Subaru Research and Development, Inc. (SRD) was founded in 1985 with a few liaison engineers located in SOA's Garden Grove California Technical Center. SRD assumed the operational responsibilities of the facility in 1994 and then moved the operations to Ann Arbor Michigan in 1998 to be located closer to the EPA’s Emission Testing Center.

Currently SRD's principal responsibility is emission testing and certification of Subaru vehicles for the EPA. Our chassis dynamometer emission testing programs include preproduction testing for government certification, which allows SOA to sell automobiles in the United States and testing customer’s vehicles of various models and years. These tests are required by the EPA to insure pollution controls continue to meet government regulations.

Our environmental program started in April 2003 with a commitment to continually reduce waste, landfill and energy usage. We are successfully meeting our goals through the interest and participation of all employees and management. Departmental improvement projects are suggested by their members, approved by management and implemented annually. Results are reported in our yearly employee’s environmental meeting. Three typical projects to reduce landfill and electricity were Operation Coffee Cup which eliminated Styrofoam coffee cups by replacing them with ceramic mugs. Operation Coffee Pot which reduced its electricity usage by 66%. Operation Hand Dryer which eliminated paper towels and saves many trees each year.

SRD developed and maintains an Environmental Management System and was awarded ISO 14001 certification on December 14, 2005 through a commitment of all members to a better environment for everyone.

We are recognized for environmental leadership in the Ann Arbor area, receiving several recognition awards and memberships. SRD was very proud to receive the most prestigious Washtenaw County Environmental Excellence Award for 2004 for the many accomplishments of our team members.