Already the industry leader in developing alternative materials for architectural products, Inpro has formalised its sustainable operations through the successful completion of an ISO 14001: 2004 audit and certification, marking an important milestone in Inpro’s years-long journey to reduce resource and energy use in its manufacturing operations based in Wisconsin.
We’ve been ISO 9001 quality management system certified for years, so we were familiar with the ISO process, said Glenn Kennedy, chief operating officer for Inpro. Working to become ISO 14001 certified was the next logical step in our sustainable operational progress, and I’m proud of all the work our team has put in to carry off a successful audit.
The run-up to certification entailed training the entire staff on ISO 14001 and then preparing internal auditors to review the process. The company also established a new environmental policy, and set several sustainable goals that will be under ISO 14001. For example, to name just a few, reducing paper, water and energy use are now formally under Inpro’s environmental management system.
Since 2007, Inpro’s maintenance staff and Sustainable Business practices team had made great strides in improving the company’s green footprint. Working on and achieving ISO 14001 certification takes that work to the next level by putting a formal structure in place for tracking progress and making continuous improvement, Kennedy said.