The contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Almac Group said its Charnwood site in Loughborough, England, has been certified to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards 45001 and 14001, following a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited audit of the site’s Integrated Management System (IMS).
 
ISO is an independent, non-governmental, international organization that produces international standards to support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. Almac’s recent UKAS certifications in Charnwood were to ISO 45001 and 14001, globally recognized standards for Operational Health & Safety and Environmental Management, respectively.
 
Almac expanded to the Charnwood site in Loughborough in 2015, in response to client demand. The site is a complement to the company’s existing pharmaceutical drug product development services at the company’s global headquarter campus in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, which has been certified with Health & Safety and Environmental standards for over a decade. The facilities at Charnwood have capacity to support tailored GMP formulation development and manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms for clinical and small-scale commercial needs, in addition to housing over 1,500 square meters of customizable GMP floor space.
 
“As an organization, Almac takes our commitment to corporate social responsibility seriously,” said James Hurst, Almac’s vice president of operations and Charnwood site head. “We are therefore delighted that the results of the UKAS audit certify that we meet the high ISO standard of Health & Safety and Environmental Management, a significant achievement in demonstrating that our Charnwood site is a safe, sustainable and responsible place for our global partners to conduct their projects. We look forward to further growth at the site.”
 
The integrated framework gives all managers and employees guidance and support regarding the management of HSE, from identifying and handling risks to evaluating and continuously improving processes and is continually updated and improved through regular assessments, reviews and internal audits. The certification of the Charnwood campus marks the start of Almac’s overall strategy to roll out the ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 certification throughout multiple sites across the globe in the coming years.