We all know how important it is to look after the environment, but how many businesses are prepared to go that extra mile and really make the changes that are necessary in order to make a difference?

As part of their ongoing work towards sustainable working practice, Kingspan Insulated Panels' Holywell site in North Wales has just joined its sister site at Sherburn, Yorkshire, in achieving the highly respected ISO 14001:2004 certification.

ISO 14001:2004 is an international environmental standard designed to aid companies in the identification and assessment of their environmental impacts and legal obligations. This is done by implementing a programme of continuous environmental improvement through a series of objectives, targets and written procedures.

The audit and certification was carried out by the British Research Establishment (BRE), who gained their own status as an accredited certification body for ISO 14001:2004 in the process.

It took almost twelve months to achieve the certification, and a number of major initiatives have been put in place during that time, including a rolling training programme for every single member of staff, provision of extensive recycling facilities with a corresponding reduction in waste, and an effective clean up operation on the site.

Dave Thomas, Management Systems Manager at the Holywell site commented "It has been a magnificent effort and everybody on site has worked extremely hard. We have made a real difference by reducing waste, improving the condition of the site and saving energy, but we won't stop there!" He added "Some schemes simply pay lip service to environmental issues, but to achieve ISO14001:2004 certification takes a genuine commitment to continuous improvement. We found that it was a management system model we could really use to drive our environmental policy and practice. "

Jim Carolan, Director for Kingspan Insulated Panels explained why ISO14001 is so important to the company, saying "There is a genuine desire by the entire team, not only to protect but also to reverse the damage done to this planet over the years. We believe this can be achieved through a process of Continuous Improvement Initiatives aimed at eliminating any negative impact our business has on the environment.

We will actively pursue challenging targets in the areas of recycling, waste and energy while developing a new product range that can positively affect our environment. In a nutshell, we are totally committed to a new way of doing business that reverses the trend."