Environmental Management & Auditing Activities

This programme encompassed the holdings of an aircraft manufacturer in Northern Ireland, including its manufacturing operation, its missile production and assembly facilities, and facilities at Belfast City Airport. The audit's purpose was to analyse the company's environmental management practices, to define its key environmental interactions, and to assess strengths and weaknesses in addressing these issues.

Key findings of the environmental compliance audit included the need for better controls and procedures for the segregation, handling and storage of raw materials, and waste materials to prevent spillages and accidental contamination of land, groundwater and open water courses as well as training of operatives and ongoing monitoring of atmospheric transmissions.

This pilot programme introduced Lanarkshire based manufacturing companies to the benefits of pollution prevention, waste minimisation and energy conservation. The programme identified opportunities for process efficiencies, management improvements, cost savings, asset management/materials recovery and business diversification for each company involved.

Each plant's production and general operations and waste streams were assessed. A number of options with potential to minimise toxicity, waste generation and conserve energy were developed and evaluated for technical and economic feasibility.

The programme resulted in the identification of improvements to the value of £2.5 million across all organisations, which ranged from electronics, food and engineering, cosmetics, to metal finishing.

Following on from the success of the Lanarkshire Pollution Prevention (P2) programme, M&A participated in a similar Government backed programme on behalf of Dunbartonshire Enterprise designed to encourage and assist local manufacturing companies, in the Dunbartonshire region of Scotland, to improve their environmental performance.

Methods used included pollution prevention techniques, such as toxics use reduction, waste minimisation, materials reuse and recovery, improvements in production and management operations, and increased energy efficiency. Concepts of environmental compliance, environmental management systems, and market and regulatory compliance issues were introduced. Eight companies across a range of sectors including electronics, shipbuilding, a sawmill involved in timber production, food processing, power generation industries and ceramics manufacturers participated in this programme.

M&A was subsequently retained for Phase II of the programme. This phase identified where eleven companies stood in relation to regulatory compliance and environmental best practice within their industry sector. These companies included those in leisure and tourism, bottling, packaging, plastics, food, foundry, and engineering.

A continuation of the previous programme, this required undertaking an initial "health check", environmental diagnostic for the manufacturers. Opportunities for business improvements and further environmental funding support available from Dunbartonshire Enterprise were identified.

Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) retained M&A to undertake a preliminary review of waste minimisation, energy conservation opportunities, and business improvements for a small bakery located on the south side of Glasgow. The review involved analysis of the existing building structure, utilities, and production operations at the bakery; the company's facility management practices; identifying waste reduction potential in the baking activities as well as other opportunities to reduce overheads.

M&A provided services for the identification of the environmental impacts associated with the removal of anti-fouling paints from a floating production vessel, including assistance with the application for consent under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Part I, Integrated Pollution Control Prescribed Processes.

M&A, in collaboration with Carbrae Ltd (Energy & Building Consultants), completed an environmental management programme involving independent environmental audits covering energy, water, waste and green products for a variety of tourism establishments in the Aviemore vicinity.

The project formed part of the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme (EEBPP) and audit findings were reported to the Green Tourism Business Scheme with advice provided on immediate low cost improvements to secure various Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. Environmental improvements were identified to reduce both operating costs and environmental impact of operations. Areas where further environmental benefits and savings could be achieved by co-operation with other participants in the BSEMP were indicated, as well.