Corrosion Resistant Products has received certification for our environmental management systems. Special well done goes to Rosie Mulligan and Rick Payne who led this effort. With CRPs growing efforts in sustainability this is a great first step toward the overall company goals and mission as a market leader in PTFE and PFA lined Pipework . Read about how we got here and our goals for the future.
Starting the ISO 14001 journey…
For CRP it felt like a natural progression after achieving ISO 45001 certification last year. The scope of sustainability work in the business is growing, from board-level objectives to customer demands, and the need to comply with ever increasing regulations. The chemical industry takes sustainability seriously, and many of our customers are driving sustainability requirements through their supply chain. Having ISO 14001 not only gives us a competitive advantage but also builds a strong foundation in CRP’s journey to become a leading supplier in sustainability.
Challenges in achieving ISO 14001
Creating a new EMS (environmental management system) required specialist knowledge of sustainability. To fill in knowledge gaps we underwent comprehensive training on ISO 14001 standard and ISO 14001 auditing. We also hired a Sustainability Engineer to lead on this project, who developed the environmental system alongside the Quality & Health and Safety Manager, who brings a wealth of experience with management systems.
One of the many changes we implemented was in waste management and ensuring everyone used the new recycling system. This involved full staff training and awareness across the office and factory so ultimately everyone played a part in this accreditation.
The key steps of the certification process 
The process to get certified took around 10 months, starting with the registers, documentation, and operational controls.
The first step was to create both the legal register and aspects and impacts register. After consultation with The Compliance People, we created the registers on the Legal Update Service (LUS) Software, a fantastic tool which simplified the process. We also used our existing subscription of the SHE Assure software to look after our hazard reporting.
Midway through the process we conducted a gap analysis with MAKE UK, highlighting key measures we still had to implement. Six months later, we had the stage 1 audit, and in July we passed the stage 2 certification audit with Alcumus ISOQAR.
Impacts and successes
We have been reporting our CO2 emissions since 2020, and last year was a significant milestone when we switched to 100% renewable electricity, cutting our scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 65%!
Our in-house recycling rates have increased from 5% to over 60% by segregating our recycling waste. Our total waste has also reduced by 40% on average since implementing the new waste management system in April. By moving to a new waste contract with a local company Wheeldon Brothers, we have also saved £1000’s per year.
In addition, this year we have installed energy monitoring equipment on our machinery, an EV charging station, LED lighting in the factory, and 300 solar panels in the factory roof. Our energy consumption is down 25% combining all these measures.
What are the next sustainability goals for Corrosion Resistant Products LTD?
After achieving the Ecovadis Bronze medal last year, this year we are aiming higher!
We are due to release a verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for our PFA and PTFE lined pipe products, fittings, and spools this year. Additionally, we aim for further transparency and share our progress through publishing an annual sustainability and CSR report.