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Tuftmaster Carpets is an Accredited ISO 14001 company.
ISO 14001 is a voluntary international standard that specifies a process for controlling and improving a company's environmental performance. It has given Tuftmaster the opportunity to demonstrate its environmental credentials by displaying its understanding of on site processes and activities, determining how these impact on the environment and then addressing these problems through an action plan for ongoing improvement.
The four main principles of ISO 14001 are:
1. Understanding the issues
2. Developing a policy
3. Implementing the policy
4. Auditing the policy
The standard is designed to support a third party certification.
A critical part of an EMS is to demonstrate a commitment to improving processes and reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGE). Tuftmaster has clearly demonstrated it’s committment towards legally complying with all relevant environmental legislation and pollution control.
Why Tuftmaster Carpets obtained ISO 14001
Not only does obtaining ISO 14001 help towards creating a more sustainable environment, it demonstrates that a company has an understanding of environmental regulations
1. Monitoring programmes to ensure compliance with the requirements of licences and permits (such as to discharge waste water, emissions.)
2. Employee training and environmental awareness to staff.
3. Development of job descriptions and accountabilities.
4. Waste management and waste minimisation.
5. Emergency response (contingency planning) to spillages, leaks or fires etc.
6. Environmental auditing, including non-compliance corrective action and reporting.
In our case Tuftmaster manufactures soft flooring products and in doing so creates an environmental impact through water and energy consumption, procurement of raw materials and wastes-incurred and produced.
By using the framework developed through the standard we now measure and minimise the effects of our working practices on the environment. Implementing ISO 14001 can result in:
· Efficient use of energy with energy management plans
· The reuse of waste water and as a consequence reducing our consumption
· Segregating and monitoring waste streams and reducing the amount going to landfill, thus increasing recycling, reusing and renewing of waste.
· Reducing waste costs.
· Working with suppliers recycling packaging
· Stewardship programmes-taking back product at its end of life - can be implemented on a project by project basis.
It also:
· Helps create a better environment.
· ISO 14001:2004 provides credibility to customers and stakeholders of Tuftmasters position on the environment and environmental practices.
· Enable companies to trade with customers who require ISO 14001 certification.
· Ensure compliance with current and upcoming environmental legislation.
· Working with suppliers to ensure the recycling of packaging.
Tuftmaster has identified the need for industry practices to be more energy efficient and pay more attention to the ways in which energy is both consumed managed and reduced. This incorporates the use of energy, water, raw material supplies, transport, waste incurred and created-reusing, renewing and recycling strategies.
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