Meiller: Active commitment to environmental protection

The SME Meiller Aufzugtüren has had itself certified according to ISO 14001:2015 EMAS. EMAS is the most sophisticated system worldwide for sustainable environmental management.

In this article, the quality and environmental officer, Michael Müller, explains the course of the process and the practical steps taken by Meiller.

Why did Meiller obtain the certification at all?
The subject of environmental protection has always played a great role at Meiller. This was also why we decided to introduce an IMS (integrated management system) – consisting of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and EMAS. We regularly determine the environmental objectives of the year to come. A team of employees from different departments gets together at fixed intervals to prepare joint measures for this purpose. These are documented with dates and responsibilities.

Why this particular certification?
Introduction of an environmental management system according to ISO 14001:2015 in itself is associated with a certain amount of effort. But we thought that with just a little more effort, we could achieve the highest standard – EMAS. At the same time, we would be introducing a system consisting of environmental management and environmental operation auditing with which we could constantly improve our environmental performance.

How much work was involved and how much did it cost?
We began with the introduction of an environmental management system in 2015 together with the F.X. Meiller Fahrzeug- und Maschinenfabrik – GmbH & Co KG. Together with an external service provider, we recorded what we needed to do to implement an environmental management system based on various checklists. All of the subjects defined in the checklists were then processed and implemented within 52 weeks. Consequently, in autumn 2016 we were able to obtain an initial certification according to ISO 14001:2015 and EMAS. We estimated a budget of about 80,000 euros for the introduction, implementation and certification for both companies and adhered to it too.

Photo: © EMAS

What specific steps did Meiller take?
A transformation has occurred in the company since the introduction of the environmental management system. This begins with the awareness of employees for everyday subjects like avoi- ding waste and the economical use of resources.
In addition, we have drawn up specific guidelines for our environmental policy:
• We observe statutory and official conditions and evaluate the effects of all operational activities on the environment.
• We conserve resources (materials, air, water, energy, soil) and avoid unnecessary emissions as much as possible.
• We already consider the influence of our products on the environment during development.
• We are constantly improving our environmental performance.

The development of Meiller Aufzugtüren depends directly on its financial result and constant improvement of its efficiency. Environmental protection in our company is not isolated from other objectives, but instead is part of the company strategy directed to long-term added value.

What has this achieved?
Responsibilities have been regulated for all important subjects to enable us to meet both our statutory obligations as well as engage in voluntary further development. Our management handbook describes the tasks and duties of the employees responsible and records these in independent job profiles/job descriptions.

All of our employees are called on to make an active contribution to environmental protection. They are regularly informed of the environmental objectives and successes in e-mails and notices. New employees are systematically familiarised with our management system’s processes and structures. We urge our suppliers to act according to environmental guidelines equivalent to ours. Our goal is to cooperate only with suppliers who are at least certified according to ISO 14001:2015.

Conclusion
We did not regret the step of introducing a complete and integrated environmental management system and would do it again every time. We can in particular recommend certification according to EMAS.

More information: meiller-aufzugtueren.de/en