WILSON, N.C. (March 15, 2006) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accepted Bridgestone/ Firestone's Wilson, N.C., tire plant into the National Environmental Performance Track (NEPT) program.
The Wilson plant is the seventh and final BFS tire plant in the U.S. to share this recognition, the tire maker said. Four facilities—located in Des Moines, Iowa, Warren County, Tenn., Aiken County, S.C., and Oklahoma City—joined the highly selective program as charter members in 2000. The Bloomington, Ill., and LaVergne, Tenn., facilities joined the program in 2003 and 2005, respectively.
The EPA created the voluntary NEPT program to reward and recognize companies that show a commitment to environmental performance that goes above and beyond current requirements and that have a proven track record of improving environmental performance over time, according to BFNT.
In order to qualify for the NEPT program, the Wilson facility had to fulfill the following requirements:
* A good record of compliance with environmental regulations;
* A public commitment to specific environmental performance goals;
* Annual public reporting on progress toward the goals; and
* An integrated system for improving compliance and environmental performance.
The plant's established goals for the next three years include improving several manufacturing processes to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste generation, BFNT said.