26/02/2019

BM TRADA Certifies World First AWS Platinum Status

 

BM TRADA, part of the Element Group, has provided Australia’s leading poultry producer, Inghams Group Limited (Ingham’s), with the world’s first Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Platinum certification for addressing sustainability in water management.

Ingham’s, the largest integrated poultry producer in Australia and New Zealand, has gone through a re-certification audit for its Somerville plant and achieved the highest certification level, far-exceeding the basic requirements of the AWS Standard.

BM TRADA’s Australia office has been working with Ingham’s since 2015, when the Somerville plant became the second plant in the world to be certified, and the first to achieve AWS Gold certification. The companies have been working closely together as part of Ingham’s continuous improvement plan ever since.

Julia Seddon, General Manager Corporate Affairs and Boram Keam, Group Sustainability Manager of Ingham’s, led the process. Julia comments:

“Our focus on sustainability is vital to remain at the fore, helping us push the envelope and find innovative solutions to today’s sustainability challenges and adapt to a changing future. This latest acknowledgement certainly takes us a step closer to achieving that goal. We’ve had excellent feedback from customers and our employees who feel positive about our commitment to the environment.”

Rob Veitch, EVP Fire and Building Products at Element adds:

“This is an exceptional achievement by Ingham’s, and we’re extremely proud to be working with them on this important issue. The team have demonstrated a real world-leading commitment to water management and sustainability, going above and beyond requirements, and they should be commended for doing so.”

Michael Spencer, former CEO of Water Stewardship Australia and AWS Chair, comments:

“Ingham’s deep and continual commitment to water stewardship, and the variety of water management projects and improvements in processes they have implemented over the years, ensures that Ingham’s can be proud to call themselves world-leading water stewardship champions. They are protecting their business, working equitably in their community and showing leadership in innovation.”

The certification process varies from project to project, and is a desk-based assessment process with annual onsite audits by an independent third party audit team to demonstrate that the business is doing what the Standard requires. As AWS is a holistic standard and places emphasis on working with stakeholders, the audit also includes interviews with stakeholders and local water catchment actors and specialists.

Developed through a four year global, multi-stakeholder consultation, the AWS Standard offers a credible, globally-applicable framework for major water users to understand their own water use and impacts, and to work collaboratively and transparently with others for sustainable water management within the wider water catchment context.

BM TRADA has been offering AWS certification since 2015, and has a team of five AWS auditors in Australia and New Zealand.

For further information, please visit BM TRADA’s website www.bmtrada.com or contact cert.admin@bmtrada.com quoting PRAWS-1.

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