Bridon Cordage is now ISO 14001:2004 Certified

Our commitment to the environment continues with ISO 14001

The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) was established in 1947 to expand trade, improve quality, increase productivity, and reduce costs of goods and services through worldwide agreement on international standards. During its 50-year history, ISO has published more than 3,000 technical and non-technical standards in all fields except electro technical.

ISO 14000 was formed in 1990 with the creation of the Business Charter For Sustainable Development, an organization of 50 business leaders with an interest in environmental and development issues. The premise of its work is that economic development can only happen in a healthy environment.

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 specifies requirements that provide a framework for an Environmental Management System. It is based on the plan-to-do/check/act cycle that is common with other management system standards such as ISO 9001:2000.

Implementing ISO 14001 requires an organization to identify aspects of its operations that can impact the environment. In areas where impacts are deemed to be significant, controls are applied to manage and/or improve performance.

ISO 14001 does not set environmental performance standards, nor does it require absolute legal or regulatory compliance. What it does require is a commitment on the part of an organization to comply with regulations, to prevention pollution, and to commit to continuous improvement.

Bridon Cordage is upgrading our Quality Management System by becoming certified under the ISO 14001:2004 standard for Environmental Management Systems.

How will ISO 14001:2004 help Bridon and our customers?

Legal and regulatory compliance — ISO 14001:2004 provides a systematic approach for Bridon to meet current legal and regulatory compliance and also be in position to identify and comply with future legislation.

Best Practice — ISO 14001:2004 reflects global consensus on good environmental practice.

Reduced Cost — The performance gains from implementing ISO 14001 can be frequently measured in terms of reduced costs, including lower energy usage, waste reduction, increased recycling, and lower raw material and consumable costs.

Competitive Edge — Producers have been asking for several years: What plan does Bridon Cordage have to deal with used twine?  By being pro-active and addressing this issue through ISO 14001:2004 we are able to incorporate it with a recycling plan that will not only begin to remove the waste problem but also provide a solution in the form of a quality twine. In addition, this strategy will provide the solution for the day when legislatures mandate that industry solve their own waste problems.  Furthermore, this action shows that Bridon Cordage and its member-owners and customers are the indisputable leaders of the twine industry.

How will this benefit our sales efforts and customers?

Our customers make their living from the land. A clean and healthy environment is key to their success. While it is difficult to measure public perception, a company with a demonstrated track record of being friendly and responsible to the environment is well received. Combine this with our efforts to reclaim our used twine from the field and we will further our reputation as a cutting-edge company that partners with customers, during both the sale of the product and post-sale support and service. This will make us the only full-line, full-service supplier of twine in North America.

Our Quality Management System has been continuously upgraded for 10 years. We have made significant improvements to the Bridon Cordage Quality Management System by adding ISO 14001:2004 certification which helps enhance the environment in which we operate.

The Bridon Cordage Quality Management System drives our company to continuously improve — ISO 14001:2004 was the natural next step to improving our company.