Belden Brick Gets ISO 14001 Certification

The Belden Brick's policies made it easy for everyone in the company willing to put forth the effort required to meet the stringent documentation requirements for ISO 14001 Certification.

The Belden Brick Company, manufacturer of brick products, recently received ISO 14001 Certification. The certification is given to businesses that show environmental responsibility through compliance with government regulations, verifying this compliance through strict documentation.

''As it turns out, we were already in compliance with the key elements of the certification,'' said Brian Belden, marketing manager of The Belden Brick Company. ''From there it was just a matter of documenting our compliance and then going through the audit process.''

The entire process took about a year once the decision was made for Belden Brick to pursue ISO 14001 Certification. A team of third party auditors came to the company in March of this year, after which the company had to wait for 30 days for the results. They received official notification that they had received certification on May 6.

''We're very proud of this certification,'' Belden said. ''We're the first brick manufacturer to receive this, just as we were the first U.S. manufacturer to receive the ISO 9001 Certification for a quality management system.''

Certification lasts for three years and shows proof that the company follows environmentally responsible practices, meets legal requirements, and seeks opportunities as environmental stewards. Yearly follow-up audits keep company operations alert as they work to maintain certification.

Belden said his company's policy has always been to go above and beyond the expectations of current best practices, and works hard to do right by the communities where they do business.

''It was a true company-wide effort,'' Belden said. ''Everyone from the top down bought into the program and put their best into meeting the criteria. I'm extremely proud of all the employees who took this effort to heart and helped us once again make industry history.''