Introduction
Our company wide ISO14001 environmental management system helps us to ensure that any potential risk to the environment and the communities in which we operate is minimised and that we continually manage and improve our environmental performance.
ISO14001 Certification
Since 2011 we have been certified to ISO14001, the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS), across all four of our licence areas.
During this time we have found having the certification beneficial in a number of ways:
- Validates how we manage our operational activities via our own EMS to ensure minimal impact on the environment.
- Provides confidence to interested parties and industry regulators.
- Ensures that we meet all of our compliance obligations.
- Provides a consistent and recognisable approach to how we manage environmental issues across our entire business.
- Demonstrates our value of good environmental stewardship.
- Encourages our business to improve our environmental performance and to look to future developments in environmental management and sustainability.
In 2023/24 NGED successfully underwent its external ISO 14001 and EU Skills Permit Competence Management System (CMS) recertification audits. The EU Skills CMS covers the oil related environmental permits in place within NGED.
The only findings identified from the audits resulted in eight minor non-conformances relating ISO 14001 and a number of Opportunities for improvement (OFIs).
The successful audit outcome reflects NGED’s strong performance on permit management and compliance within permitted depots, having embraced the new system fully.
Training
Ensuring and maintaining that all of our employees are aware of their environmental responsibilities and the impact that their activities could potentially have on the environment is a key requirement of ensuring that we minimise the impact we as a business have on the environment.
Throughout 2023/24 we have delivered environmental awareness training throughout the organisation; many courses being tailored to specific operational needs. We have also spent more time in the business engaging directly with staff and colleagues at local offices and depots.
Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Conferences
Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Conferences 2023/24 NGED SHE Conferences have been held in person at locations across each of our four licence areas, attendance at each event being approximately 150 people.
Each Conference has been well supported by NGED senior management with both NGED employees and many of our contractors attending. Environmental sustainability is an established agenda item at every NGED SHE Conference and during 2023/24 there have been presentations delivered and roundtable discussions on a wide range of topics including:
- achieving net zero
- resource management and circular economy
- biodiversity net gain.
Community Environmental Support and Awareness
At NGED we take our duty to be a socially responsible business seriously by taking active steps; proactively supporting local charity and community projects that are aligned with our company objectives.
In 2023/24 NGED’s Community Matters fund focused on providing financial support to Green Spaces. The fund provided £500,000 to over 103 local charities and organisations to improve local environmental and sustainability initiatives and projects.
We completed a successful pilot, donating 466 iPads to 42 charities in 2023. We have now embedded the process to ensure all decommissioned company iPads are repurposed this way.
We will donate approximately 3,000 iPads this year – reducing electronic waste by extending the lifespan of these devices through refurbishment and donation.