Ibstock Brick, the UK’s largest brickmaker, is the first company in brickmaking to have been awarded the internationally recognised standard ISO 50001, for energy management.
This strengthens its position as a leader in the industry for all aspects of sustainable manufacturing.
The ISO 50001 accreditation recognises continual improvement in energy performance, use and efficiency through the development of energy management systems and represents a further step change from ISO 14001 which looks at energy management in its broadest sense.
It has been awarded to Ibstock for its innovative ‘Centre of Excellence’ factory in Birtley, County Durham and represents the next stage in the company’s ambitious sustainability strategy and energy management policy, which began 12 years ago at the site. The accreditation recognises the brickmaker’s commitment to best practice energy management and the development of a framework for continued improvement.
Plans have now been put in place to achieve the accreditation at Ibstock’s 18 other factories across the UK before the end of 2014.
Securing ISO 50001 helps Ibstock meet UK Climate Change Agreements (CCA) and the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). This means the brickmaker is reducing its carbon footprint and, in turn, helping its customers cut the environmental impact of their supply chain.
An additional benefit to customers is that the changes made to Ibstock’s ‘Centre of Excellence’ factory allow savings that can now be invested straight back into the factory, further improving productivity and efficiency.
Andrew Halstead-Smith, group marketing manager at Ibstock, says: “By constantly improving our ‘Centre of Excellence’ factory we are again proving to our customers our commitment to a sustainable future as we roll out the insights developed at Birtley across our national factory network. Achieving ISO 50001 puts the spotlight on the efficiency of our factory and shows we are dedicated to making sure our products and processes are defining the future of the industry.
“Years of experience across the business have helped us achieve this influential standard, which is not just another accolade, but directly benefits our customers who can be certain that choosing Ibstock helps reduce the carbon footprint in their supply chain.”
Ibstock was already the first in the UK brick industry to achieve ISO 14001 for its Environment Management System, and worked with specialists to build on this and meet the requirements for ISO 50001.
Andrew continues: “We have always taken a different approach from most in the industry. Our ‘Centre of Excellence’ was set up over a decade ago to ensure we keep making the high quality products our customers trust and award-winning innovative advancements that our customers desire. This latest accreditation shows our approach is working, but we will always keep looking for ways to improve all aspects of the business and stay ahead in the industry.”
