Ultima Displays is proud to announce it has achieved accreditation for the internationally recognised Environmental Standard of ISO14001:2004, the
Environmental Management System (EMS) designed to improve the impact organisations make on the Environment.
ISO 14001 specifies the elements required for an EMS and forces organisations to review the day to day business activities which impact upon the Environment. Controlling or influencing these ‘environmental impacts’ in a positive way is core of any EMS.
A Culture of Environmental Awareness and Best Practice
Ultima has been keen to promote a culture of environmental awareness within the business and the steps already taken have been embraced by employees, some of whom have been the drivers for the more tangible initiatives already in place, such as paper and printer cartridge recycling. In addition, Ultima already operates a recycling program for all cardboard, MDF and aluminium so that the unavoidable waste from production is recycled. MDF purchased for manufacturing is also FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Compliant.
Ultima is keen to be recognised within the display industry as an environmentally friendly company and to comply with environmental legislation, and recognises that achieving accreditation is just the start of an ongoing process of continual improvement, which is central to its forward plans.
Policy and measures
As well as complying with all appropriate environmental legislation, Ultima has identified some basic environmental goals:
- Waste – to reduce general waste going to landfill by up to 50% during 2010
- Hazardous Waste – to ensure any hazardous waste is safely disposed of using approved carriers
- Energy – to significantly reduce the use of Gas/Electricity during 2010
- Emissions to air – to extend its influence with hauliers to ensure the use of energy efficient engines and to only use vehicles with low CO² emissions.
- To work with its suppliers to influence where it can, their impacts upon the Environment. Ultima manufactures and purchases many products and components from overseas suppliers, principally from China, its buying power enables Ultima to insist that suppliers meet its environmental standards. Members of the company make regular checks on every aspect of the supply chain ensure that both environmental and ethical standards are maintained.
“Our market can be very price-driven and we saw concern for environmental credentials waning as we went through the worst of the recession last year” Andrew Burdett, Managing Director of Ultima. “However, as there has been tentative growth in confidence in the market, our customers are, once again, starting to ask about our green credentials and policies of operation, which are becoming an increasingly important part of the buying decision process. Businesses are becoming more environmentally and socially conscious and often will prefer to buy from companies that are environmentally responsible.”
What next?
Ultima has embarked on a process of continuous improvement working towards the environmental objectives and targets already set. In addition, Ultima has been working with the Carbon Trust, which has already made recommendations on reducing Carbon emissions, most of the recommendations will require investment, but will ultimately save resources and money.
As a market leader, Ultima is determined to set the standards for its industry sector and has also embarked on a programme of operational efficiency, with the goal of achieving the ISO 9001 Quality Management Standard by the end of 2010.
