Williams Refrigeration has underlined its sustainability credentials by achieving ISO 50001. The accreditation covers energy management for the design, manufacture, installation and service of commercial cabinets and modular products.
ISO (the International Organisation for Standardisation) awards the 50001 energy management certification to organisations that develop efficient energy usage policies, use data to make decisions about energy use, and continually improve energy management. In order to achieve certification Williams identified and monitored key areas of high energy and fuel usage, from its plant machinery to the processes it employs, and then introduced initiatives based on industry best practice to minimise consumption.
For example, Williams already has a considerable photovoltaic solar panel system installed across two of its manufacturing plant’s roofs. The solar panels generate approximately 500,000kWh of electricity per year, reducing the company’s annual CO2 emissions by 300 tonnes. As part of its ongoing ISO 50001 commitment, the company is now exploring ways to take advantage of the energy the panels produce during non-working hours, by installing battery packs to store it for later use.
“Sustainability and energy saving have been everybody’s top priorities,” says Tim Smith, managing director of Williams Refrigeration and CEO of the AFE Group, which owns Williams. “I’m truly proud of the team effort that went into achieving ISO 50001 – it shows that all of us at Williams are committed to minimising our impact on the environment. This accreditation also brings together our best practice approach to energy management alongside that of all our appliances also being designed to the highest eco design and minimum energy performance standards ”
That commitment to the environment is outlined in Williams’ Greenlogic initiative. Under the initiative, Williams has also achieved ISO 14001 certification, which measures all environmental impacts within the organisation. The company is also accredited as a zero to landfill operation in recognising its equal focus to waste management.
Williams is the latest AFE Group company to achieve ISO 50001 certification, following on from sister companies Falcon Foodservice Equipment, Millers Vanguard and Serviceline.
Williams Refrigeration offers a comprehensive range of commercial refrigeration including gastronorm cabinets and counters, specialist bakery equipment, coldrooms, merchandisers and blast chillers.