09.02.2007
As Scottish Environment Week draws to a close, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) announced today that it has achieved a prestigious certificate for its environmental management system.
The internationally-recognised ISO 1400:2004 certificate was awarded by assessment body Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).
The Presiding Officer said:
"Since its creation in 1999 the Scottish Parliament has committed itself to achieving tough ‘green’ targets and I’m delighted that we have achieved such an important milestone for environmental management.”
The ISO 14001 certificate represents a worldwide business standard designed to help an organisation manage environmental risk and minimise its impact on the environment.
The certificate assesses the way an organisation:
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integrates environmental considerations to its management structures,
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handles its environmental impacts and continually improves its environmental performance in areas such as waste, energy and procurement,
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achieves legal compliance with all relevant environmental legislation.
It was awarded following a thorough 7 day external audit by LRQA. LRQA were particularly impressed with the responsible purchasing policies of the Parliament which include many environmental criteria.
Don Stanley, Head of Assessment comments:
"We were delighted that the Scottish Parliament achieved certification to ISO 14001. This is a clear sign of SPCB’s commitment to continual improvement in the area of environmental performance. Having robust management systems will help reduce costs and wastage while enhancing the ability to provide effective services.”
Holyrood is also set to meet three further targets by March this year as part of its environmental policy launched in 2005.
- The Scottish Parliament will have exceeded its target to reduce waste to landfill of 5 percent and has achieved a reduction of 40% in comparison to 2005. A reduction of 60 tonnes or the equivalent of 6 double decker buses full of waste.
- A reduction in energy use of 3 percent – to contribute to a further target of 8 percent by March 2009.
- A reduction of 5 percent in office paper used. A saving of 21 thousand sheets a year.
Background notes
The Scottish Parliament was designed with extensive environmental features, including:
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Solar panels on the Canongate Building which provide approximately 24,000 kWh/annum of energy to heat water for Queensberry House;
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100% of electricity purchased from renewable sources such as wind turbines;
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State-of-the-art features which help to reduce water use, including on-site bore holes which provide all the water needed for toilets.
ISO 14001 is the international environmental management system standard against which a company can be assessed. To find out more about ISO 4001 visit www.iso.org.
Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance is an independent third party certification body accredited to certify companies to ISO 14001.
This is the third year for Scottish Environment Week , which aims to create an opportunity to focus on the importance of the environment and its value to the society and economy of Scotland.