Greener environmental credentials for Ballance

5 December 2011

Greener environmental credentials for Ballance

Ballance Agri-Nutrients has deepened its green credentials, with three more sites gaining ISO14001 certification from independent auditors Verification New Zealand.

Ballance’s manufacturing plants at Awarua and Whangarei, along with its head office in Mount Maunganui, have joined the company’s Kapuni manufacturing site in securing the internationally recognised certification.

The ISO14001 standard is used by companies to design and implement an effective environmental management system capable of continuous improvement. Certification follows an independent audit by Verification New Zealand.

“We are serious about our environmental responsibilities and the ISO14001 certification underlines that,” Chief Executive Larry Bilodeau said.

“Having achieved this milestone we will continue our programme to achieve certification for other parts of our operations.”

Mr Bilodeau said Ballance’s customers looked to them for support in achieving better environmental performance and the certification would give them confidence that they were dealing with a company following strict environmental practices itself.

“Certification is a natural fit with our promise to farmers that we will help them grow production with a lighter environmental footprint.”

Ballance Group Environmental Manager Nigel Sadlier said achieving certification had taken a great deal of effort by key operational staff.

“Certification sets the standard of all our activities over the long-term and shows our commitment to achieving the best environmental performance.”

Ballance adds the certification to a number of other significant sustainability achievements in the past 12 months, including the launch of a new product, Go Clear, which helps reduce air pollution when used in modern diesel truck exhausts by converting nitrogen oxide gasses into CO2 and water.

In addition the co-operative was also granted $9.75 million as part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Primary Growth Partnership programme. This funding has enabled Ballance to launch a $32 million programme to increase the productive capacity of New Zealand’s primary sector while minimising environmental impacts.

Its recent partial acquisitions of animal nutrition company Seales Winslow, and Farmworks Systems Limited enable sustainable levels of animal feed in modern intensive farming practices, as well as assist farmers to sustainably manage farm effluent via analytical assessment of land with farm technology system AgHub.

“We are serious about our environmental responsibilities, both on farm and throughout our business,” said Mr Bilodeau.

ENDS

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