AT&T Environment and Safety

The document details AT&T's transition from regulatory compliance to a leadership position in environmental management, specifically focusing on the use of TQM to eliminate toxic emissions. It highlights the company's corporate goals for CFC phaseout and waste reduction, and provides a detailed account of the Columbus Works facility in Ohio. At this site, AT&T applied process-level analysis to replace perchloroethylene (PCE) and 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) with safer alternatives like butyl carbitol and n-butyl butyrate, often in collaboration with Bell Laboratories and external stakeholders such as the Ohio EPA.

• AT&T shifted its environmental strategy toward pollution prevention at the source rather than relying on costly 'end-of-pipe' abatement solutions, integrating these efforts into its Total Quality Management (TQM) framework where pollution is viewed as a process defect.
• The Columbus Works facility in Ohio achieved an 84% reduction in toxic air emissions between 1987 and 1992, outperforming the company-wide reduction of 73%.
• At the Columbus Works facility, engineers eliminated the use of 35,000 gallons of perchloroethylene (PCE) annually by redesigning the soldering process to use a low-solids flux that did not require cleaning, resulting in cost savings of $210,000.
• As part of a project with the President's Commission on Environmental Quality (PCEQ), AT&T targeted 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) for reduction, substituting it with butyl carbitol (BC) for cleaning and lubrication of 'gold fingers' and ink stamps.
• AT&T engaged in several industry and governmental partnerships to share non-proprietary technologies and environmental management practices, including the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP) and the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI).

APA

Patell, J., & Trent, M. (1994). AT&T Environment and Safety. World Resources Institute. https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-125-X_full_version_english.pdf

Chicago

Patell, James, and Marcy Trent. AT&T Environment and Safety. World Resources Institute, 1994. https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-125-X_full_version_english.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Patell |first1=James |last2=Trent |first2=Marcy |title=AT&T Environment and Safety |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=1994 |url=https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-125-X_full_version_english.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{patell1994att, author = {Patell, James and Trent, Marcy}, title = {{AT\&T Environment and Safety}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {1994}, url = {https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-125-X_full_version_english.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }