ISO 14001 and NRG Group UK Ltd
NRG Group UK Ltd achieved ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System in November 2001. ISO 14001 is an international standard that specifies a process for controlling and improving a company’s environmental performance. It addresses areas such as environmental policy, planning, implementation and review.
The standard applies to all NRG’s branches in the UK: The implementation of our environmental management system shows that we recognise our responsibility for reducing the impact that the company has on the environment. The future of the planet is something that we take very seriously.
ISO 14001 registration shows that our environmental management system conforms to international standards. We are required to demonstrate that the system has been implemented consistently throughout the organisation. This involves the documentation of a clear policy statement and ensuring that all procedures/processes are in place for everyone to follow. The company is regularly assessed and audited to ensure that we continue to perform to the level indicated by our ISO 14001 status.
As part of our Environmental Management System, NRG Group UK Ltd has in place processes for the recycling/recovery of; Toner Cartridges, Organic Photo Conductors (OPC Drums) Hot Rollers etc., our Toner Cartridges, OPC Drums and Hot Rollers are either collected by our own service engineers, sent back by customers or returned by our dealers. The returned items are in turn transported to our UKGC (United Kingdom Green Centre) in Wellingborough, where the items are sorted, any damaged items that cannot be recycled are put to one side and sent to recycling companies, these companies strip down the various items to there components level i.e. plastic, metal rubber etc., and forward these to respective companies who will use the components in their manufacturing process.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive
WEEE Directive is focused upon end-of-life of equipment The WEEE Directive is aimed at reducing the amount of landfill contribution, particularly as WEEE is the highest growing sector of landfill waste. WEEE Directive has two mechanisms - to promote re-use of the whole appliance, or to promote resource recovery and recycling if the appliance cannot be reused. For the IT sector of the EEE (Electrical & Electronic Equipment) industry there are targets, as % of weight of the equipment, for the resource recovery and recycling of material from WEEE. Resource recovery target is 75%. (i.e. If 1000kg of equipment is sent for treatment, at least 750kg of material must be recovered and made available for recycling.) Not more than 25%, by weight, can be sent for final waste disposal i.e. landfill. Recycling target is 65%. (i.e. of the 1000kg of equipment originally sent for treatment, at least 650kg material must find its way back into manufacturing.) This allows for a 10% material loss when using recovered materials as feedstocks back into manufacturing. The manufacturer of the equipment (if made in EU), or its first importer into EU, is liable for the funding of these operations.
What is NRG UK doing to comply with the WEEE Directive? For several years NRG UK has operated a scheme to recover its old equipment from the field. This recovered equipment has various fates: If of satisfactory quality, and sufficient lifespan left in the equipment, it is either resold for immediate reuse or refurbished for subsequent resale and reuse. If there is no marketable value left in the equipment, it is sent to an EEE dismantler for material recovery. The EEE dismantler provides certificates of equipment receipt, and can provide a breakdown of the proportions of the various materials recovered from the equipment, along with the quantity of material sent for final disposal. Material recovery rates for WEEE sent by NRG UK for treatment have always been well in excess of the 75% target. The EEE dismantler then sells the recovered material streams on to various agents for recycling into new product.
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive
RoHS Directive is focused upon manufacture of new EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment). RoHS is aimed, at the manufacturing stage, at reducing the range and quantity of harmful substances contained within new EEE such that, when it becomes WEEE and should it find its way into landfill, the potential for environmental harm is reduced.
What is NRG UK doing to comply with the RoHS Directive? NRG's core product manufacturer, Ricoh, has for some time complied with the RoHS Directive. The body of the RoHS Directive lists the various Hazardous Substances, along with their limitations of acceptable usage. All new products either do not contain any of the Hazardous Substances listed within the body of the RoHS Directive, or utilise these substances within the limitations of use declared within the Directive.
