Plaudits abound as O.C.O marks new milestones
O.C.O success story continues with a slew of awards and accreditations that mark it out as a clear leader in its field.
It’s latest highlight was achieved on Thursday (8 October), when the business was named as winner of the Cleantech Award in the National Sustainability Awards 2026, held in London.
The category celebrates pioneering environmental and energy-saving technologies, and the carbon capture specialist was also shortlisted for Carbon Capture and Offsetting scheme of the year, an award it won in 2023.
The awards success came hot on the heels of O.C.O and HSI HandsHQ being named winner of the Supplier of the Year category at the annual awards event organised by IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health). Judges were told that implementing HSI HandsHQ’s Training Management System had brought many positive benefits to O.C.O and said it was: “An excellent example of a supplier acting as a true collaborative partner. The implementation of the CMS demonstrates a strong understanding of client needs, effective governance and change management, and a clear commitment to improving occupational safety and health outcomes.”
Based in the UK, IOSH is the Chartered body and largest membership organisation for health and safety professionals.
Standing alongside these outstanding achievements, for the sixth year running, O.C.O has been awarded an Excellent rating under the BES 6001 Issue 4.0 Framework Standard for Responsible Sourcing. This followed detailed audits across all three sites (Wretham, Leeds and Avonmouth) and included a focus on environmental management, health and safety management systems as well as interaction with local communities.
And there was further success with the announcement that O.C.O has successfully passed both its LRQA (CMS)– achieving a 100% score –and Achilles external audits, which were conducted across the Leeds and Wretham sites in September.
O.C.O’s Adrian Sherman, HSEQ Manager, said: “I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who supported the audit process. The professionalism, knowledge, and commitment demonstrated by our teams were recognised throughout, and all staff represented the business exceptionally well.
“These external audits are an important part of our operations, providing valuable independent feedback on our systems and processes while helping to maintain the high standards we set across the business.”
The LRQA Competence Management System (CMS) audit evaluates whether an organisation has effectively established corporate-wide technical competence to safely manage its permitted waste and environmental operations.
Philip Atkinson, UK Managing Director, said:
“I am incredibly proud of all our achievements. Awards and accreditations like these go a long way in reassuring our customers that they are dealing with a company that is both at the forefront of pioneering technology and continues to responsibly source the most sustainable suppliers and resources across all our operations, whilst also being committed to reducing the overall environmental impact of our business.
“A huge thank you must go to all our teams, who deliver such high levels of service excellence and award-winning success day-after-day.”
Closer to its home operation in Norfolk, O.C.O has made its own commitment to the awards agenda by becoming a headline sponsor of the inaugural Breckland Business Awards in Norfolk, helping celebrate the outstanding achievements of local businesses across the county.
The awards, which are organised by Breckland Council, saw O.C.O present the award for Business of the Year to Centurion Safety Products. Recently, council leader Sam Chapman-Allen visited O.C.O’s Wretham facility as part of a video documentary series the council is making about outstanding businesses in Norfolk.
