Beko plc is now ISO14001 certified

Beko plc is now certified to ISO 14001:2015 for our Environmental Management System. We were awarded our certification by a UKAS accredited certification body - Alcumus ISOQAR, which audited our operations in Watford and Tamworth relating to the import, storage, distribution, sale, repair and installation of domestic appliances.

We are the first non-manufacturing subsidiary of Beko to have the ISO14001 certification. The factories, owned by our parent company, that produce the products we sell in the UK and Ireland already had ISO14001 certification, alongside certifications for other management system standards that are key to the manufacturing sector like ISO50001 Energy Management System Standard or ISO9001 Quality Standard.

ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS). It provides a framework for organisations to design and implement an EMS, and continually improve their environmental performance. The framework encompasses various aspects, from resource usage and waste management to monitoring environmental performance and involving stakeholders in environmental commitments.

We have already taken steps to reduce our impact on the environment, in particular, to minimise the carbon footprint related to our buildings. Earlier this year, we installed solar panels in the Watford Head Office which will reduce the grid energy consumption by about 20% over a year. We also replaced the old lighting system with a more efficient LED lighting one, reducing the overall electricity needed for the head office. At the same time, the current LED lighting system in the Tamworth warehouses is being upgraded to be more efficient.

While these measures help decrease the carbon footprint of our operations, it's very small compared to value chain emissions, the emissions coming from the use of the products we sell. This is why, over the last few years, there has been a strong focus throughout the business to increase the sales of more efficient products. From the Research and Development teams in factories that are tasked with developing products that are more efficient but also affordable, to local marketing and sales teams in the UK that have targets to increase the sales of efficient products, while also promoting and educating consumers on the efficient use of current or new products. With this increased focus throughout, we have managed to decrease the emissions from product use, year-on-year, for the last 3 years, with 2023 showing a 7% reduction in the intensity of emissions from product use* versus the previous year.

Even before this certification, we had already taken some important steps in reducing our impact on the environment. The implementation of the Environmental Management System and the ISO14001 certification brought in a more formalised and structured approach. At the same time, it is providing internationally recognised assurance for the way we manage our operations and environmental impacts and formalising our commitment to continual improvement of our environmental performance. 

*The total emissions from the use of sold products divided by the number of products sold.