In Green Hands

Morrison have been working hard to implement a Corporate Environmental Management System (EMS) across the business.

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have gained certification to the international standard for Environmental Management - ISO 14001. This is a standard of international repute, with over 6,000 businesses in the UK currently certified (and over 110,000 worldwide). Our auditors are LRQA, who also certify our Quality Management System.

This goes hand-in-hand with the recent update of our Environmental Policy which re-iterated our commitment to continually improve our environmental performance. This means working to reduce the impact of our activities, which in simple terms relates to what we consume (electricity, gas, fuel, water); what we waste; what we use (natural resources, paper, materials) and how we work (staff; suppliers and sub-contractors).

The certification is testament to the diligent and professional work that has been put into the implementation process and I would like to personally thank all those who contributed to the process.

Reaping the Benefits of our EMS

* It will help us to reduce our environmental impacts - and save money - through planned reductions in waste generation and energy and fuel consumption.

* It demonstrates our environmental commitment.

* It provides credible external assurance that our system is working which can only be good news for our clients, staff and the communities which we work in.

* It can provide us with a competitive edge in the marketplace - against those without a certified system.

* It helps to manage risk - it's systematic, so we have to regularly audit our performance and ensure that we are in compliance with legal requirements and other environmental requirements that are applicable to us (e.g. some clients require us to use sustainable timber, others ask us to report on our carbon impact).

* It involves everyone - we all have some kind of environmental impact and influence, the EMS helps to ensure we are all aware of what we can and must do.

The Extent of Our Commitment

The Corporate EMS currently covers our activities in the North East, Manchester Working, all London contracts and all PFI locations. MPC and City Care have separate ISO 14001 certification arrangements at present.

Photo: Darren Hill (National Environmental Advisor) presenting Manchester Working's Lesley Wallace (Finance Director) with a copy of their ISO 14001 certificate.