Belgian brick and pavers manufacturer, Vandersanden Group, has been awarded the ISO 14001 certification, the international environmental management standard. This certification is awarded to companies that document and regularly review their systems and products with the aim of reducing waste and pollution.
This confirms all Vandersanden production plants have firmly rooted environmental awareness in all operations. The certificate is based on three areas: compliance with legislation and regulations; management of environmental risks; and ongoing improvement of environmental performance. This can be in the areas of emissions, waste and the use of raw materials and energy.
Vandersanden has demonstrated sustainability is at the heart of its processes for many years. The company only uses collected rain and ground water in its production processes, with no dumping of industrial water. The majority of emissions from its plant chimneys are vapour with up to 90% of all flue gases being cleaned. The company has reduced its energy consumption by 50% since 1983 with the introduction of more efficient kilns, improved drying chambers and solar panels. Thanks to an internal rail system, the Spouwen plant users 60% fewer forklift trucks resulting in lower energy bills and less noise pollution.
Marco Solberg, Vandersanden Export Area Manager commented; ’This certification further demonstrates our global commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Becoming certified is an important sustainability initiative and we know ISO 14001 certification is increasingly becoming a customer requirement. Customers can now be assured we are conducting business in an environmentally responsible way, in accordance with our commitment to sustainability.”
Vandersanden also supports the ‘clean site’ system; a project to collect packaging materials and remove them directly from site. In the company’s home country of Belgium, Vandersanden is also a member of Val-i-pac, an initiative to reclaim and reuse wooden pallets. In this way, the customer is only left with the product they need, the bricks, and nothing else.
For further information about the Vandersanden Group please visit the company website www.vandersandengroup.co.uk. For specific information regarding the company’s sustainable products and environmental philosophy, please view the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJggVUoEtXw .
