Need for business to safeguard and support environmental protection initiatives

16th June 2017 By: Simone Liedtke - Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

Need for business to safeguard and support environmental protection initiatives

REWARDING BENEFITS By obtaining green accreditation, businesses are recognised and can be rewarded for the role they play in protecting the environment

There is increasing pressure on businesses whose production processes produce waste to become more sustainable and support government’s efforts to safeguard the future of the environment by minimising their carbon footprint within their operations, says waste management company Interwaste group sales director Jason McNeil.

He notes that, by obtaining green accreditation, businesses are recognised and can be rewarded for the role they play in protecting the environment.

McNeil notes that to obtain a green accreditation, companies need to consider a number of factors such as using environmentally safe and -friendly material for their buildings, ensuring that water is recycled and that lights are intermittent.

“Each different industry has a number of different green accreditations that could or should apply. However, at the heart of it, the accreditations are held by the various organisations that service the industries – such as building contractors or waste management companies,” he adds.

He mentions that it is critically important that companies looking to gain green accreditations partner with organisations and suppliers that are also accredited, compliant and understand the process involved in ensuring a streamlined, effective accreditation process.

McNeil highlights that there is a noticeable trend in how consumers are showing stronger loyalty to brands that are committed towards contributing positively towards the environment.

“It is for this reason, among many others, that companies need to consider going green. Green accreditation, relevant to the organisation’s core business, provides brand credibility and demonstrates environmental leadership within a specific market.”

He explains that, through green accreditations of different forms, companies can improve corporate performance, which, in turn, can have an impact on not only the bottom line, but also on their corporate reputation, business efficiencies as well as overall business sustainability.

Green Builds

McNeil further notes that a key aspect of green buildings is the management of the organisation’s construction-related waste. This, he adds, forms a key pillar to green accreditation and as such, needs to form part of that organisation’s scope and consideration.

“As a waste management company, we provide on-site waste solutions using the latest in equipment, facilities and expert manpower to separate all waste correctly at the source. By doing this, we are able to ensure the reduction of costly cross-contamination of hazardous and nonhazardous waste streams, and that operations are streamlined.”

This, he enthuses, is one of many ways that waste can be managed effectively to contribute towards ‘going green’, where finding alternative uses for waste to benefit the business and the environment are a critical pillar.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that all waste management practices, related to the construction process, are effectively managed on a daily basis, that the waste is correctly disposed of and that solid reporting is delivered to the organisation for auditing and accreditation processes,” McNeil concludes.