18 Sep 2014
Internationally-recognised standard puts Loughborough among environmental elite
Loughborough has achieved the highest possible Platinum Award in the national EcoCampus scheme and gained accreditation to the internationally-recognised environmental management standard ISO 14001.
EcoCampus provides a structured four-stage framework – Bronze through to Platinum – to guide universities through to accreditation to ISO 14001. Loughborough has been developing its Environmental Management System under the EcoCampus scheme since 2010, when it achieved the Bronze level award. It achieved Silver and Gold levels in 2011 and 2012.
ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that outlines how to put an effective environmental management system in place. It is designed to help organisations reduce their environmental impact as they grow and develop.
Loughborough’s latest achievements place it among an environmental elite – less than 15% of the higher education sector have achieved ISO 14001 and just 28% of universities registered on the EcoCampus scheme have reached the Platinum Award level.
Jo Shields, Sustainability Manager, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement, particularly as it’s a campus-wide accreditation. It demonstrates how the whole University community has worked collaboratively on environmental management issues.”
Accreditation to ISO 14001 is a clear demonstration of Loughborough’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and can bring significant benefits to the University. For instance, it can help to support research grants and funding bids, and put the University ahead of the pack in the competition for business.
Read the press release for more.