Focus on

Adare Ltd.

Adare Ltd. has gained both FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification.

The marketing and customer communications specialist also has the ISO 14001 environmental management systems certification.

Environmental Issues High on the Agenda

Due to Adare’s customers being mainly large corporate organisations and the type of work undertaken for them, it is important to have a clear policy on how Adare manages its impact on the environment.

Robert Whiteside, Adare’s CEO, says: “Environmental issues are high on everyone’s agenda. End consumers are demanding that organisations take more of a responsible approach to their sourcing of products. We are in the chain of supply that ultimately reaches the end consumer so we must be accountable for our actions too. In reality we have taken this approach for a long time now, as proven by our ISO 14001 certification achieved in 2003.

“ISO 14001 refined how we approached our environmental responsibilities, setting processes and procedures in place that gave us greater control, better understanding of the legal requirements and encouraged greater staff involvement. The benefits have been, and continue to be, substantial both for the environment and for our business as we have reduced our energy consumption and made some significant savings.”

The Next Phase of ohe Environmental Process

FSC and PEFC certification was a natural next step for Adare to complement its existing ISO 14001 certification.

FSC¹

Founded in 1993, FSC is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Over 100 million hectares of forest in 79 countries worldwide are certified to FSC standards, representing the equivalent of 7% of the world’s productive forests.

Products carrying the well-known FSC chain of custody logo are independently certified by FSC-accredited assessment bodies such as SGS United Kingdom Ltd to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

The FSC logo enables certified organisations to demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability and increases their credibility with customers, business partners and investors.

PEFC

Founded in 1999, the PEFC Council is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation established to promote sustainably managed forests. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.

It currently incorporates 35 independent national forest certification systems, of which 25 PEFC-endorsed systems to date account for over 200 million hectares of certified forests and millions of tonnes a year of certified wood.²

With assessment undertaken by PEFC-accredited bodies such as SGS, PEFC chain of custody certification demonstrates that wood products can be traced back through all stages of the supply chain to certified, well-managed forests.

SGS Assessor, says: “While most paper makers and paper merchants have already achieved FSC, PEFC or both, many printers, including Adare, are now achieving chain of custody certification and showing their customers exactly how card and paper products are sourced.”

Chartwell PM’S Role

Adare has an in-house team dedicated to maintaining its business standards and certification. However it called on Chartwell PM to provide guidance and support during the FSC and PEFC certification processes.

Stan Roberts, Business Improvement Manager at Adare, says: “Chartwell PM provided expert advice, technical information, training on some aspects of the system and made sure we remained on track and met our deadlines.

SGS’S Role

Adare selected independent body SGS to assess its procedures against FSC and PEFC chain of custody standards. "

Stan Roberts explains: “We chose SGS because it offered chain of custody certification, which some other assessment organisations don’t. I had some prior knowledge of SGS and, in addition, SGS was recommended to us.  

“SGS proved to be very professional and met all its commitments. Staff at the SGS contact office seemed to be well in control.”

Both FSC and PEFC certificates are valid for five years, but each organisation requires external accredited assessors such as SGS to undertake annual inspections to ensure continued compliance.

New Processes

Adare gained certification after implementing FSC and PEFC chain of custody processes compliant with the strict requirements of both organisations.

This included:

• Amending parts of its management information system to initiate a modified process for any FSC/PEFC controlled work to meet the specific requirements of FSC/PEFC certification
• Segregating the raw materials warehouse to keep certified and non-certified materials separate
• Amending software to enable relevant delivery notes, invoices and other documents to include FSC and PEFC logos and chain of custody information.

Adare must also verify suppliers’ certificates every three months through the FSC and PEFC databases, check suppliers’ delivery notes to verify material status and use the FSC and PEFC logos in accordance with guidelines.

Environmental Commitment

Adare now sources most of its paper from FSC and PEFC certified mills and merchants. This ensures that, if a customer requests it, Adare’s products can be traced to their original source and through FSC and PEFC will certify that all conservation credentials are maintained at each stage of the chain, from forest to end client.

Robert Whiteside, CEO of Adare, says: “Many of our customers are recognising the benefits that being able to brand their materials with the FSC or PEFC logo can have in assuring their customers of their environmental commitment.

“Since we gained certification our customers have had the assurance that, when requested, paper products maintain chain of custody requirements throughout the production process.

“Our ISO 14001, FSC and PEFC certifications also underline our dedication to environmental responsibility and protection, and our determination to keep improving our environmental performance.”


For more information please contact:

SGS United Kingdom Ltd.
SGS House
217-221 London Road
Camberley
Surrey
GU15 3EY
United Kingdom

t: +44 (0) 1276 697999
f: +44 (0) 1276 697696
Email


¹Source: http://www.fsc.org/
²Source: http://www.pefc.org