Sidney Plant Leads Lear Corporation's Drive to Improve

Environmental Stewardship with ISO 14001 Certification Southfield, Mich. (PROTEXT) - With carpet and scrap recyclingas a cornerstone of its pollution prevention plan, LearCorporation's Sidney, Ohio facility has earned coveted ISO 14001certification. The Sidney plant is the first Lear plant worldwideto be certified to this internationally recognized environmentalmanagement standard. "ISO 14000 is a series of international standards governingenvironmental management systems," according to Dr. RebeccaSpearot, Director of Environmental Management at Lear. "Byattaining ISO 14001 certification at the Sidney plant and withcertification efforts underway at a number of other Learfacilities, Lear joins automakers dedicated to addressing theimmediate and long-term impact on the environment of itsfacilities and products." "Lear is especially aware of the importance of goodenvironmental citizenship," said Kenneth L. Way, Chairman and CEOof Lear Corporation. "We are proud of the job our employees atSidney and the rest of our facilities around the globe are doingto protect the world for future generations." Lear Sidney, a part of Lear's Manufacturing OperationsDivision (MOD), produces floor carpet, trunk trim, and backpanels for plants that assemble the Ford Taurus and Ford Ranger,the Lincoln LS and the Mercury Sable, among others. In order to achieve ISO 14001 certification, a plant must, asa first step, identify the aspects of the operation's activities,products and services that impact the environment and thendevelop objectives and targets to reduce that impact. Theobjectives and targets are monitored to demonstrate continualenvironmental improvement. Solid waste was identified as a significant environmentalaspect of Sidney's operations. Carpet scraps were sent tolandfills, which impacted the environment and proved costly. Nowthe plant is working toward a relationship with a nearby businessthat would recycle the carpet "offal" instead. It is anticipatedthat this reduction in landfill usage will result in both a costsavings and reduced impact to the environment. "As a result of working for this ISO certification, the staffof Lear Sidney influenced the result of their impact on theenvironment, they influenced their economics, and they found aworthy way to reuse their scrap material," Spearot said. "That'sno small feat. They lead Lear's continuing drive forenvironmental responsibility." Plant Manager Kurt Jensen praised the work of the Lear SidneyISO 14000 core group, including Tracy Bennion, Jeff Deitering,Marie Homan, Darin Hulsmeyer, Sue Platfoot and Casey Vincent. "It took time and teamwork to reach this important milestone,"Jensen said. "These associates, along with their 275 co-workers,take pride in their role in the certification process. We areencouraged that the steps we took will help lay the groundworkfor an ongoing commitment to the environment from our company andfrom the community." Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a Fortune 200 companyheadquartered in Southfield, Michigan (USA), is one of theworld's largest automotive suppliers, with 1998 proforma sales ofmore than $12 billion. The company's world-class products aredesigned, engineered and manufactured by more than 100,000employees in over 300 facilities located in 33 countries.Information about Lear and its products is available on theInternet at http://www.lear.com ots Original Text Service: LearCorporation Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact: KarenStewart, Director - Corporate Communications of Lear (USA) 248-447-1651 Company News On-Call:http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/518304.html or Fax, (USA) 800-758-5804, ext. 518304 Web site: http://www.lear.com

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