Committed to improving its environmental performance, Banbridge District Council achieved the internationally recognised Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001 in July 2006 across two departments, Technical Services and Environmental Health, as part of a partnership project with nine cross-border councils along with the Southern Group Environmental Health Committee.

This standard, which sets targets and milestones to ensure continual improvement towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly organisation, provides a clear and coherent framework by which the Council can demonstrate a formal approach to environmental management. It has enabled the Council to adopt good environmental practices in the day-to-day running of its business in areas such as energy consumption, pollution protection, waste and water control while at the same time meeting legislative requirements and demonstrating corporate governance.

The Council has implemented several policies as a direct result of this standard. They include:

• Environmental Policy
• Sustainable Development Policy
• Sustainable Procurement Policy and Guidelines
• Energy Action Plan
• E-Communications Policy

Both the ISO 14001 standard along with these policies ensure that the Council is continually introducing measures with a view to reducing the negative impact on the environment. This year the Council is working towards extending the standard to the whole organisation. If achieved, Banbridge will be the first council in Northern Ireland to achieve this.