices among all of our employees.

"So, when we looked at our worldwide manufacturing operations, we expected to find, and indeed we found, that they were already most of the way toward qualifying for certification."

Kodak is going a step beyond manufacturing, however. The company plans to seek ISO 14000 registration for its corporate Health, Safety, and Environment management system in 1998.

"There aren't many companies trying to bring their corporate system in line with these standards," said Kodak vice president R. Hays Bell, director of Health, Safety and Environment. "We believe it is not only appropriate, but a necessity as we drive toward the highest achievable levels of performance."

One of the key benefits, he said, is that the process requires a company or unit to put its procedures in writing -- and to document everything.

"That takes time," said Bell, "but it's really important. Having procedures clearly spelled out ensures continuity and consistency over the years."

"When business operations began the process for ISO 9000 certification, some employees looked at it as just one more thing they had to do," Poduska said. "But, in the end, it was clear that the effort was worth it.

"With ISO 14000 standards for environmental responsibility, I think everyone knows its worthwhile right from the start." -0-

(Kodak is a trademark.)

Editor's Note: For additional information about Kodak, visit our web site on the Internet at: www.kodak.com/

   CONTACT:  Eastman Kodak Company
              James E. Blamphin
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