Iso14001
How Can ISO 14001 Benefit My Business?
May 16, 2012 | 
Author Environmental Concerns are now of paramount consideration by company directors, owners and employees worldwide.
Since the 14001 EMS includes everyone in the organization and all areas of the organization that affect the environment, it can improve an organization’s environmental performance in many ways. This improved performance comes at a cost to the organization, a cost which can be recovered by aggressively seeking benefits.
Some of those benefits are as follows:
All environmental policies and procedures are now in a consistent format
All documents are now easily accessible to employees so compliance has improved
Regularly scheduled EMS reviews are ensuring both legal and ethical obligations are met in a timely fashion.
Increased Profits
The quantity of materials and energy required for manufacturing a product may be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the product, material handling costs, and waste disposal costs.
An EMS can help reduce incidents of pollution and the associated expense of recovery.
Recycling manufacturing waste and unused inputs could increase revenues. Recycling need not be within the same facility, but with another one that can use the waste as input to their production.
Employee health and safety can be improved, thereby improving productivity, decreasing sick days, and reducing insurable risk.
Insurance claims may be reduced, thus reducing the costs of coverage and settlements.
This is just a sample of the benefits available to business; the list of benefits and potential benefits is considerably larger.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, CSR, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, Iso14001, Social Responsibility | 
Tags: Benefits, Business, carbon reduction, Change, Climate, Corporate, CSR, EMS, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental management system, Global, Green, Greenhouse, ISO 14001, Management, Money, Social, Social Responsibility, Solutions | 
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The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme – A Review
We are now well on the road to the end of the first year of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
We’ve had the scare stories, the organisations failing to register, or fewer organisations registering than were first thought. First estimates from the Government suggested 5000 plus organisations would be full participants with a further 20,000 as information disclosures.
We’ve had just over 3,700 full participants register, what does this tell us?
For me, based on my research, it tells me that a lot of organisations were confused as to what they needed to do. For example, a car dealership, an example DEFRA used in their literature, if that dealership was a single franchise, SEAT for example, then if a single SEAT dealer anywhere else in the UK had a half hour meter then ALL SEAT dealerships and SEAT companies were in, under the banner of SEAT, who had the responsibility of collating this information. That’s nice and simple, until you then look at if that same dealership had say SEAT and VW at the same premises, they’re out? Add to that the ability to register independently so the SEAT brand did not have to account for everything that traded under its name . . . confused . . . therein lies the problem!
At least the Con/Dem co-alition government has pushed back the full implementation of phase 1 of the CRC by 12 months, the same for Phase 2.They are also looking at making the scheme simpler, firstly by making it a Tax, no payments from the pot for those that reduce emissions the most, Good or Bad?
For me it’s a bit of good and bad, organisations no longer being rewarded for reducing emissions will need to find some other motivation to reduce emissions! The good side is that it is giving these organisation more time to get to grips with the scheme, however, as experience has shown, a lot of organisation left it to the last minute before registering for the CRC, will they do the same again?
Initially Phase 1 reporting is primarily about Scope 1 & 2 emissions, Scope 1 being based on energy you produce, for example if you had a wind turbine and selling electricity back to the grid, Scope 2 is for energy you purchase.
However Phase 2 of the CRC is interesting, as it suggests that Scope 3 emissions will be included in a company’s declaration, a good way of introducing mandatory emissions reporting for all via the back door. Scope 3 covers everything from Travel to Suppliers.
If we look at suppliers for a large organisation, this could easily be in the thousands, a local authority I recently met with, have in excess of 5000 suppliers, under phase 2 they will need to liaise with all 5000, collate the emissions data for those 5000 and submit under the local authorities umbrella.
This will be an administrative nightmare for the unprepared, both the supplier and the large organisation. This will mean that for those who tender for work from larger organisations it will no longer be just a tick box exercise for environmental policy, such as ISO14001, it will be a detailed report on emissions and those not able to submit such a report, will ultimately, not win any business.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, CRC, CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, CSR, Edinburgh CRC, Energy, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, Glasgow CRC, Global Warming, Iso14001, London CRC, UK CRC | Tags: Business, carbon reduction, Change, Climate, Corporate, Edinburgh CRC, edinburgh recycle, Efficiency, Emissions, Energy, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Footprint, Glasgow CRC, Greenhouse, London CRC, Management, Power, Reducing, Renewable, Responsibility, Social, the CRC energy efficiency Scheme, UK CRC, warming | No Comments »
Glasgow Weee Recycling | For a Brighter Future
Have you ever thought about electronic goods waste?
