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Environmental management system of water technology company Berkefeld certified under ISO 14001

Celle, 5 November 2010 - The employees of Berkefeld/VWS Deutschland now have it in writing: an intensive examination by the German Technical Inspection Association (TÜV) has shown that the Celle-based water technology company has an effective environmental management system. This means that Berkefeld carries out continual checks on the environmental soundness of the water treatment plants it manufactures as well as of the work processes in the company. In addition, the risk of harm to the environment is systematically reduced. The subsidiary of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies thus verifiably fulfils the requirements laid down in an internationally applicable standard, the ISO 14001.

"This confirmation is a great advantage for us, such as with regard to our international customers. For it enables us to prove that we handle our resources responsibly," says Udo Fischer, who as the company's special representative for environmental management prepared the certification. Two TÜV inspectors spent almost a week scrutinising several company and construction sites, talking to employees and sighting documents. An important aspect was the energy used in operating water treatment plants produced by Berkefeld. The water yield and electricity consumption also played a role. Thus, Berkefeld is for example increasingly using rotation-governed pumps that transport exactly as much water as is really needed and thereby consume less energy. The inspectors also checked how Berkefeld handles its waste. About 20 different materials - from oil to stainless steel - are separated, collected and transported to the respectively appropriate disposal or recycling depot, most of them via the sister-company Veolia Environmental Services.

A record is also kept of the employment of the company's vehicle fleet, which among other things is used by our nationwide customer service. The total fleet of 175 company vehicles covers about six million kilometres a year, or about 150 times the length of the Equator, and consumes 432,000 litres of diesel fuel. "Only if we have an idea of how many resources we use by our activities can we consider how we can achieve savings and measure the result. So among other things we have begun as part of driving courses to train our service engineers in fuel-saving ways of driving," Fischer adds. At the same time as the certification of the company's environmental management system according to the ISO 14001 standard, our SCC certificate (Safety Certificate Contractors), which is required for building water treatment plants in power stations, was renewed. It was also reaffirmed that Berkefeld fulfils the requirements of the ISO 9001 quality standard and works continually on further improvement of its work processes.

More at www.berkefeld.de