Objective 2
| All industrial sites will implement an independently certified environmental management system. All sites have to comply with the applicable laws and regulations and company standards and monitor their compliance regularly. |
Umicore strongly believes that the presence of certified management systems is a driver for continual improvement of the site’s environmental performance.
Forty-four percent of the sites have already implemented both a certified environmental management system and a compliance programme (figure 6).
Sixty-six percent of the sites have already obtained the ISO 14001 certification, a similar figure compared to 2006 (figure 2). During 2007, three sites obtained their ISO 14001 certification and one reported to have been successfully re-certified. Nineteen percent of the sites have started a project to implement an environmental management system. One smaller site did not maintain its certification due to a significant reduction in industrial activities.
Fifty-nine percent of the sites had an internal programme in place to systematically check and implement new regulatory requirements (figure 2). These programmes include an internal audit procedure and a procedure to track and assess the relevance of new environmental regulations in their region.
| In line with its commitment to integrate environmental management into the overall business policy, Umicore Materials Taiwan evaluated all of its activities - from purchasing and processing to sales and recycling - on their potential environmental impact. The site team examined all available environmental performance data, existing procedures and environmental regulatory requirements. This assessment formed the basis for the definition of measurable site targets. Following the implementation of final corrections identified during the pre-audit phase, the site obtained its certification by AFAQ/BestCERT on 9 July 2007. |
Umicore on the way to sustainability