As per the information available, we generate around 20 kg per person of electrical waste each and every year, and this figure is growing.
The UK alone produces an enormous total of 1 million tonnes of WEEE, and this makes the overall picture all the more frightening!
People are demanding for more and more of these new electronic products with exciting technologies, while discarding throwing out the old ones. This situation seems to grow more and more complex with each passing month.
To make the earth a better place to live in, the European Economic Union came out with a directive called WEEE Recycling (WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in a bid to deal with unnecessary electronic waste. As per the directive, all manufacturers, retailers , importers and distributors are required to recycle old technology. New responsibilities have been introduced for businesses, schools, hospitals, and government agencies and all these organizations are needed to ensure that all separately collected WEEE is treated and recycled. Be Seen Go Green Can help and advise you on your obligations under the WEEE directive
At present, there are n numbers of waste management companies around which offer a range of commercial waste management and WEEE recycling services. Not all however have the correct permits or can provide you with the necessary WTC (waste transfer certificate) Which is required to release you from your duty of care in relation to your obligation to ensure that your WEEE is properly disposed of. A few moments of online search will help you come across numerous such companies which offer your waste management services at highly competitive prices. And with so many companies around, it is not that tough to find a good service provider. It is really easy. The Internet can be extremely helpful here. Please bear in mind that when you dispose of WEEE that the company you choose to carry out this service is indeed able to provide WTC to you, if you are unsure and need help in finding such companies contact BE SEEEN GO GREEN
There is no denying the fact that Weee Recycling is playing a vital role in dealing with harmful e-waste or electronic waste. However, a lot of thought and research should go in, before you point your finger on a particular electronic waste recycling service provider.
At Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in computer recycling, CSR, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Environmental accounting, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, Iso14001, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, Social Responsibility, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Better, computer recycling, Edinburgh, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Glasgow, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, London, London WEEE, recycle, Recycling, Tomorrow, UK, uk weee, weee | No Comments »
WEEE Compliance, there is no option
The objective of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is to minimize the environmental impact of electronic waste. The WEEE directive protects landfills and regulates the disposal of end-of-life electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) also known as e-waste. The related RoHS Directive strives to limit the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of electronic equipment.
The WEEE Directive provides guidelines for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The “polluter pays” principle means collection and recovery is largely at the manufacturer’s expense. Specified products include such things as large and small household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, consumer equipment, IT and telecommunications equipment.
Reduction of hazardous material content in products at the manufacturing stage will reduce the content of such pollutants in electronic waste. This will enhance the economic feasibility of recycling. Hence RoHS compliance, which in any case is needed for doing business in the EU, is the first important element for any effective recycling. Increased efforts to design products that facilitate recycling of WEEE components and materials are extremely beneficial.
Recycling is one of several waste disposal options. Its effectiveness depends, to a large extent on the type of material to be recycled and the availability of appropriate technology. E-waste such as a computer can be discarded by the original users, but it may still be perfectly functional equipment. In this case material recovery and reuse is a better alternative than recycling. In fact the reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment is the preferred economic option.
Recycling is technology and material specific. It is mandatory to collect electronic waste separately from municipal waste. While primary administrative responsibility lies with the state, manufacturers have an important role in educating customers on proper waste disposal. The WEEE directive mandates collection of electronic waste at the manufacturer’s cost. Manufacturers must not only ensure that convenient collection points are set up for consumers but must also make provisions for the transportation of the waste materials to the recycling plant.
The WEEE directive mandates that recycling sites should conform to certain minimum standards to prevent adverse environmental impact when treating waste EEE. In most cases, it will not be feasible for a single manufacturer to operate its own recycling center.
