AMAG certified green

TORRANCE, Calif.--Access and video manufacturer AMAG Technology was awarded in October ISO 14001 certification, meaning the company has proven to an outside auditor that it has developed a means to consistently control its environmental impact. Jeanne Imbrogno, director of operations at AMAG and leader of the “green team” that was instituted to get the company ISO 14001 compliant, said the initiative follows parent company G4Tec’s lead-it claims to be the first security manufacturer to be ISO 14001 certified. “The easier way to do it is from the top down,” she said. “It could have been done grassroots, but, in the end, it does need the support of upper management.” Many of the initiatives could be done in any office, Imbrogno noted. AMAG focused on recycling paper, reducing things like paper cups and plates in the break room, changing out incandescent bulbs with fluorescents, and “we have a lot of technicians with a lot of equipment on the walls,” she said. “It’s just a matter of disciplining them that when you turn your lights off at night, you turn your equipment off, too. “And we have spies that go around to see,” she laughed.” So, why do this? The employees were asking for it, but it’s also good business. “We consider it a competitive advantage,” she said. “We’re seeing on the RFPs, more and more, mention of LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] standards ... If they can say they’re purchasing the equipment from a company that has an environmental policy and can measure their carbon footprint, it gives them points toward the LEED requirement.” Further, she said, the general population is becoming more green conscious. “So,” she said, “if it comes down to purchasing something from a company that doesn’t care about the environment and a company that does, they may choose the one who shares their environmental philosophy.”