Koncernen

Södras views of EMAS and verifiers

Elisabeth Carlsson, Environmental engineer, Södra, Sweden

Koncernen

Södra group Economic association owned by 34 000

forest owners in southern Sweden Overall objective: promoting members´

financial interests Aims to be the leading processor of forest

raw materials into products which generate sales value for the customers and increased value for our owners.

Member services and forestry operation: Comprehensive wood trading, advisory service, felling assignments, forest conservation

Industrial operations: Pulp mills, sawmills, interior wood production, bio fuel

Net sales 12 billion SEK (1.3 billion EU)

                                 

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Södra and the Environment

Environment and NatureConservationpolicies

Ecocyclical principle Overallview of environmental impactEnvironment management system Forestcertification Environment report

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Organisation & operations

S ta ffs

4 R eg io ns

S ö d ra S ko g sp la n to r A B

S ö d ra E e s ti

S o dra La tv ia S IA

W oo dL o g A S

M ö n ste rå s S tu ve ri A B

S ö dra S k og

M ö rru mP u lp m ill

M ö n ste råsP u lp m ill

V ä röP u lp m ill

T o fteP u lp m ill

F o llaP u lp m ill

S ö d ra C e ll

K in da

L en ho vda

M ö n ste rås

T ra ryd

U n ne fo rs

V ä rö

S ö d ra T im b erS a w m ills

G a p roIn te rio r w o o d p ro d .

G e ije r5 S a w m ills

B u ild in g sys te m s

S ö d ra W o o d P ro du c ts S ö d ra S k og s en e rg i

P re sid e n t a n d C E O

Koncernen

EMAS registrations or ISO 14001 certificates

S ta ffs

4 R eg io ns

S ö d ra S ko g sp la n to r A B

S ö d ra E e s ti

S o dra La tv ia S IA

W oo dL o g A S

M ö n ste rå s S tu ve ri A B

S ö dra S k og

M ö rru mP u lp m ill

M ö n ste råsP u lp m ill

V ä röP u lp m ill

T o fteP u lp m ill

F o llaP u lp m ill

S ö d ra C e ll

K in da

L e n ho vda

M ö n ste rås

T ra ryd

U n n e fo rs

V ä rö

S ö d ra T im b erS a w m ills

G a p roIn te rio r w o o d p ro d.

G e ije r5 S a w m ills

B u ild in g sys te m s

S ö d ra W o o d P ro du c ts S ö d ra S k og s en e rg i

P re sid e n t a n d C E O

Koncernen

Benefits from EMS Competitive advantage at first, today a matter of credibility Credibility towards customers, authorities and society Openness and transparency important from international

perspective where impact may be a competitive advantage Increased engagement in environmental matters throughout

the entire organisation Improvements are made where they are of greatest value Orderliness within the organisation An advantage in contacts with suppliers

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Group verifying experience

First EMAS registration 1996 Internal audits on an every year basis. Internal auditors

for each organisation are employed by another organisation within the group.

7 different verifying companies engaged within the group during 1996-2003.

How often external verifying takes place varies from 6 months to 3 years depending on standard, size and type of organisation and time since the Certificate was obtained.

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Verifiers at their best…

Have a good knowledge of the business Focus on environmental aspects with significant impact Help the organisation to identify both good and bad Have a pragmatic viewpoint and uses a supporting dialogue

Are able to communicate with different levels within the organisation. Creates good atmosphere and confidence

Are able to verify more than one type of management system. (Environment, Quality, Health and security, PEFC etc.)

Gives a written report before leaving the site

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Bad experiences about verifiers

A too complicated process of planning Verifying companies create internal praxis, when

interpreting standards, which later turns into ”demands”. Differences in rules and regulations between EU-countries

causes misunderstandings and confusions. Chemicals and small details are sometimes given too big

proportions for small organisations. Late report and certificate. Factual errors in the audit report Big variation in costs and days required for auditing. Changing verifier may be a difficult process, because the

Certificate is tied up with the audit agreement

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We recommend ….

Keep cost and time required for audit relevant to size and complexity of organisation.

Do not underestimate the need for an effective and simple system

Focus on relevant impacts and improvements Do not push a single question too far

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Conclusions

Environmental management systems lead to improvements

Third party verifying is essential for credibility of EMS

Cost and competence are major factors when choosing verifier