Throughout the WEEE recovery chain, producers are required to finance the cost of e-waste collection from consumers; transportation to the recycling center; treatment; recovery and disposal. Producers will generally need to collaborate with other manufacturers to collectively bear the cost for the recycling and waste disposal obligations.
The WEEE and the RoHS are here to stay and further strengthening of environmental regulations is inevitable. One such step is the impending Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), regulations which beacme effective from June 1, 2007 within the European Union. The REACH regulation will control the use of a very wide range of chemicals and is not limited only to the electronics sector.
With these legislations it is important to adopt a proactive approach, ensuring compliance by producers, distributors and end users alike, of the WEEE electronic recycling directive.
This will surely provide the producers and distributors with increased competitiveness, within a competitive market, differentiating themselves from those who continue to break the law.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Food Recycling, Food Waste, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, Iso14001, landfill, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, Skip Hire, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Business, Complying, computer recycling, Country, Directive, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, Electronic, Emissions, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Recycling, Reducing, Waste, weee, weee edinburgh, WEEE Glasgow, WEEE London, WEEE Recycle | No Comments »
Ignorance is NO Excuse!
The amount of times I hear business owners say ” I didn’t know we needed to be” or ” I thought it only applied to large companies” is staggering. There really is no excuse for ignorance of what environmental legislation affects their business. The buck stops with them!
A recent case concerning Anderton Concrete Products Ltd highlights this ignorance, the following is directly from the EA:
Concrete company fails to comply with packaging regulations
Leicestershire concrete manufacturer ordered to pay over £50,000 fines and costs for failing to register and recycle packaging waste.
Anderton Concrete Products Ltd, pleaded guilty today (28 Jan 2011) at Coalville Magistrates’ Court to 18 offences under the Packaging Regulations, and asked for a further 12 to be taken into account.
The company was fined £36,000, ordered to pay £5,712.55 in costs, £8,408 in compensation, and a £15 victim surcharge.
The business, of Leicester Road, Ibstock, Leicestershire, should have been registered with the Environment Agency or a compliance scheme since the year 2000 and was obliged to recover and recycle packaging waste, as well as filing a certificate at the end of each year to confirm it had met these obligations.
However, the company did not register with a compliance scheme until 2010.
The court heard a routine check by the Environment Agency in January 2010 established that the company should have been registered in previous years.
The company’s explanation for failing to comply with the packaging waste regulations was that it was unaware that it was an obligated company under the regulations.
By failing to register, the company had avoided fees and other costs of £23,615.
Speaking after the case an Environment Officer said: “The packaging regulations are designed to reduce the amount of packaging used by businesses and increase the amount of packaging waste recycled. This case highlights the need for businesses to make sure they understand their responsibility.”
In mitigation, the court heard that the company had entered an early guilty plea, had cooperated fully with the investigation and were not aware that the company were obligated under the regulations. It was an oversight not a deliberate intention to evade the regulations. In addition, the company is now fully compliant.
The charges were brought by the Environment Agency under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997, 2005 and 2007 (as amended).
As you can see, not knowing really is a costly business.
At Be seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, computer recycling, CRC, CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, CSR, Edinburgh CRC, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Environmental accounting, Food Recycling, Food Waste, Footprint, ghg emissions, Glasgow CRC, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Global Warming, Green IT, Iso14001, landfill, London CRC, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, Skip Hire, Social Enterprise, Social Responsibility, UK CRC, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, USA carbon management, USA congress, USA EPA, USA ghg emissions, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Business, carbon reduction, Change, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh waste, Edinburgh WEEE, Efficiency, electrical waste recycling, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green, London Waste, London WEEE, Management, packaging, packaging waste, recycle, Recycling, Uk waste, uk weee, Waste, waste management, waste packaging, weee | No Comments »
EU report supports Mandatory Emissions Reporting
The EU should implement mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting framework for businesses, according to a recent study published by the European Commission’s environment department.
The 239-page study conducted by consultancy ERM analyses a range of corporate carbon reporting methodologies. Of the 80 in use globally, nine are assessed in detail including ISO 14064:2006 and the French Bilan Carbone method.
ERM identifies problems in the existing voluntary approach, not least that the results of different methodologies cannot be easily compared. Few methods fully integrate corporate target setting, and guidance is often missing for specific sectors.
