Pictured above: Guy Dibley

Paragon Interiors Group, the leading fit-out company, has been awarded the ISO 14001 accreditation - the internationally recognised environmental management standard.

In order to become ISO 14001 compliant, Paragon had to provide evidence of an established framework and policy for operating in a way that has minimal impact on the environment, as well as clear plans and achievable targets for future environmental performance.

Guy Dibley, compliance and quality director at Pargaon said that the achievement reinforces Paragon's ongoing commitment to reducing the impact business has on the environment. He commented: "Implementing such a system has been a significant undertaking, however we believe the benefits are substantial and as a business, we are obligated to ensure we measure risk in everything we do in order to protect the environment. 

"We have always strived to be an environmentally conscious firm, working closely with The Carbon Trust in the past, as we aim to become carbon neutral. The ISO14001 process actually made us realise we already met a lot of the requirements for the accreditation. As a fit-out and interior design firm, many aspects of what we do can involve risk to the environment, such as clearing building waste, but we are thorough in our approach to assessing risk and putting the appropriate measures in place to reduce our environmental impact. 

"Additionally, this accreditation will add value to our client services as there is now increased demand for companies to employ a certified environmentally responsible supplier. It is our aim for environmental considerations to form a critical part of every business decision made at Paragon by staff at all levels."

Paragon has already achieved ISO 9001 and is currently in the process of applying for OHSAS 18001, the health and safety accreditation. The ultimate aim is to link all three standards together to achieve PAS99.