THE GREEN MACHINE

Seriously Certified A 50 Automotive Recycling | November-December 2016

RA’s Certified Automotive Recyclers Committee has embarked on a campaign to raise the awareness of the benefits of CAR membership. “Becoming a certified automotive recycler not only benefits the envi- ronment, but also benefits your bottom line because the customer knows that you are a business that cares about the environment and the concerns of your customers and employees,” said Shannon

Nordstrom of Nordstrom’s Automotive Inc. in Garretson, S.D., the chair of the CAR committee.

Sue Schauls, a consultant that

works with theCARCommittee, noted, “The CAR Committee will work closely with the Safety Committee to address real life issues that ARA Members have faced in the last few years. The information found through OSHA audits at members facilities will strengthen theprogram andhelp members stay proactive, which is the foundation of the certification program.” The value of becoming a Certified Automotive Recycler (CAR) is because your customer knows that “the company they are dealing with is com- mitted to ensuring their vehicles are dismantled according to the industry’s highest environmental and safety standards,” said Michael E. Wilson, CEO of ARA. By working with a CAR certified recycler, Wilson said, you are ensuring protection to the environ- ment and helping to promote safe and responsible practices.

You Spoke, We Listened One of the biggest changes to the program is the

audit format used by the member to become certi- fied. “Members requested a user-friendly format that allowed them to work on the self-audit in small pieces at a time without losing their focus,” said Schauls. Added Nordstrom, another change in the pro- gram is the schedule by which an ARA member can

join the program.” A new facility can enter the program at any time – 100 percent. We now allow facilities to come in dur- ing a self-audit year, and then the next year, when the profes- sional audit year comes up, you hire your first professional audit at that point.” The application form, called the Points Protocol CAR Application, is the

format that changed to make it easier to apply. “The form is easy to jump in and out while working toward certification,” said Schauls. Added Nordstrom, “Having an easy method to

look at each compliance choice by your business in an orderly, systemic fashion is what has enhanced the program and makes it more valuable to auto recyclers. By applying a weighted scale that gives importance to the issues that are crucial to your business and the CAR program, it allows room for improvement while still recognizing the effort put forth by the facility.”

Join CAR Now! CAR members are seeing the benefits in their

business! “I became a CAR member to better market my company as an environmental leader in the industry,” says Dalbert Livingstone of Island Auto Supply in Prince Edward Island.

For additional information on the CAR Program, visit http://a-r-a.org/best-practices/program/car-gold-seal/.