Serchem celebrates double environmental certification success

We’re absolutely thrilled to bring you the news that we’ve achieved more success in our fight to benefit the environment – winning new double certification.

It sparked quite a celebration for us as you can imagine, building on our commitment to achieve the highest standards as a dedicated green company. We’ve been awarded Carbon Neutral Britain Certification and also gained ISO 14001 certification. So what does it mean? Here’s a Q&A which we hope you’ll find informative:

Q: What is Carbon neutral?

A: Carbon neutral is the result of offsetting your carbon emission.

Q: What are the benefits of being a carbon neutral business?

A: It is estimated that 81% of consumers are more likely to choose and spend more money with environmentally proactive brands, and some 42% of workers in the UK now want to be part of a business that has a positive impact on the planet.

Q: What is carbon offsetting?

A: Carbon offsetting allows businesses and governments to compensate for their carbon emissions by investing in projects aimed at reducing or eradicating carbon emissions elsewhere.

Q: Why is it important?

A: The rise of CO₂e emissions has worsened the effects of global warming. With Carbon Neutral Britain funding, carbon offsetting projects are helping to prevent further damage through less CO₂e emissions in a more impactful and cost-effective way.

Q: What is Carbon Neutral Britain?

A: Carbon Neutral Britain is the largest UK carbon offsetting initiative, helping businesses to make an impact on climate change. It’s achieving this by educating and providing voluntary carbon offsetting to everyone – whether that be businesses or individuals.

Its projects have already offset more than three million tonnes of CO₂e and planted more than two million trees in a bid to tackle the problem of climate change and provide vital habitats for endangered wildlife.

Q: What is ISO 14001 certification?

A: An internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems which supports organisations in identifying, managing, monitoring and controlling environmental processes.

Q: How does it work?

A: It requires businesses to assess their environmental issues relevant to their operations and provides a framework to enhance environmental performance, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and achieve sustainability goals.

Q: What are the key aspects?

A: The policies of a business must reflect organisational commitment to continuous improvement for the environment. A business must identify the different environmental aspects of its activity, products and services to determine their impacts, and demonstrate an understanding of – and compliance with – relevant environmental laws and other regulations.

A business must set achievable environmental objectives, allocate resources and define responsibilities for environmental management, ensure staff are trained and aware of their environmental responsibilities, monitor and measure any of the key characteristics of operations that have significance to any environmental impact, carry out an examination to assess the effectiveness of its ESM, address any non-conformance, and conduct periodic reviews of adequacy, and effectiveness.

Q: What are the aims of an ISO 14001?

A: To help businesses manage their own environmental responsibilities in a structured manner and to achieve a certification that can enhance reputation, reduce waste, lower costs, and ensure compliance with regulations.

Q: What are the benefits?

A: It demonstrates green credentials, reduces costs, overheads and wastage, focusses on proactive management, improves client and employee engagement and ensures legislative compliance and awareness.

Q: How do I become ISO 14001 certified?

A: A Stage 1 assessment will identify any issues to address in order to meet the certification criteria for that level. Stage 2 involves an in-depth review when your business is ready and an examiner will visit again to establish if your management system and processes meet the standard requirements needed.

Q: What else has Serchem recently achieved?A: We have also gained level 2 Evergreen Sustainable Supplier assessment for the NHS.