For a third year in a row, we are pleased to announce that we have achieved recertification of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, supported by ISO Quality Services Ltd.
We had a visit from an external auditor who spent time with us going through the requirements for the certification in detail, asking for examples of relevant policies and evidence to show that records are kept up to date or of progress made in other areas.
This visit highlighted some areas that required some attention but overall he was happy with our continuing progress. In particular he was pleased with our tracking of our usage of our utilities and waste streams. We are continually trying to think of ways to reduce our carbon footprint further. On Earth Day which took place on 22 April, with its theme ‘Our Power Our Planet’, we promoted saving energy and reminded staff to turn off their monitors when they finish for the day whether in the office or at home, a small area often overlooked.
In our search for continuing improvements, we realised that both hand driers and paper towels are available in our restrooms, so we have made a pledge to not reorder hand towels once they run out to reduce our general waste. Using Printwaste as our waste partner means we achieve ‘zero to landfill’ anyway, but not using paper towels is an example of something we can do without which requires resource in its production and transportation within the supply chain. Of course our electricity is from renewable sources.
We are also committed to doing the best for our local community and for World Environment Day on 5 June, with this year’s theme being ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, we have organised a litter pick for our staff at the Brizen recreational ground, close to our office. Thankfully one of our reception team, Mel, is a seasoned litter picker and is known around the Stroud area as the ‘Litter picking fairy’ so we are in very capable hands.
We take our commitment as a responsible business and employer seriously and we started out on our B Corp journey earlier this year. B Corp refers to a business which has been certified by B Lab as meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. This felt like a natural progression after the work we have done as part of our ISO 14001 certification. More to come…
Tim Watkins is Managing Partner and is more than happy to talk to any clients about our ISO certification – please call 01242 776000 or email tim.watkins@randall-payne.co.uk to arrange a convenient time.
