To achieve this important milestone, AVC conducted a comprehensive assessment based on international environmental management standards. Over an intensive preparation process spanning almost 18 months, the company conducted internal audits, updated its environmental policy and related procedures and identified key environmental aspects. Additionally, relevant employees were trained accordingly.
The AVC team, consisting of the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) department, Operations, Quality Assurance, and Management, oriented itself on the practices of already certified companies and used its own gap analyses. Furthermore, Global Director Production / Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lehner and QEHS Manager Hemant Kumar visited the already certified VULKAN companies in India and Germany to learn from their experiences.
The key criteria for certification included:
- Compliance with legal regulations
- Risk assessment
- Resource management
- A strong focus on continuous improvement
"We are delighted that, thanks to excellent teamwork and great commitment from all involved, we were able to achieve this important milestone and take another step towards officially recognized sustainable business practices," said Hemant Kumar, Quality and EHS Manager at AVC.
"A big thank you goes not only to all those involved at AVC but also to our colleagues in Germany and India who supported us in this process,” added Thomas Lehner.