Hitachi Automotive Products (USA), Inc. — Los Angeles Earns California Environmental Honor as 2003 ‘WRAP of the Year’ Award Winner for Outstanding Waste Reduction
TORRANCE—For outstanding achievement in environmental protection and waste reduction, Hitachi Automotive Products (USA), Inc. in Torrance was honored today by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The manufacturer, part of the family of companies of Hitachi, Ltd., was recognized as one of the State’s top 10 winners of the Waste Reduction Awards Program ‘WRAP of the Year’ for 2003.
“It is a great pleasure to honor the outstanding achievements of Hitachi Automotive Products and name them a WRAP of the Year award winner,” said Board Member Carl Washington during a ceremony held at the remanufacturing plant in Torrance. “The State of California recognizes the leadership of companies who take environmental protection seriously. We appreciate the hard work and dedication that go into Hitachi’s recycling and conservation efforts because they’re good for the environment and they save money, too. We would love to see more companies follow their example.”
“It is a great pleasure to honor the outstanding achievements of Hitachi Automotive Products and name them a WRAP of the Year award winner,” said Board Member Carl Washington during a ceremony held at the remanufacturing plant in Torrance. “The State of California recognizes the leadership of companies who take environmental protection seriously. We appreciate the hard work and dedication that go into Hitachi’s recycling and conservation efforts because they’re good for the environment and they save money, too. We would love to see more companies follow their example.”
Corporate-wide, Hitachi is deeply committed to environmental safety and protection and many of its facilities the world over promote a zero-waste goal. Last year, the Torrance Hitachi plant donated two compressors to the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity organization and held drawings to provide employees with opportunities to purchase surplus company furniture at minimal cost. An in-house environmental management team continually reviews and explores resource conservation alternatives. The team promotes reusable coffee mugs and other efforts to reduce reliance upon disposable products, as well as e-mail, computer faxing, and recycled notepads to cut down on paper waste. The plant recycles all electronic waste (computers, printers, copiers, and more) through certified e-waste recyclers and uses a high percentage of recycled-content packing materials for its own shipping and handling activities.
In accepting the award, Masaaki Fujisawa, president and CEO of Hitachi Automotive Products (USA), Inc. said, “We are deeply honored by this prestigious award from the State of California. Hitachi has an abiding legacy to protecting the environment. We have been an innovator in developing environmentally sensitive technology for the benefit of industry, science and society. So, this award holds special meaning for Hitachi and the employees of Hitachi Automotive.”
Now in its 11th year, the Waste Reduction Awards Program is open to private industry and nonprofit organizations throughout California and provides recognition for exemplary and model business practices to reduce waste, recycle, reuse materials, and send less to landfills. In particular, the WRAP of the Year designation honors companies of all sizes for successful waste reduction practices in the workplace.
The award is a special distinction made from among hundreds of outstanding businesses that earn WRAP awards from the State’s Integrated Waste Management Board each year. For 2003, WRAP honors went to 2,139 California companies, from which this year’s top 10 WRAP of the Year honorees have been chosen. More than 10,800 WRAP honors have been awarded since the program’s inception in 1993, with many companies winning the award for multiple years.
Other winners of the 2003 WRAP of the Year (WOTY) awards include:
American Licorice Company, (Union City, Alameda County)
Blue & Gold Fleet, LP (City and County of San Francisco)
City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute (Duarte, Los Angeles County)
Community Environmental Council (Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County)
East West Partners (Truckee and Lake Tahoe areas, Nevada and Placer Counties)
HP – San Diego [Hewlett-Packard] (San Diego County)
The Invironmentalists, The Interior Services Company of DuPont Textiles & Interiors (South San Francisco, San Mateo County)
Toyota North American Parts Center, California (Ontario, San Bernardino County)
Turtle Bay Exploration Park (Redding, Shasta County)
For more information about all WRAP winners and their locations, please visit us online at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP/ and see www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP/WOTY/ for details of the accomplishments of all WRAP of the Year businesses.
The six-member California Integrated Waste Management Board (www.ciwmb.ca.gov) promotes a zero waste California in partnership with local government, industry, and the public. This means reducing waste whenever possible, promoting the management of all materials to their highest and best use, and protecting public health and safety and the environment.
The Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (www.calepa.ca.gov).
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Visit us at www.ciwmb.ca.gov to learn more about reducing waste.