A greener Spandex receives eco-ISO
While the global warming issue still appears to be dividing global governmental leaders, the environment remains a key concern for all sectors of the print industry. With this in mind, Spandex has recently announced that its Image Perfect manufacturing site in Lancaster has received ISO 14001 accreditation.
Friday, 24 Nov 2017 10:07 GMT
Spandex's Lancaster factory has achieved its goal of zero waste to landfill with all physical waste now recycled or converted to fuel
ISO 14001:2015 is an environmental management system that includes a set of tools and standards for companies looking to manage their environmental responsibilities. Spandex claims this is the first time it has applied for formal accreditation after working to the ISO 14001 guidelines for a number of years.
Francis Obi, operations manager at Spandex Lancaster, comments: “We are delighted to have gained ISO 14001:2015 accreditation for our manufacturing facility. Our aim in pursuing the ISO accreditation was to adopt and fully embed a structured framework for improving all environmental aspects of the business.
“This includes maintaining our site policy of zero waste to landfill and a commitment to the reduction of energy consumption and waste solvents.”
The 7,000sq m Lancaster factory manufactures media products for Image Perfect, Spandex’s own brand of self-adhesive signage and digital films for sign and graphics producers. The site has achieved its goal of zero waste to landfill with all physical waste now recycled or converted to fuel.
The 14001 accreditation was a factory wide initiative which covered all aspects of the business and was achieved by everyone working together towards a common goal”
Equally, through investment in its factory oxidizer, the site has halved its VOC emissions, achieving typical levels of less than 10mg per Nm3, significantly lower than the UK standard of 50mg per Nm3. Spandex continues to seek to reduce its VOC emissions further by sourcing lower solvent alternatives to current product components.
Obi concludes: “The 14001 accreditation was a factory wide initiative which covered all aspects of the business and was achieved by everyone working together towards a common goal.
“In particular, praise was given to the operational aspects of the factory, which showed high levels of housekeeping, all equipment controls within parameters and any waste from factory processes identified and segregated prior to collection.”
The ISO 14001 accreditation complements Spandex’s ISO 9001 certification for its quality management systems.
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