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Bergkvarabuss Group’s Environmental PolicyIntroduction
Traveller Buss AB decided to adopt an environmental policy covering all of the company’s operations as early as 1995. To this end, a special environment document was drawn up, in order to identify those aspects of Traveller Buss AB’s activities which had an impact on the environment, to highlight those which were significant and to maintain an up-to-date list of such significant aspects. The purpose of this effort was to promote active environmental thinking in all sections of the company.
Environmental policy :
Our objective is to work continuously towards minimising the potential environmental load of any products or services that we market. This applies, in equal measure, to our travel operations, passenger transport and service facilities. The ecocycle mindset and the need to economise with nature’s and our own resources are fundamental values of our deeply-rooted Småland-style corporate culture.
To attain this objective, we will work to:
 Promote environmental thinking amongst our employees, keep them informed, urge them to take major responsibility for their own duties and to become genuinely engaged in environmental issues.
Set up and maintain an Environmental Management System designed to promote efficiency and improvements, from both an environmental and a business perspective.
Run a purchasing plan which is designed to minimise the impact on the environment of our vehicles, engines, fuel, chemicals etc.
Our environmental policy has been drawn up in accordance with the ISO 14001 standard.
1. Systematic environmental strategy
Our procedure as regards environmental protection is explained in a separate environmental document.
Compliance
In working to achieve our environmental objectives, we comply with relevant laws, statutory requirements and our customers’ needs, supplemented with the results of our own environmental audits.
Our environmental vision
The company must, at all times, seek to ensure that is has the least possible impact on the environment. We comply with our pre-determined environmental policy and prioritise issues on the basis of our finances. The Environmental Management System has to be a flexible document and one that constantly adapts to new technology, new knowledge and new values.
2. Environmental organisation
The company’s Managing Director has overall responsibility for the company’s environmental activities and for setting environmental standards. The Environment Coordinator coordinates the company’s environmental activities on the basis of such pre-determined standards and is responsible for ensuring both internal and external monitoring and reporting. Head of Technical Support, the managers in charge of the individual sections and transport managers of the individual offices are responsible to the Managing Director for ensuring that the company’s environmental activities are carried out with appropriate care, responsibility and organisation within all fields of the company’s operations – vehicles, fuels, chemicals, oil/water separation and water treatment, energy and water consumption, waste etc. Every relevant manager with the company has been given a clear description of his/her duties.
Bergkvarabuss AB expects the company’s environmental activities to be carried out systematically and responsibly throughout the entire environmental chain. The operative work is carried out by local staff teams. These teams are headed by local operational managers and their operational methods and set-up are identical to those of the corresponding staff environment groups (consisting of an operational manager, service supervisor and health and safety representative)
The following are local-level responsibilities:
Service supervisors:
vehicles
fuel tanks
fresh and waste oil tanks
electrical systems
compressed air systems,
chemicals,
energy & water consumption,
oil/water separation & water treatment,
waste, recovered products
waste
Operational managers/Service supervisors:
fuel
purchasing
The division of environmental responsibilities must be explained in writing.
The company's entire business has to be assessed from an environmental point of view, in accordance with a verification system based on pre-determined verification protocols. Such protocols must indicate any deficiencies, suggestions for corrective action, as well as timescales and, if necessary, cost projections. They should also indicate the names in full of the persons who are responsible for ensuring that any proposed action is taken.
3. Training and information
The company’s staff are inspired to engage with and develop their own independent thinking on environmental issues through regular discussions and internal training programmes. The annual environmental audit is a good forum, in this regard. Staff knowledge levels need to be constantly assessed. Our objective is to bring about a situation where environmental thinking forms part of our employee’s everyday duties and where we, as a company, continuously seek to limit our environmental load. At regular meetings with our drivers, we provide them with information about current fuel consumption levels, the handling of chemicals used in bus washing etc. The relevant staff must have access at all times to an information pack which contains an index of laws and requirements, division of responsibilities, the chemicals used and hazardous waste, emergency information, verification reports and other important information about our environmental activities.
4. Service facilities, offices etc.
Our offices and facilities have been designed to modern standards which ensure that any harmful substances are isolated and maintained in the manner that has the least possible adverse impact on the environment. Wherever possible, our facilities should be connected to a district heating network. In all other cases, heating must be supplied from water-borne heating systems.
Our air-conditioning facilities must use water-borne comfort cooling systems. Facilities which are not equipped with such systems should eventually be redesigned to allow their integration, because comfort cooling systems are considerably less harmful for the environment. Low-energy lighting strips are used for indoor lighting, while long-life lamps are used for outdoor lighting, which is photocell-based.
5. Sorting at source
All our offices and facilities adhere to instructions for sorting at source, which, amongst other things, means that paper is sorted and sent for recycling. Shredded paper is reused as transport cushioning in shipments.
6. Chemical handling
Our service facilities are equipped with environmentally-friendly chemicals etc. used in bus washing. In certain cases, where this is not possible, we return waste products to the relevant suppliers, as per agreement. This applies, for instance, to batteries, oil filters and waste oil.
Chemical containers are labelled according to applicable rules. No unlabelled jerry cans or incorrectly labelled packaging are permitted. Special instructions for the storage of chemicals have been produced and we have an action plan in place in the case of an accident, leakage or spill. These procedures have been communicated to all our staff.
Any infiltration of outdoor oil or fuel spills into runoff is prevented by special barrier wells. Arrangements are also in place to prevent the overfilling of fresh and waste oil. Our oil/water separators are fitted with high oil-level alarms which are connected to buzzer systems, whose correct functioning is checked at regular intervals. These safety devices are inspected regularly. A list of all chemicals used and their properties must at all times be at hand on the premises where they are used.
7. Waste management
As regards waste management, we comply with the applicable laws and the company’s existing policy. As stated above, we sort waste at source and minimise the use of disposable materials. A list of any existing waste and its properties must at all times be at hand on the premises where it is generated.
8. Emergency preparedness
The environmental audit must explore different emergency scenarios and emergency procedures have to be drawn up. All environmental incidents must be reported promptly according to the pre-determined requirements.
9. Procedures database
There are a number of procedures supporting the company’s systematic environmental efforts in order that information can be disseminated at short notice to all the parties concerned. Such procedures, which are stored in a database, are subject to adjustments depending on local requirements, such as those of contractors etc. However, the procedures which are available in the database at all times concern:
Comments and complaints handling
The servicing and maintenance of vehicles
The measurement of the consumption of substances which have an impact on the environment
The management of oil/water separators
Cleaning and washing / the dosing of cleaning agents
Filling (including renewable fuels)
The monitoring of compliance with statutory laws and requirements as well as ancillary information on these.
10. Environmental audit
An environmental audit is carried out once a year by the relevant managers and the health and safety representative. The audit is carried out according to a pre-determined manual and any relevant verification reports.
Bergkvarabuss aims to adopt new strategies for environmental protection and will be happy to consider any proposals for improvement. Bergkvarabuss is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with suppliers in order to find alternatives which are least harmful for the environment.
11. Review process involving company management
The environmental audit and the target attainment analysis will form the basis for the company management’s review of the Environmental Management System. This review will be documented in minutes containing particulars of all the participants and decisions taken.  |
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