ISO certification

Is it really sustainable? Of course!

How can we differentiate real sustainability from empty promises? The standards set by the International Standard Organization ISO are an excellent way to compare. As they are based on the same criteria all over the world, they offer the perfect solution for transparency and credibility when it comes to environmental endeavors – for example environmental and energy management.

<h5><strong>We’re leading the way</strong></h5><p>By developing FILCOTEN® HPC, we created an innovative <strong>highly environmentally friendly high performance concrete</strong> that combines excellent technical properties with sustainability. Among others, FILCOTEN® is purely mineral, 100 % recyclable, free from solvents and heavy metals and produced with 100 % green energy. These are the best requirements to become the most sustainable company in our industry. Today, we are working harder than ever to achieve this goal. We rely on a certification of our system with regard to quality, environment and energy as well as annual audits<strong> to verify whether we meet these requirements.</strong></p><h5> </h5><h5><strong>The annual showdown</strong></h5><p>BG-Graspointner’s management updates the corporate strategy and management review on a yearly basis. The latter provides a review of the past year to define the operational objectives for the coming fiscal year.</p><p>For this purpose, Mr. Hochradl and Mr. Jochinger from <a href="https://www.tuv.at/en/home"><strong>TÜV Austria CERT</strong></a> visit the company for monitoring and repeat audits. In the course of these two to three days, they discuss the ISO standards and the implementation of strategic and operational objectives as well as the resulting opportunities and risks with the company management.</p><p> </p><h5><strong>An excellent control system</strong></h5><p>The days scheduled at the company are necessary, as we are not reviewed for just one standard, but three fields in which BG-Graspointner is certified: <strong>quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001) and energy management (ISO 50001).</strong> Since 2014, these three fields have been the core of our<strong> integrated management system</strong>, streamlining the auditing process by integrating all measures in a coherent structure.</p><h5> </h5><h5><strong>Why ISO?</strong></h5><p>What makes the ISO certification so unique is the fact that its criteria are applicable all over the world. If a company is certified in a specific field, prospective business partners and consumers around the globe know what they are in for. The ISO certification enables us to be open about our processes and to make our environmental efforts verifiable.</p><h5> </h5><h5><strong>What is audited?</strong></h5><p>As our integrated management system also covers environmental and energy matters, indicators in these field are audited in addition to our environmental and energy program, i.e. already planned and implemented projects. We work on the best possible ways to achieve our objectives. As an example, this includes decision criteria for the selection of suppliers. How far away are they? After all, long transport routes increase the carbon footprint. Are the suppliers certified and do they comply with certain standards? Concrete usually has a high carbon footprint. Therefore, we work with <strong>the most sustainable concrete supplier in the world</strong>: <a href="https://www.leube.at/">Leube.</a></p><p> </p><p>Of course, our main focus is on the auditing of BG-Graspointner. As an example, the energy-related assessment is aimed at the following issues: How high is our <strong>energy consumption</strong>? Which <strong>energy resources</strong> are used? Which vehicles are included in our <strong>fleet</strong>? The <strong>energy efficiency</strong> of individual applications such as heating, electricity, fleet, compressed air, etc. is the key criterion.</p><p> </p><p>style="color: #9ed300">Unfortunately, we are not yet able to reveal details at this point, but Mr. Jochinger from TÜV Austria confirms:</p>
“The management system at BG-Graspointner is very well integrated and there is a high level of implementing the standards.”
<h5><strong>A necessary effort</strong></h5><p>Once an audit has been completed, we adopt new objectives for the upcoming year. The way we achieve this is up to us. We also rely on <strong>internal auditing</strong> measures as a point of orientation. This enables us to see whether we are on the right track. Furthermore, <strong>we are</strong> constantly looking for possibilities to deal with resources in a more responsible way.</p><h5> </h5><h5><strong>There is only one future</strong></h5><p>style="color: For BG-Graspointner, there is<strong> no alternative when it comes to sustainable innovation.</strong> Bernhard KnoblechnerManaging DirectorBG-Graspointner | Austria </p>
“The ISO certification helps us to meet our sustainability goals because it requires us to improve, enabling us to be open about our achievements at the same time.”

Bernhard Knoblechner
Managing Director
BG-Graspointner | Austria