A major GHG reporting scheme such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is more suited for large companies and does not oblige firms to report CO2 from their supply chains, called scope 3 emissions in the first round of CRC implementation. Although phase 2 does infact suggest that scope 3 emissions will be included. However, Its reliability may also be questionable, as participants are not required to verify their emissions, says ERM.
Any new scheme backed by the EU would have “a significant risk of low uptake” if it is only voluntary, according to the consultancy. This is partly because leading ones, such as the carbon dsiclosure project, are widely used in some sectors already. The UK government published revised voluntary reporting guidelines in Spetember 2009, with the Scottish governments Zero Waste plan requesting that public sector organisation report their emissions voluntarily from Jan 2011.
To maximise participation rates and ensure a level playing field, a mandatory approach will be needed, says ERM. A new scheme must also include “strong measures aimed at setting corporate GHG reduction targets”.
This year, 2011, the commission will publish a corporate environmental impact assessment method which will take into account the study’s advice on carbon emissions. An impact assessment method for products will also be published ahead of the 2012 review of the EU’s sustainable consumption and production strategy.
Mandatory emissions reporting is now a question of when rather than if.
Following the UK governements report in December 2010 to parliament on how effective reporting is in the battle of emissions reduction it seems certain that we will see the introduction of legislation of some sort to enforce reporting. The Climate Change Act 2008 requires this legislation to be inplace by 6th April 2012, or an explanation why it hasn’t been introduced. The mechanism for reporting will be the companies act 2006, section 416 (4), the directors report.
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Carbon Reduction Commitment, Climate Change, CO2, CRC, CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, CSR, Edinburgh CRC, Energy, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, Glasgow CRC, Global Warming, Iso14001, London CRC, Social Responsibility | Tags: accounting, Business, carbon accounting, carbon reduction, Change, Climate, Corporate, Edinburgh CRC, Emissions, emissions reporting, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental accounting, EU, EU emissions reporting, Footprint, ghg, ghg emissions, Glasgow CRC, Global, global warming, Green, Greenhouse, greenhouse gases, London CRC, Management, mandatory emissions reporting | 2 Comments »
Glasgow| WEEE Recycling, why should we recycle WEEE?
Benefit of Recycling
Recycling is an important way for individuals and businesses to reduce the waste they generate and reduce the negative impact of that waste. Because recycling is big business in Ohio, every time you recycle, it also supports the many companies and employees doing this important work. Recycling conserves our natural resources, saves landfill space, conserves energy, and reduces water pollution, air pollution and the green house gas emissions that cause global warming. Together, Reducing, Reusing, Recycling and buying Recycled products make up a comprehensive waste and resource reduction strategy that benefits our natural world and our economy.
Saving natural resources and natural areas
Making products with recycled material slows the depletion of non-renewable resources such as metal, oil and natural gas, and reduces the encroachment of new mining and drilling operations. Conserving renewable resources through recycling also helps preserve undisturbed land and natural diversity by reducing the amount of land needed for agriculture and timber production.
Saving energy
It generally takes less energy to make products with recycled materials than virgin materials, often significantly less. For example, it takes 20 times more energy to make aluminium from bauxite ore than using recycled aluminium. Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to power a computer for 3 hours. Benefits of reduced energy consumption include reduced costs and reduced dependence on foreign suppliers.
Reducing pollution
Because most energy in Ohio is generated by burning fossil fuels, using less energy means generating less water and air pollution–especially the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Recycling also reduces other forms of pollution as well: Runoff from mining operations and farms, soil erosion and the toxic chemicals released when raw materials are processed.
Conserving landfill space
Everything that goes into a landfill stays there, taking up space. As waste breaks down—which can take hundreds of years—it releases the greenhouse gas methane and can emit many toxic pollutants into our water table. Keeping recyclable items out of our landfills keeps air and water cleaner, reduces the need for Ohio to build new or expanded landfills, and conserves resources by putting existing materials back to good use.
Creating industry and jobs
Recycling isn’t just good for the environment, it’s good for business. UK firms are among industry leaders in research and development of recycled-content products and mechanical and chemical systems for recycling material into new products.
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