Boeing’s commitment to environmental performance gets new wings. The launch of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, an environmentally progressive airplane programme, and customer curiosity about Boeing’s internal environmental efforts led the company to pursue ISO 14001 certification.
Boeing’s Everett facility – home of the 747, 767, 777 and 787 programmes – has always been proud of its environmental management system. But, a few years ago, the time was right to make its environmental commitment story more public. For one thing, Boeing Everett was embarking on a new airplane programme that emphasised environmental performance.
“Our new 787 airplane programme was known as the 7E7. Among other attributes, the ‘E’ stood for Efficiency,” explained Frank Migaiolo, Everett site environmental affairs manager. “It represented environmental improvements we made through technology. The airplane is so advanced it is setting an all-new level of performance in the industry. At this stage the 7E7 leaders felt that achieving ISO 14001 certification was a good idea.”
The ISO environmental standards are designed to assist companies in developing, implementing and maintaining an effective environmental management system. The selection of DNV as Boeing’s certification partner was a natural choice. “We had already worked with DNV on our quality aerospace certification,” he said, “and DNV maintained an excellent reputation in the industry.”
Employee motivation – not an issue
Undergoing certification requires all employees to get behind the goal and to familiarise themselves with environmental policy and how it relates to their daily activities. While some organisations may work hard to motivate their employees to support such an initiative, for Boeing Everett, that was never an issue.
“Our environmental management system has always been employee-based,” said Mr Migaiolo. As a result, it wasn’t necessary to motivate the employees because much of the requirement was already ingrained in the culture, according to him.
Mr Migaiolo said Boeing used in-house training to communicate the ISO message – videos with site leaders followed up by web-based training. “We had three different training sessions for employees and we used posters, banners and electronic communications.”
In fact, Mr Migaiolo said that no extra reward or bonus programme was necessary to get the job done. “Achieving ISO 14001 was its own reward,” he said. “From day one, our employees were excited and ready to take it on.”
A few unexpected challenges
Nevertheless, the process wasn’t completely without its challenges. For example, Mr Migaiolo pointed out that Boeing practices were so ingrained that it was sometimes hard to document all the good work that the employees were already doing. A second challenge was communicating the substance of the project across such a large and diverse employee audience. “Before Boeing got on the ISO journey, our people could tell you exactly what they did from an environmental standpoint, but putting it down into a formal policy – that was an unexpected challenge,” he said.
Assuring that everyone on site is on the same page is no easy task for a facility like Boeing Everett. The Everett complex, 30 miles north of Seattle, Wash., is Boeing’s largest site, spanning more than 1,000 acres and employing more than 25,000 people. In fact, Boeing’s Everett factory building is recognised by Guinness World Records as the largest building in the world by volume.
ISO 14001 certification benefits
Mr Migaiolo said the benefits of the certification have been numerous. “It’s one more accomplishment for customers to consider in their decision-making process,” he said. “Furthermore, it helps with our public image.”
Another notable benefit is a change of approach from the inside. Mr Migaiolo noted that some of his experience involved doing things driven by compliance. “Now, we look at things from a new angle. As an environmentally conscious company, today we are constantly asking ourselves, ‘How can we make a difference?’ ISO helps us keep the momentum.”
Text: Scott LeFeber and Carla Kalogeridis
Date: 25 October 2007