The growing international attention to sustainability and the environment gives companies engaged in environmental issues a competitive advantage in the markets.

An environmental management system certificate shows that the company is aware of and prepared to deal with this kind of responsibility.

The main environmental certification schemes are:

Environmental management - ISO 14001

Summary: ISO 14001 is the standard for environmental management and it is the basis for establishing, introducing, monitoring and improving environmental management systems. It implements the protection of the environment systematically in the management, thus environmental management as supplement and development of a codified environmental protection. The benefit of an environmental management system is not only idealistic (e.g higher motivation of employees, better image) but also clearly material due to cost reduction because of reduced consumption of raw materials. The standards demands the compliance of the obligations a company established within its own environmental policy, which must include the compliance with the applicable legal and other requirements.

Target of the standard: Continual improvement. ISO 14001 is an effective instrument for a company to systematically monitor environmental impacts and to continuously improve the environmental situation. The number of incidents will be reduced by evaluating environmental risks and by establishing emergency plans.

For whom? For every company no regardless of size or industry-sector

Benefits:

  • A certification according to ISO 14001 helps a company to demonstrate its environmental friendly behavior
  • A certified environmental management system according to ISO 14001 is internationally recognized
  • The environmental management system allows the identification and elimination of error sources
  • Revelation of rationalization potential
  • Improvement of legal certainty and
  • Calculability of liability risks
  • The standard requires a continual improvement of the environmental management system.

Council Regulation (EU) No. 333/2011

Summary: Council Regulation No. 333/2011 establishes criteria determining when certain types of scrap metal cease to be waste.

This is the case when a producer meets the criteria set out in Article 3 of the Regulation, i.e. the holder who transfers scrap metal to another holder for the first time as scrap metal which has ceased to be waste:

  • Having a Quality Management System with specific characteristics as provided for in Article 6 and Annexes I and II.
  • System has to be certified by a external and independent certification body that can verify the conformity1

As these requirements are defined in the given EU Regulation,  they are directly applicable in each Member State.

Benefits:

  • The audit allows the producer to demonstrate to the importer to fulfill the regulation.
  • The audit makes the management system much simpler and allows cost reduction linked to handling of material excluded by waste management law.
  • TÜV InterCert has got the accreditation for auditing Quality Management Systems according to Standard ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and therefore is able, to perform – as required by Regulation No. 333/2011 – :
  1. acceptance control of waste used as input for the recovery operation as set out in Section 2 of Annexes I and II;
  2. monitoring of the treatment processes and techniques described in Section 3.3 of Annexes I and II;
  3. monitoring of the quality of scrap metal resulting from the recovery operation as set out in Section 1 of Annexes I and II (including sampling and analysis);
  4. effectiveness of the radiation monitoring as set out in Section 1.5 of Annexes I and II, respectively;
  5. feedback from customers concerning compliance with scrap metal quality; EN 8.4.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 94/3
  6. record keeping of the results of monitoring conducted under points 1. to 4.;
  7. review and improvement of the quality management system;
  8. training of staff.

Commission Regulation (EU) No. 715/2013

Commission Regulation (EU) No. 715 issued on July 25, 2013 – applicable from January 1, 2014 – establishes criteria determining when copper scrap ceases to be waste under Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.

This happens when the producer (or whoever performs the transformation or the holder who transfers scrap metal which has ceased to be waste) meets the specific criteria in accordance with certain conditions.

The companies involved in the handling of scrap copper must satisfy two conditions to be in compliance with the requirements of Regulation:

  • Adoption of a Management System (only for the producer) able to demonstrate compliance with the criteria laid down in EU Regulation to be checked every 3 years by an Independent Third party Body;
  • Drafting of a Declaration of Conformity (producer or importer to be delivered to the next holder) stating that the wreckage for the first time, cease to be waste.

TÜV INTERCERT is accredited for verifying certification of Quality Management System according to ISO 9001 and Environmental Management System according to ISO 14001 and therefore qualified as required by the Regulations, to ensure:

  • Acceptance control of waste used as input for the recovery operation as referred to in point 2 of Annex I and Annex II of the Regulation;
  • Monitoring of the processes and techniques of treatment referred to in point 3.3 of Annex I and Annex II of the Regulation;
  • Monitoring the quality of scrap metal resulting from the recovery operation as referred to in point 1 of Annex I and Annex II to Regulation ( including sampling and analysis);
  • Effectiveness of the radiation monitoring referred to in point 1.5 of Annexes I and II respectively of the Regulation;
  • Comments from customers on the quality of scrap metal
  • Recording the results of monitoring conducted under points 1. to 4. the Regulations;
  • Revision and improvement of the Quality Management System;
  • Training of qualified personnel.