Putzbrunn, Germany (December 12, 2019) —W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH (Gore) announced today that its fabrics manufacturing plant in Putzbrunn, Bavaria, has been certified according to the environmental and quality management standard ISO 14001. 

With this certification, all three Gore-owned plants around the world that manufacture functional textiles are compliant with this globally accepted standard for environmental management systems. 
Bernhard Kiehl, Fabrics Division Sustainability Program Leader remarked: “

This ISO 14001 certification emphasizes our commitment to comply with the same high standards, in some cases even going beyond legal requirement, in all plants of our Fabrics Division worldwide, as we actively work to reduce our environmental footprint and provide safe working conditions.”
Environmental protection, together with social aspects, play a key role in the sustainability strategy of Gore Fabrics’ division. Worldwide accepted standards of environmental management, such as ISO 14001, help establish internationally consistent processes at Gore’s plants globally.

Daniel Eckardt, Regional Quality Leader Europe for Gore functional textiles and responsible for the ISO 14001 introduction in Putzbrunn commented: “I am delighted we received this important certification. Our team did an excellent job, and I am proud that our Putzbrunn manufacturing plant has joined the other ISO 14001 certified Gore fabrics manufacturing plants around the world.”  

ISO 14001 was established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1996. It specifies globally accepted requirements for environmental management systems that enable organizations to improve their environmental footprint, comply with legal and other duties, and achieve their environmental goals. This international standard focuses on the concept of “continuous improvement,” based on the “plan-do-check-act” process cycle.

In 2010, Gore began establishing management systems at their manufacturing plants for functional textiles  inspired by this ISO standard. In order to obtain ISO 14001 certification, the plant in Putzbrunn was asked to fulfill a range of specific tasks and requirements similar to the Gore fabrics manufacturing plants in Elk Mills, US and Shenzhen, China. The tasks include:
•    Identify significant environmental impacts such as fuel or electrical energy usage and manufacturing plant waste;
•    Monitor energy usage to achieve sustained energy reductions; 
•    Measure environmental impact through greenhouse gas emissions;
•    Track projects to show progress;
•    Comply with all legal requirements related to the environmental performance of Gore´s people, processes, plants and products (4Ps); (e.g., meeting the requirements of Gore´s environmental permit);
•    Follow operational controls, meaning Gore follows proper procedures for safe handling and storage of chemicals, and has an emergency training program in place for Associates.
Daniel Eckardt shares the team´s high motivation to work hard on preparing for the audit and certification in Putzbrunn, clarifying the importance of engaging Associates: “Ensuring transparency of our environmental impact was one of the most important steps to make all Gore Associates understand and accept the true value of our activities and get on-board to help improve our environmental footprint.” 
Gore revolutionized the outerwear industry with waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX Fabric more than 40 years ago and remains a leading innovator of performance apparel. Gore fabrics products provide comfort and protection in challenging environments and in everyday life, enabling wearers to safely and confidently achieve and experience more. From hiking in downpours to defense operations and fighting fires, Gore’s deep understanding of consumer and industry needs drives development of products with meaningful performance advantages.
gore-tex.com and gore-workwear.com