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ENVIRONMENT
- LATEST NEWS
 Cumbria
Wildlife Trust
Howe
Ridding Wood - January 2003
Support
for 'Trees for Life' Charity - Sept 2002
Permit
to Operate under the IPPC Regulations
English
Heritage - Sept 2001 - Sept 2002
Site
of Special Scientific Interest
Climate
Change Levy - April 2001
IPPC
Regulations - April 2001
ISO14001
Accreditation - January 2001
Cumbria
Wildlife Trust
James Cropper joined the Cumbria Wildlife Trust at their 40th Anniversary
fundraising celebrations, to recognise the significant contribution
that industry, businesses and organisations make through their association
with the Wildlife Trust. 
Professor
David Bellamy, National President of The Wildlife Trusts is pictured
with Richard Duffell (left) and Anthony Bowness (far right) representatives
of our Environmental
Committee, and our Chairman James Cropper.
 Howe
Ridding Wood
As a corporate member of the Wildlife Trust in Cumbria, James Cropper
continues to support improvement projects at local nature reserves.
In
January 2003 a contribution of £1046 was made towards the
Howe Ridding Wood project, on the Whitbarrow Nature Reserve.
The  donation,
made via the ENTRUST tax credit scheme, will be used to restore
the old damson orchard which has
been an enclosure since the late 1800s. Forming an open glade within
the woodland, this is an ideal habitat for invertebrates, and also
excellent for butterflies, particularly the fritillaries.
 Wild
Things!
As part of ongoing environmental initiatives to support charitable
organisations in their efforts to preserve and develop areas of
natural flora and fauna, the James Cropper paper mill and specialist
UK paper merchant GF Smith are each sponsoring a class of 30 children
to participate in an educational project called Wild Things!
Wild Things is organised by Jenny Martin of Trees for Life, a Scottish
conservation charity dedicated to restoring the Caledonian Forest,
and aims to help children understand the importance of experiencing
and respecting the natural world. Activities include educational
sessions in schools and residential breaks at the Trees for Life
field centre in Scotland.
James Cropper planted a commorative tree at the mill site in Cumbria
on the occasion of a visit from Jenny Martin of the Trees for Life
charity and members of the greeting card association associated
with Wild Things through their trade initiative Forests of the Future.
IPPC
The
Company has now achieved its Permit to Operate under the Integrated
Pollution Prevention & Control (IPPC) Regulations. The UK paper
and pulp industry has been among the first industrial sectors in
the UK and Europe to be regulated under these regulations. The Group's
accreditation to ISO 14001 gave it exemption from the Environmental
Management element of the regulations as the disciplines within
the ISO14001 exceed those required under IPPC. IPPC sets new and
unprecedented standards of environmental performance for businesses
within its remit. Over the coming year, in addition to its own internally
generated improvement programmes, the Group will undertake a number
of actions agreed with the Environment Agency aimed at further reducing
its impact on the environment. The added benefit of most of the
work to be done will, in addition to protecting the environment,
provide the framework required for identifying and eliminating unnecessary
costs.
 English
Heritage
The outstanding East window of St Martin's Church, the parish Church
of Bowness-on-Windermere built in 1483, actually pre-dates the church
itself. Some of the coloured glass was obtained from Cartmel Priory,
of particular note the green figure of the Virgin and Child (below)
which, dates from 1260 and, is some of the oldest coloured glass
in England.
  A
report on the window was commissioned in 1997 with recommendations
for it's conservation and restoration. With the agreement of English
Heritage the restoration work has been entrusted to the York Glaziers
Trust, who are among the foremost specialists in this field. A donation
towards the Millennium Appeal for the restoration of the window
was provided by James Cropper plc through LTCS which promotes continuous
environmental, social and community benefit throughout the UK. The
work began in September 2001 with completion scheduled within twelve
months.
 Site
of Special Scientific Interest
The good environmental practices conducted by James Cropper, combined
with investment by the Company in a direct pipeline link to the
local water treatment works, have contributed to the River Kent
now being designated as a Class RE1 river. This means that the standard
of water is very good, suitable for all freshwater fish and other
aquatic species.
English Nature, the government agency responsible for nature conservation
in England, have recently classed the river Kent as a Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) because it is home to white-clawed crayfish,
the UK's only native species of freshwater crayfish. The re-establishment
of white-clawed crayfish in the River Kent (a species particularly
sensitive to pollutants) is a testament to the high quality of the
water. This species is considered to be under such threat, globally,
that it has been given protected status under both UK and European
law.
 CLIMATE
CHANGE LEVY (CCL)
The CCL, also applicable from 1 April 2001, is designed to incentivise
a reduced use of energy in UK industry, and hence reduce the amount
of carbon dioxide which is emitted into the atmosphere - a major
contributory factor towards global warming.
As
a member of The Paper Federation
of Great Britain, and part of an industry sector strongly regulated
under IPPC, James Cropper plc has entered into a sectoral agreement
with the Paper Federation and the Government. As part of this initiative,
the mill has committed to reduce energy use by at least 10 percent
over a 10 year period.
The
mill invested in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant in 1987 and,
even today, this technology is considered to be best practise because
of its high fuel efficiency. In return for James Cropper plc's commitment
to reduce energy use, over the coming 10 years, the Government is
completely exempting gas used in the mill's CHP plant from the Levy
and allows an 80% Levy discount on all other gas and electricity
used by the mill.
INTEGRATED
POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL (IPPC)
From 1 April 2001 the IPPC regulations became legally enforceable
for the paper industry in the UK, and have determined that all mills
with an output of more than 20 tonnes of paper per day require a
'Permit to Operate' from the Environment Agency.
James
Cropper plc has been working closely with the Environment Agency
and a permit application has been submitted.
The
new IPPC Regulations supersede the IPC (Integrated Pollution Control)
Regulations, by which the paper industry was also bound. However,
James Cropper plc was exempted from IPC Regulations as it was assessed
to be a negligible pollution risk.
 ISO14001
accreditation awarded to James Cropper plc – Certificate No.
EMS 57536
As a paper manufacturer operating for many years within an area
of outstanding natural beauty, James Cropper has always been actively
establishing and promoting environmental practises which ensure
careful stewardship of our natural resources.
The commitment the Company has made in helping protect the environment
has now been recognised. The Environmental Management System that
we operate complies with the internationally accepted environmental
standard ISO14001.
ISO14001 was formulated by the International Organisation for Standardisation
which is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The standard evolved from
talks held during the 1992 summit on the environment in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
This award is based on the premise of continuous improvement, and
indicates a company’s commitment to environmental practises
and their ability to implement those practises on a daily basis.
Ongoing internal and third party audits are required to maintain
certification.
James Cropper’s environmental
policy is reviewed annually in order to:
detail
our specific environmental goals
ensure
our operations are effective in protecting the environment for future
generations to enjoy
Presentation of the certificate by BSI on 13 March 2001.
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