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New awards for University environmental schemes

Monday, 08 September 2014

ISO 14001 award

The University has officially been awarded ISO14001 certification and for the second year running the EcoCampus Platinum award for its Environmental Management System in recognition of the University's commitment to reduce its impact on the environment. 

An Environmental Management Systems (EMS) is a structured framework for managing the institute's significant environmental impacts in order to move towards a more sustainable way of working. ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard and is the most widely used EMS standard in the world. EcoCampus is an environmental accreditation and award scheme that is specific to the higher and further education sector, the platinum is the highest achievable level which the University has held for two years running.

Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell said: "The successful achievement of ISO 14001 is an important milestone in our commitment to minimise our effect on the environment. Staff, students and third party stakeholders can now have a degree of assurance that we are effectively managing our environmental obligations and continue to improve our performance."  

The EMS covers all University activities at the Whiteknights and London Road campuses. It includes objectives and targets for environmental improvement, environmental legal compliance, pollution prevention and continuous improvement of the University's environmental performance.  The EMS, which is now fully operational, will continue to provide a framework for monitoring, measuring and reviewing environmental objectives and targets, and sets procedures for emergency response and communications.

NQA, the University's auditing and certification body, is UKAS accredited which means they are regulated by strict quality standards to ensure the certification process meets stringent criteria. The audit noted the effectiveness of environmental monitoring and measurement specifically in relation to carbon and energy management. A surveillance audit will be taking place in July next year, where the auditors will be looking in detail at specific aspects of the EMS to ensure that improvements have been made.

The University of Reading has made huge advances in reducing waste production, increasing recycling, reducing its carbon footprint and rising awareness of the importance of the taking action to improve the environment around us and being sustainable. 

The Sustainability Team is always looking for new ways to reduce the University's environmental impacts.  To put your ideas to the team contact sustainability@reading.ac.uk.

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