After a thorough external auditing process by LRQA, UK manufacturer Building Product Design has achieved ISO 50001 accreditation for both its production facilities to help on the journey to reduce its carbon footprint as a manufacturer, having put effective energy management systems in place at its two manufacturing plants.
The internationally recognised standard for energy management, ISO 50001, is centred around implementing effective systems as well as continually monitoring energy use and making changes to processes in response to the data for continuous improvement.
Building Product Design operates from factories in Pinxton, Nottingham and Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales to manufacture building ventilation solutions and specialist building products under its three subsidiary brands — Glidevale Protect, Passivent and Kingfisher. Achieving ISO 50001 certification, the latest in a series of sustainability focused developments driven by its dedicated Group Sustainability Board, demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to improving energy efficiency, conserving resources and reducing the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations.
Ben Gerry, Managing Director at Building Product Design commented: “Whilst ISO 50001 isn’t mandatory, we identified it as a crucial step towards evaluating and lowering the environmental footprint of our business and to develop energy management processes for continuous improvement. Undertaking the certification process was a valuable learning curve in itself, allowing us to fully understand how we are using all our energy resources — from the electricity powering our production machines to gas heating our workspaces. By going through the process, we now have clear energy management goals in place to help lower our total energy consumption.
“It’s the culmination of 18 months of work from our project lead and colleagues in multiple departments across our sites in the UK. But ultimately, everyone working for the business is involved in some capacity so it’s important to us that we all understand the role we can play in making further improvements to our energy use going forward.”
Glidevale Protect has also recently been awarded gold accreditation by the Supply Chain Sustainability School — a virtual learning platform focused on sustainability, with the aim to upskill those working within the built environment sector. Achieving gold status demonstrates continuous engagement by Glidevale Protect employees keen to learn more about sustainable solutions.
As a business Building Product Design now works to four internationally recognised standards including Quality (ISO 9001), Environmental Management System (ISO 14001), Health & Safety (ISO 45001) and the new Energy Management System (ISO 50001).
