Enviro-Mark News Issue 9, April 2010
In this issue:
Editorial
Kristin Flanagan
Many Enviro-Mark members set out to develop their environmental management system (EMS) to achieve specific business and environmental outcomes but can end up celebrating additional and often more noteworthy goals.
Recently one of our auditors (thanks Mike!) forwarded me a link to an interesting article online, by Stephen Bentley, the head of a UK marketing agency, who was surprised by the benefits that accrued from his company’s two-year push for ISO 14001:2004 certification. As you will know, Enviro-Mark’s five-step programme is equivalent to the requirements of the ISO 14001:2004 standard.
For Bentley the audit process was insightful: “I guess the biggest surprise was how little recognition we had towards the environment and saving costs. With hindsight it's obvious that having tighter monitoring for energy and utilities will save you money on your energy bills, but at the time I was staggered to see how much money we were wasting. So from initially starting with the suspicion it was going to be a costly exercise, it became quickly apparent it would end up saving us money.”
Another unexpected benefit was the “feel good factor” it created for staff. “It’s a statement to all your stakeholders that you recognise your environmental responsibilities and you're actively doing something about it. It's great to be able to speak about the virtues of recycling and green management, knowing that you can fully justify your opinion.”
Bentley also provides some tips for success. They chose a passionate “cause-related” person as their Green Manager, and they broke down the improvements required into manageable chunks (the Enviro-Mark approach!), which relevant departments took responsibility for.
While Bentley says he can’t be sure their ISO 14001 certification has won them business, “I can say that without it we wouldn't have been able to pitch for certain business. We work with a lot of top brands who have invested heavily in improving their own CSR (corporate social responsibility), thus the last thing they want to do is subcontract their work out to someone who doesn't care.”
Bentley “whole-heartedly recommends” a commitment to EMS and concludes with a brutally honest comment: “There really are no negatives. The only objections to not going down this route are that you're either lazy or don't care. Yes, you have to put the effort in, but there's no doubt about it, you will definitely gain in the long run.”
To find out more about the various ways that New Zealand businesses are benefiting from having robust, credible environmental managements systems, check out our case studies.
In this issue we profile commercial furniture supplier – and Enviro-Mark member - Dexion Commercial (Precision), meet our new Environmental Advisor, Chris Bailey and hear about Paul Barrett’s Antarctic audit.
Kristin Flanagan
Membership Manager
New Workshop Format
Following your recent feedback we have reviewed the format of our training workshops and provided you with greater flexibility and choice, plus the opportunity to select workshops that are more specific to your current requirements.
As a result of this, we have split up the workshops over two-and-a-half days to allow for more in-depth coverage of the programme, and so you can mix-and-match to suit your experience level and what you want to get out of the training.
We know it can be a little daunting when you are embarking on something new and we’d like to avoid overloading you with too much information on day one.
We think this new format will ensure you get back to the office motivated and ready to get started, and knowing exactly what you need to do and how to do it.
Chris Bailey (see story below) will be running our workshops, kicking off with Wellington next week.
New Environmental Advisor – Introducing Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey
Enviro-Mark is pleased to welcome Chris Bailey (pictured) as our new Environmental Advisor. Some of you may recognize Chris as the consultant from the Auckland BusinessCare Enviro-Mark Programme. After three years at the Auckland Regional Council, developing skills related to consent processing, he has returned to share his knowledge of EMS, resource efficiency, and legislation with our members.
Based in Auckland, Chris will be travelling throughout the country running our Enviro-Mark workshops and member drop-in sessions. Chris is looking forward to meeting you or catching up with familiar faces. But please don’t look at his feet – he tells us that he is the proud owner of a new Shih Tzu puppy (Winston) who is systematically eating every shoe in the house!
You can reach Chris via 0800 ENMARK or you can email him your questions directly baileyc@landcareresearch.co.nz
Enviro-Mark Approved Consultants
Calum Revfem of
EnviroState
Although not directly contracted or employed by Enviro-Mark, our Approved Consultants have taken part in the Enviro-Mark approval process and have an up-to-date and detailed understanding of the programme.
We are pleased to announce the addition of a new Approved Consultant to the programme: EnviroState Ltd based in Mt Maunganui.
