COPELMI is the first coal mining company in Rio Grande do Sul to become ISO 14001-certified
On June 27, 2008, COPELMI Mineração Ltda.’s Environmental Management System became NBR ISO 14001-certified. COPELMI is the first coal mining company in Rio Grande do Sul with an environmental certification. The implementation of our Environmental Management System is one of the alternatives adopted by COPELMI to ensure the continuous improvement of our processes and environmental sustainability.
COPELMI started implementing its Environmental Management System in November 2006 by bringing about, through a strong awareness campaign, a change in employees and service providers attitude. Employees and service providers across all company units received systematic environmental training. In the technical and operational area, even before the certification process had been started, COPELMI invested in waste storage centers and remodeled its maintenance areas, among other things, in order to comply with the current legislation.
The Environmental Management System ensures, through an Environmental Policy, compliance with applicable legal requirements, pollution prevention, and our commitment to continuous improvement. To implement this policy, objectives, goals and programs were set with the aim of controlling the possible environmental impacts of our business.
In March 2008 our company started the NBR ISO 14001 certification process by applying to the certifying agency British Standards Institution (BSI), aiming at including all of the company’s production units, eventually achieving success at the end of the process.
COPELMI is now seeking the continuous improvement of our Management System, providing and intensifying training courses, carrying out inspections and projects, and complying with the current legislation across all units, with the help of our environmental department, employees and partners.
Our interest in changing attitudes on the part of companies, government and society through the management of natural resources appeared in the 1970s, making people aware of their future depletion. Under this scenario, environmental protection was no longer an exclusive subject of ecologists and scientists and the concept of sustainable development grew in importance. The constant pressure by international organizations, means of communication, and the organized civil society, added to the necessity of meeting legal requirements and following the new international market rules, caused companies to adopt new environmental strategies. The ISO 14001 certification approves COPELMI’s environmental commitment.
