The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) awards the 50001 energy management certification to organisations that develop efficient energy usage policies, use data to make decisions about energy use, and continually improve energy management.

To achieve certification, Williams identified and monitored key areas of high energy and fuel usage – from its plant machinery to the processes it employs – and then introduced initiatives to minimise consumption based on industry best practice.

For example, Williams already has a large photovoltaic solar panel system installed across two of its factories’ roofs. The solar panels generate approximately 500,000kWh of electricity per year, reducing the company’s annual CO2 emissions by 300 tonnes. 

As part of its ongoing ISO 50001 commitment, the business is now exploring ways to take advantage of the energy the panels produce during non-working hours, by installing battery packs to store it for later use.

“Sustainability and energy saving have be everybody’s top priorities,” says Tim Smith, managing director of Williams Refrigeration and chief executive of the AFE Group, which owns Williams. “I’m truly proud of the team effort that went into achieving ISO 50001; it shows that all of us at Williams are committed to minimising our impact on the environment.” 

That commitment to the environment is outlined in Williams’ Greenlogic initiative, details of which can be found via the CSR section of the Williams website. Under the initiative, Williams has also achieved ISO 14001 certification, which measures all environmental impacts within the organisation.

Williams is the latest AFE Group company to achieve ISO 50001 certification, following on from sister companies Falcon Foodservice Equipment, Millers Vanguard and Serviceline.