EnviroState has a proven track record in helping organisations develop and implement effective Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
Our current Approved Consultants are:
- Bob Robinson, WelTec – 04 920 2807
- Calum Revfem, EnviroState – 07 575 9266
Green Advantage – Dunedin Seminar
Following on from our successful ‘Get the Green Advantage’ seminars in Tauranga and Hamilton last year, it was lovely to get to meet members and other interested business people at our recent seminar in Dunedin.
Unfortunately a fog-bound Dunedin Airport wasn’t as accommodating as the southern hospitality – a diversion to Invercargill Airport and a drive up to Dunedin through some very ‘green-advantaged’ countryside meant we didn’t have as much time as usual to chew the ‘EMS fat’.
Nevertheless, it was nice to be able to put faces to names and meet some proactive and enthusiastic business folk. Thank you for taking some valuable time out of your day to hear about the Enviro-Mark programme and gather some tips about embarking on an EMS journey from Dave Hanan (Delta Utilities).
(And a special thank you to Catherine Broad of Dunedin City Council for her assistance with organising and promoting this event).
Antarctica Audit
Paul Barrett about to catch an unconventional lift home from work
Speaking of southern excursions, one of our auditors, Paul Barrett, recently returned from a business trip with a difference – an audit of Antarctica New Zealand operations at Scott Base.
“This was definitely a career highlight,” says Paul. “Every audit requires preparation but that doesn’t normally include a thorough medical, a fit-out for survival gear and a number of briefings about what to expect.
“The flight down took five hours on a C17 American transport plane - an experience in itself - but nothing can really prepare you for that first breath of Antarctic air. The beauty and the silence of the surroundings is what struck me after the initial shock of the temperature. Another feature is the contrast between the small scale of man’s activities on the ice and the size of the continent. I can see how people could get addicted to travelling to places like this as it has a beauty and rawness that definitely leaves an impression.”
Paul says Antarctica New Zealand has a strong focus on looking after people and the environment, and the systems that have been developed are comprehensive. “This is helped by the culture and strong environmental ethics of the staff attracted to working on the ice.”
Since Paul’s audit, Antarctica New Zealand has achieved Enviro-Mark Diamond-level certification.
New Members & Certifications
Welcome to the following new members:
DPOD, HPC (2007) Ltd, Les Mills International, Profile Ltd, Stewart and Cavalier Ltd ,Te Ngahere (2009) Ltd, Toyota NZ, and Treescape.
Congratulations to the following members who recently have been certified:
| Alliance Group | Diamond |
| Antarctica NZ | Diamond |
| Criterion Group Ltd | Diamond |
| Stevenson Engineering | Diamond |
| Croxley Stationery | Gold |
| Dexion Commercial (NZ) Ltd | Gold |
| Diagnostic Medlab Services Ltd | Gold |
| Network Electrical Servicing | Gold |
| Placemakers Ltd – Invercargill | Gold |
| Southern Colour Print Ltd | Gold |
| Spicers Paper NZ Ltd - Wellington | Gold |
| Webstar – Auckland and Masterton | Silver |
| Caffe L’Affare | Bronze |
| Excel Digital | Bronze |
| Hotchilly | Bronze |
| Logan Brown Restaurant & Bar | Bronze |
| Oldfields Aggregates Ltd (Wairarapa) | Bronze |
| Pacific Radiology – Boulcott & Wakefield Hospitals | Bronze |
| Porirua Autocrash Repairs Ltd | Bronze |
| RLA Polymers | Bronze |
| Wellington City New World | Bronze |
| Whitireia Community Polytechnic | Bronze |
Workshop and Drop-in Session Update
Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland members (and interested parties) take note: we are holding training workshops and drop-in sessions in your centres shortly. The Wellington events are from 20-22 April, Hamilton 27-29 April, and Auckland 26-28 May. See the Events section of our website for more information and to register.
Member Profile: Dexion Commercial (NZ) Ltd (Precision)
John Best - Quality Environment Manager, Katie Peryer – Sales Support and Neil McGowan – Product Development Manager
In less than a year, commercial furniture supplier Dexion Commercial (NZ) Ltd (Precision) went from having no environmental certification to being Enviro-Mark Gold certified, realising plenty of benefits along the way. Quality Environment Manager, John Best discussed their progress with Enviro-Mark Membership Manager, Kristin Flanagan.
