The President of Iceland, Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, today presented the environmental award of SA – Business Iceland on the Business Sector Environmental Day, currently in progress at the Hilton Reykjavik Hotel Nordica. Steinull in Sauðárkrókur is the Environmental Company of the Year 2015 and the development by ON Power of quick charging stations for electrical vehicles is the Environmental Innovation of the year.
The photograph shows Mr. Páll Erland, CEO of ON Power, Mr. Ólaf Ragnar Grímsson,
President of Iceland and Einar Einarsson, CEO of Steinull at the presentation of the award this morning.
The reasoning of the jury regarding Steinull includes the following The Environmental Company of the Year has deep roots and engages in the manufacture of products in international competition. The company uses mostly domestic raw materials for its production which are not at risk of depletion. Unlike most of its foreign competitors the company uses only domestic renewable electrical power for its manufacturing activities, and the release of greenhouse gasses is less than that of its competitors. The carbon footprint of the manufactured products is therefore also smaller than that of its competitors.
In recent years eforts have been focussed on reducing waste, and a large proportion of the company’s waste products are now recycled in the production process. Work has also been done on risk analysis, preventive measures and improvements of the working environment.
The company’s products have been certifed by foreign certifcation bodies for quality and for meeting applicable standards. The company's quality management system is ISO 9001 certifed. The company has also been granted certifcation pursuant to ISO 14001 and there are plans to complete certifcation under the occupational health and safety standard OSHAS 18001 next year.
The company began operating 30 years ago and has for many years been recognised by Creditinfo as a model company. The jury was composed of Helga Jóhanna Bjarnadóttir, Head of the Environment Division of Efla Consulting Engineers, chairman, Ari Kristinn Jónsson, Rector of Reykjavik University and Thorsteinn Ingi Sigfússon, Head of Innovation Center Iceland.
The Business Sector Environment Day is organised by Business Iceland, Samorka (Iceland Energy and Utilities), the Icelandic Travel Industry Association, the Icelandic Financial Services Association, Fisheries Iceland, the Federation of Icelandic Industries and the Federation of Trade & Services.
