Contract cleaning company Monthind Clean LLP has achieved ISO 14001 accreditation, recognising the systems it has in place to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment.

Monthind, which is based at Copford, near Colchester, and operates across the whole of East Anglia and the northern Home Counties, is also accredited under the ISO 9001 quality assurance standard, a status it has held continuously since 1992.

Last year, the firm carried out a comprehensive review of its systems and processes, along with the introduction of a new customer relationship management system.

Much of this work fell on to the shoulders of Trudy Dempsey, Monthind’s business service manager, as did the preparation for ISO 14001.

“Monthind already had the majority of processes and procedures in place, for both standards, but to be accredited you must be able to evidence that, at all times,” she said.

“Collating evidence and keeping procedures up to date is a time-consuming process, and we are recruiting a business administrator to help us to keep a check on everything.”

The nature of Monthind’s business has the potential to have a significantly negative effect on the environment, and the company has always made every effort to avoid this.

Its vehicles are all low emission, consideration is given to the chemicals used, and waste carriage is compliant with specific restrictions.

“Monthind takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously,” added Trudy. “By being accredited with ISO 14001, we can prove this to potential clients. ISOs do create extra work for management, but they are worth it.”