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Demonstrating environmental best practice through iso 14001

ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that sets out a framework of essential elements for putting an effective environmental management system in place. The standard is designed to address the delicate balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact.

With an increasing number of commissioning bodies demanding a sustainable approach to the environment, ISO 14001 continues to give a very visible sign of the NCHA’s ongoing commitment to environmental best practice.

Client objectives• Improve environmental performance

• Ensure legal compliance

• Demonstrate community leadership

• Encourage corporate buy in to improving environmental performance

Business achievements• Increased recycling and reduction in use of paper,

gas and electricity

• Reduced business mileage and encouraged use of public transport

• Staff enthusiasm and buy-in for better environmental practice

• Business growth and competitive advantage

• Ability to demonstrate and ensure legal compliance

• Improved the public image of the Association

NOTTINGHAM COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

M o r e h o m e s , g r e a t s e r v i c e s , b e t t e r l i v e s

“We will be able to grow our business

more easily as our ISO 14001 certification

helps local authorities to meet their

sustainability targets for contracting

external work, which set us apart from

other competitors.”

Cherry Ackroyd, (Special projects manager)

CASE STUDY – NOTTINgHAm COmmUNITY HOUSINg ASSOCIATION (NCHA)

FAST FORWARD WITH BSI TRAINING

BSI offers a comprehensive portfolio of environmental management training courses. Introductory courses broaden general awareness of sustainable business practice. Implementation and auditing courses take that knowledge further to drive change within an organisation. Training delivery methods for this topic include open scheduled courses, in-company training and distance learning qualifications. Visit www.bsigroup.co.uk/training or call 0845 086 9000 for details.

Demonstrating environmental best practice through iso 14001

BackgroundNottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) is rated amongst the top ten housing associations in the country. The Association provides over 7,000 homes for 10,000 tenants in the East midlands and works with 27 local authorities.

High standards have always been a priority for NCHA especially its Housing with Care and Support department, and BSI certification continues to help provide external validation of this claim. The department has been certified to ISO 9001 since 1995 and in July 2009 became certified to ISO 14001, an achievement completed in just nine months.

Why ISO 14001?Special projects manager Cherry Ackroyd explains that, “The Housing with Care and Support department has held certification to ISO 9001 for approximately fifteen years and the various commissioning bodies that we work with, such as local authorities, are increasingly demanding a sustainable approach to the environment when tendering contracts. We believe ISO 14001 is a very visible sign of our commitment.

We chose to put a management system in place that required managers at all levels to consider their local areas. This required very specific instructions to ensure the standard was consistently interpreted. Waste was one of the biggest issues for us. We needed to review our waste documentation as we found some small waste contractors didn’t have the systems in place to provide us with the necessary documentation. We also had to provide clear instructions to all staff about how to dispose of the waste they create more responsibly and engage with other departments within our organisation who take care of some aspects of our work.

Since our staff were already used to the quality management system in place, the environmental management system could be tacked on fairly seamlessly. The general concensus has been that our

BSI/U

K/2

95/0

110/

E/LBemployees are generally pleased that their employer

is tackling one of the biggest and most topical issues we currently face.”

Benefits from implementationCherry Ackroyd observes that, “Certification has encouraged staff to get service users actively involved in green issues. A number of schemes have been set up to encourage people to walk rather than use cars or public transport.

Our staff have been very enthusiastic in their involvement and as a consequence other new schemes have been set-up reducing business mileage, cutting food costs as well as paper, gas and electricity usage.

BSI’s role“As a result of implementing ISO 14001 we believe we will be able to grow our business more easily. Our certification helps local authorities to meet their sustainability targets for contracting external work, which set us apart from other competitors,” continues Ackroyd.

She explains that, “The Housing with Care and Support department has had a long standing relationship with BSI for many years and continues to benefit from a professional and responsive service from BSI auditors who are always keen to identify system improvements.”

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The BSI certification mark can be used on your stationery, literature and vehicles when you have successfully achieved certification.For further information, please contact BSI Learning on +44 (0) 0845 086 9000 or visit our website at www.bsigroup.co.uk/learning

BSIPO Box 9000milton KeynesmK14 6WTUnited Kingdom

T: +44 (0)845 080 9000F: +44 (0)1908 228 180E: certification.sales@bsigroup.comwww.bsigroup.co.uk/improve

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