A ground breaking initiative designed to improve the environmental performance of the construction industry in Northern Ireland, was launched today by Environment Minister

The initiative, called NVIR-O-CERT, is an environmental management system tailored to meet the needs of the construction sector. Developed by the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) with the support of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), the new system will require participating companies to commit to continual environmental improvement.

Speaking at the launch the Minister said: "Building and civil engineering projects have a major impact on the environment through waste produced, energy used and the risk of damage to our natural habitats and watercourses. This impact must be carefully managed to ensure that future generations can benefit from a high quality natural environment alongside a high quality built environment.

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"Many local construction companies already take their environmental responsibilities very seriously. They also acknowledge that effective environmental management can result in significant business benefits. However, NVIR-O-CERT will provide an important focus for companies wanting to improve their performance; it has the potential to raise the standards of environmental management right across the industry, from the largest to the smallest business.

"I commend the Federation for taking the lead in this initiative and look forward to continued improvement in environmental management from the local construction sector."

John Armstrong, CEF Managing Director, said: "NVIR-O-CERT has been developed by the industry with a clear focus on outcomes rather than process. We see this initiative delivering significant and measurable improvements in the industry’s environmental performance. This will include industry wide performance indicators tracking waste going to landfill, energy used on site and water usage. It will also reduce incidents of pollution.

"The initiative was designed to be of benefit to companies of all sizes but with a particular awareness of the need to cater for smaller businesses. We have kept it practical, focused on performance on site, kept the paperwork straightforward and kept the costs down.

"We hope to mirror the success of Safe-T-Cert, the industry’s health and safety management system, which has driven a significant reduction in deaths and injuries on construction sites over the last 10 years."

(CD)