The Southwire Carrollton Utility Products plant (SCUPP) recently recertified its ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS), an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system and helps organizations improve their environmental performance. This is done through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.

This is the third year in a row that the plant will hold the standard, which was achieved through an audit conducted by an outsourced accredited auditing company. The company came into SCUPP and conducted a third-party audit to look for any nonconformances, opportunities to improve and strengths. If any nonconformances are found, the company would have thirty days to make corrections or it would be in jeopardy of losing the certification. 

According to Renward Brown, SCUPP environmental engineer, this achievement was not done overnight. 

“Every day, we partner with the Southwire corporate environmental team, our management team and, most importantly, our plant employees to ensure we accurately follow the ISO 14001 systems,” said Brown. “After months of preparation, the outsourced auditing company conducted a virtual audit in December, and our employees were prepared and ready to showcase their knowledge of these systems.” 

The auditing process was completed through two auditing representatives meeting with the SCUPP team virtually for four full days. This process consisted of virtual tours, a review of processes and conducting more than 50 interviews with individual employees across the plant to ensure each person follows the correct protocols. 

Paige Murphy, Southwire’s corporate environmental manager, explained that SCUPP has worked diligently in order to achieve this certification, and it is something the employees and stakeholders across the Southwire enterprise should be proud of.

“I am so proud of the Southwire Carrollton Utility Products Plant,” said Murphy. “They have put so much effort into achieving this certification. I love that they are always looking for ways to improve the plant processes and make the company more sustainable.”

To learn more about Southwire’s commitment to sustainability, click here.