Why did you decide to focus on environmental management?
Environmental management is our corporate responsibility. Our organisation is a part of a global company with a strong emphasis on delivering on our responsibilities. Also we knew that meeting a recognised standard of environmental management would give our business an essential point of difference in our competitive market. The Enviro-Mark programme is a well known, independently assessed programme that provided a manageable stepped platform to achieve this.
What has been the most challenging aspect of this?
Initially the company struggled to get traction with the programme with existing resource. So I was employed as Quality Environment Manager.
Staff acceptance of change is always a challenge. Many were cautious of these management systems and felt they were created to hinder rather than assist. We recognised that ongoing education of staff is the best way to ensure they understand the purpose behind the system.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your environmental programme?
Achieving our goal ahead of schedule and meeting the demands of our customers. We worked very hard to get this right the first time and achieved this.
Our staff have been very supportive of the programme and we have found some real passion in our team. It has been rewarding to be able to truly “walk the talk” after a long process.
Our bottom line has been aided by a number of small things right through to large initiatives. This is an ongoing process and the team is always looking for new cost effective ways to achieve outcomes.
What are some of your EMS achievements?
Much of our achievement has been through systems that have existed but are now formalised alongside some other very innovative initiatives:
- Carbon Footprint: Analysis of data that we already collect has enabled the business to understand our carbon footprint. We have used this information to target certain practices in the business and look for alternatives to lessen the impact.
- Data Analysis: We now ensure we collect relevant data for analysis and review to ensure we can measure our performance against our KPI’s.
- Wood waste cost reduction: Through a chipping process we have dramatically reduced the volume of waste wood generated by our wooden furniture factory and shipped to landfill.
- Wood waste reduction: Through the re-design of products and constant improvements to our process we are reducing the amount of raw material consumption.
- Oil recovery from steel during the powder-coating process. The oil is washed from the steel and then separated from the water and collected. We then re-sell the oil to a chainsaw manufacturer.
- Product Stewardship: In 2009 we implemented a thorough Product Stewardship scheme that looks at how we design and produce products, and how we dispose of them at the end of their life. We offer all customers a credit for recycling any product responsibly.
- Staff Awareness: We have run a number of staff awareness presentations to ensure that our team understand the importance and ensure the integrity of our EMS is upheld.
What advice would you give to other companies thinking of implementing an EMS?
It is essential from the beginning of the process that there is ‘buy in’ from all key stakeholders. Without this it will remain the crusade of a few lone voices and nearly impossible to achieve success. Resource needs to be considered very carefully. You need people with the skill but most importantly the time to dedicate to the programme implementation.
The eMission programme (a Greater Wellington Regional Council initiative) was a great support for our team. You can never have enough good advice and it will help you avoid making the same mistakes or having to re-invent the wheel. Most companies are proud of their achievements and are more than happy to share their experiences. Above all else you need to ‘do it’. The hardest step is often making the decision to get started.
How has the Enviro-Mark programme assisted you?
Enviro-Mark has been a great support throughout. The forming of the eMission programme in early 2009 gave us a support network to work alongside and share ideas, access to a knowledge base and industry support. Having the Greater Wellington Regional Council ‘Take Charge’ Audit aided our identification of gaps. It has been great learning from other companies’ experiences and having dedicated support that gave us focus and critiqued our procedures and processes prior to audits.
What value does Enviro-Mark certification have for your organisation?
Our Gold certification is a clear statement to our industry that we are committed to our responsibilities and highly value the importance of good environmental practices in manufacturing. We are now ‘walking the talk’ and are also supporting this with product accreditations through Environmental Choice which has been made easier with our certification.
We are also using this certification to apply pressure on our suppliers to deliver a more considered environmental service to our business. It has become a key criterion in our supplier assessments.
Enviro-Mark certification ensures that our business maintains a high standard in our practices not only in legal compliance, but also ensuring we make educated environmental decisions for our staff, community and customers.