AN East Lancashire paper mill is helping to lead the green revolution in the workplace.

The New Waterside Paper Mill in Darwen was the first paper mill in the country to gain the prestigious BS7750 after switching to environmentally friendly practises.

But their new policy isn't just helping to protect the environment - it is also helping the business.

The company is proof that going green really does pay - since adopting the new code of practice the company has saved £300,000 on running costs and even more savings have been identified for the future.

New Waterside took its first green steps over 40 years ago when it began investing in recycled papers.

And today it operates an environmental management system.

Andrew Farrell, group quality systems manager explained: "We looked at the environmental impact of our activities and set up a environmental management action group to draw up a programme of changes.

"We have looked at everything from our buildings and landscapes to emissions to water usage and waste control systems.

"Just by changing the way we use our pallets we have saved £50,000 and recycling our lubrication oil has saved another £2,665 to date. We have also saved £6,000 by using recycled pulp." He said that water was the lifeline of any paper mill but they had still managed to reduce water usage and waste.

He added: "There is still a lot to be done and a lot of that revolves around saving energy.

"We are looking at everything from our use of coal, heavy fuel and electricity on site right down to small things like energy saving lightbulbs and motors.

"Our aim is to introduce an energy reduction programme. It is a continuous programme of improvements and we actively encourage all members of staff to come up with their own ideas.

"We believe that switching to an environmental management system benefited employees by improving their working environment, it has affected the local community because our site is much cleaner and, hopefully, it will have a wider environmental influence.

"But the bottom line is that it has also saved us a lot of money and no business can afford to ignore that."

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