Volume 151, No. 120 covering the 1st Session of the 109th Congress (2005 - 2006) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD OF LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1932-E1933 on Sept. 22, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD OF LEXMARK
INTERNATIONAL
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HON. BEN CHANDLER
of kentucky
in the house of representatives
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Mr. CHANDLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shower praise on my constituents at Lexmark International, whose recent awards for environmental excellence show yet again the extremely impressive commitment of Lexmark to environmental protection.
As I am sure most of my colleagues know, Lexmark is one of the world's leading manufacturers of printers and developers of cutting-
edge printing solutions for enterprises large and small. Lexmark is headquartered in Lexington, the heart of the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky, and truly has become a global leader in the information technology sector.
Having toured Lexmark's headquarters and having viewed the range of highly-sophisticated equipment that Lexmark offers, and having met with one impressive engineer and manager after another during my visit with Lexmark, I congratulate Lexmark on being one of the true industrial gems of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I am especially proud of Lexmark because when my grandfather served as Governor of Kentucky, he attracted Lexmark's predecessor, IBM, to the location Lexmark so proudly occupies today. When I work with my friends at Lexmark, I will confess that I am mindful of my grandfather's role decades ago.
Lexmark does more than produce great products and systems for its customers. It upholds an environmental ethic that has been in place since the company's inception in 1991.
Most recently, Lexmark's headquarters was awarded with ISO
(International Standardization Organization) 14001 certification, which is the gold standard for environmental compliance. Only the best of the best achieve it. ISO 14001 is the world's most recognized environmental system management framework, and to be certified--as Lexmark has been--
takes an enormous amount of effort.
ISO 14001 certification in Lexington is only the most recent addition to a long line of environmental achievements by Lexmark. Almost immediately after the company's inception in 1991, Lexmark initiated a novel and still-creative program for recycling used printer cartridges. Over the past 14 years this program has redirected millions of pounds of cartridges away from landfills and to recycling facilities. And these are not just any recycling facilities, but workshops that employ physically challenged adults to disassemble the cartridges for recycling in a safe environment.
Lexmark is exporting not only great products, but also its environmental ethic. Lexmark's site at Orleans, France, became one of the first companies in Europe to receive ISO 14001 certification. Lexmark Philippines has received national recognition there, not just for the company's commitment to environmental responsibility in every aspect of product design, manufacture, distribution, and use, but for efforts to preserve vital ecosystems as well.
Even more recently, Lexmark sites in Rosyth, Scotland; Boulder, Colorado; Juarez, Mexico; Chihuahua, Mexico; and Cebu, Philippines have met all the requirements to achieve ISO 14001.
I am sure my colleagues would agree that for a company to combine world-class products with a superior commitment to the environment and worker health and safety represents exactly what we hope American industry will do around the world.
Lexmark's participation as a charter member in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar program, its receipt of the Kentucky Governor's Environmental Excellence Award for Industrial Environmental Leadership, and its leadership in everything from ``The Reforest the Bluegrass Program'' in Lexington to Lexmark's Rainforest Project, which protects the indigenous peoples, plants, and animals of the rainforest, all reflect the unsurpassed commitment to environmental protection that defines the company.
The Lexmark Environmental Program has committed the company to three areas of concentration: the design of its products and services, its management of resources, and the commitment to being a responsible neighbor and employer. If the various awards Lexmark has received are any indication, the company certainly seems to be living up to its mission.
Mr. Speaker, you can see why I am so proud of my constituents at Lexmark. I ask you and my esteemed colleagues in the House of Representatives to recognize the many outstanding accomplishments of Lexmark's employees recently and over the history of the company.
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