FTSE 100 Company – Producer Responsibility Scheme audit

Services provided

Audit of the organisation’s Producer Responsibility Scheme management and data collation for legislative compliance and to improve efficiency

Benefits achieved 

Improvements to the management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), battery and packaging waste

Summary

This customer is one of the world's leading mobile communications providers with almost 444 million customers internationally, around 19.5 million customers in the UK and over 13,000 people employed across the UK.

JRP Solutions were commissioned to undertake an audit of the management of this customer’s Producer Responsibility Scheme with the aim of ensuring that the data gathering process for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE), European Recycling Platform (ERP) and battery producer responsibility schemes was as accurate and efficient as possible.

The customer specifically wanted answers to questions about their interpretation of the legislative requirements, data collation, submission of data to Producer Compliance Schemes and their influence on reducing resource use.

JRP Solutions cross referenced each compliance registration requirement and produced a producer responsibility audit gap analysis to show the customer’s level of compliance against each of the relevant regulations Using a red, amber, green analysis to assess compliance, opportunity for improvement and non-compliant status, JRP provided a detailed review of the customer’s performance, risks of non-compliance and opportunities for performance improvement.

Results

Effective, fully compliant waste handling and management, as well as being a regulatory requirement for the customer’s UK operations, also contributes to the achievement of the company’s objectives for cost-effective resource efficiency These two factors are critical to maintaining and enhancing brand reputation.

JRP identified a range of areas for improvement, including recommendations for the wider ISO 14001 environmental policy such as improving take back procedures in stores and having a defined procedure for data collection at retail outlets Other potential areas for improvement included promotion of take back schemes, a formalised procedure detailing the full cycle of WEEE and battery reporting, packaging returns and communication.

JRP has subsequently been asked to audit two significant partners in this customer’s supply chain, those responsible for managing and submitting compliant data and reports, on the customer’s behalf.

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