Indena on the environmental standard trail

The Italian firm achieved the same certification for its Settala production site in Milan in March 2010.

The IS014001 certification guarantees the plant has adequate management systems to control its environmental impact and improve activities in a sustainable way.

Indena's plant extracts are used across food and nutraceuticals, as well as the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.

François Mairel, plant director at Tours Indena, said the additional environmental management certification is important for the firm.

“We work with health, science and with nature, so the respect of nature and the environment and efforts to reduce impact on it, is in our DNA,”​ Mairel told NutraIngredients.

“Although we cannot foresee a direct impact on business, it is a ‘must-have’ certification, reflecting our general attitude and vision,”​ he said.

This is not a reaction to market demand, he added, but rather a follow-up on internal ethics and policies.

The certification covers all production activities of botanical extracts, he said, including optimising processes and rationalising resources include safeguarding water supplier, reducing air pollution and waste, recycling and disposing of waste safely.

Achieving this certification for the Tours production site is a reflection on Indena’s quality control, Mairel said, and it “validates our on-going commitment to progressively reduce the environmental impact of our production sites.”​

“Quality control is the driving force of this and other certifications,”​ he added.

Environmental standard footprints…​

Certification can be lengthy, he said, and Indena is working to achieve documentation site by site, hence the time-gap between the Milan and Tours ISO14001.

“It is company policy to have all group production sites certified,”​ he added, and the firm is dedicated to achieving the environmental standard for all of its five production sites.

Indena has established an Environmental Management Committee to oversee and drive improved sustainable practices, the firm detailed.