Achieving ISO 14001 certification

Operating in harmony with the environment around us is fundamental to the longer term future of the planet. Organisations are therefore increasingly looking to monitor and manage the impact of their activities on the world.

To ensure that environmental management is comprehensive and effective the international ISO 14001 standard has been created, building on the well-recognised ISO 9001 certification. It audits the environmental management systems and practices of companies to ensure they are robust and minimise risk.

PPC has been ISO 9001 certified since 2008. Now, after an extensive accreditation process, we have achieved ISO 14001 thus assuring customers, stakeholders and employees that our environmental impact is being monitored and continually improved. As part of the rigorous certification process all of our activities were audited, both within our state of the art manufacturing facility and across our wider operations. This included production processes, energy usage, waste management and how we deal with hazardous substances. Everything, from design and development, to shipping finished product to customers.

Achieving this high standard involves working closely with our entire supply chain – for example, returning specialist packaging that materials arrive in, so enabling them to be re-used again and again. To prepare for certification we worked closely with consultants Performance Plus Partnership, who provided invaluable assistance to help us achieve ISO 14001.

While ISO 14001 is not yet as widespread as ISO 9001 within the fibre industry, we are keen to continually improve our operations and act responsibly. This is why m2fx has invested early in certification. Overall we are seeing a growing interest from our customers and suppliers in environmental management of operations across the supply chain.  In the near future ISO 14001 will be as necessary as ISO 9001 for organisations of all sizes. You can find out more about ISO 14001 here, read a case study on our implementation on the Performance Plus Partnership site and learn more about our products here.