Durban - Shell and BP South African Petroleum Refineries (Sapref) became the first crude oil refinery in the country to achieve an international environmental management standard for the full scope of its operations, it was announced last week.
The accreditations, presented to Sapref last week, come a month after the firm announced a R300 million project to reduce its sulphur dioxide emissions by 46 percent. Sapref is located in Durban's south industrial basin and has come under pressure from environmental lobby groups who are concerned about the high level of pollution in the area.
Sapref was awarded ISO 14001 accreditation for its environmental management system by two internationally recognised accreditation authorities, the Dutch agency RvA and the UK Accreditation Society, following an audit completed in December by Norwegian certification body Det Norske Veritas.
Richard Parkes, the managing director for Sapref, said he was thrilled at the achievement which was the result of 15 months' work.
The accreditation meant Sapref could influence the industrial performance of its contractors and suppliers by requiring them to produce their own health, safety and environmental management plans.