Standard answers
June 17th 2011 Max Linnemann of NQA looks at how best to identify companies with good environmental practice and the benefits of ISO 14001
Right now, virtually every company in the developed world is faced with the same issue – how to be green. Whether the sustainability agenda is being driven by compulsion or will, every business needs to address their surrounding environmental issues.
And for the canny business there is also money to be made in proclaiming their green credentials as this can attract more customers. This situation has inevitably lead to misleading claims as more and more companies try to cash in on the environmental bandwagon, without actually subscribing to rigorous environmental policies. This problem has already been recognised by Defra, which has published the Guide to Making a Good Environmental Claim, to deter businesses from misleading their customers about how sustainable they actually are.
Facilities managers and those having to source cleaning contracts may have to locate green services externally to tie into the environmental objectives of their business. In supply chain planning it is vital to clearly see each company’s qualities and shortfalls, so that you can make the right decision about who to work with. If you are responsible for purchasing from external companies and want to use businesses that are committed to sustainability, make sure the business you choose does what it claims. ISO 14001 is an international standard for environmental management systems (EMS), and is the most widely used EMS in the world. Checking whether a company in your supply chain has ISO 14001 is a great way of quickly assessing whether that business really is as green as it claims to be.
Going beyong box ticking
ISO 14001 contains three basic requirements: prevention of pollution, compliances with legislation and continual improvement of the EMS. The last requirement in particular separates the businesses that have a real drive to be green from those who just say that they are. The standard is not a box-ticking exercise. Organisations have to embed environmental practice into everything that they do, and continually set targets for improving their EMS. Being 14001 certified means employing a long term commitment to sustainable practice.
The benefits in implementing ISO 14001 are numerous, as testified by over 6,000 businesses in the UK and 111,000 organisations worldwide that are currently certified to it. Having to examine and revise processes within a business can lead to reduced consumption of energy and water, using fewer raw materials and reduced waste, which will in turn lead to reduced running costs. In tough financial times, adopting environmental standards is a great way of cutting unnecessary costs without having to resort to harsher measures like redundancies or downscaling operations. Using materials and producing products in the most efficient way possible means being able to price products competitively while still manufacturing them in an environmentally responsible way.
Keeping up with legislative change
The legislation that surrounds sustainable business operations is constantly changing. Targets like the Climate Change Levy, the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the Climate Change Agreement can seem daunting and time-intensive if addressed on an ad hoc basis. A core aspect of maintaining the standard is that the organisation’s EMS has to be reviewed on a regular and ongoing basis. Consequently, businesses who have adopted it have the opportunity to pinpoint changes and updates to legislation that will affect them and to make any necessary internal changes in good time. Organisations with ISO 14001 are therefore less likely to fall foul of legislation – something that can come with heavy costs. The standard also helps businesses reduce the risk of pollution to the environment and therefore avoid unnecessary clean up costs or enforcement action by regulatory bodies.
An ISO 14001 certificate is an asset for any company that competes
for business, especially when it comes to tender lists. With everincreasing
demands for corporate environmental responsibility,
having independent verification of your green credentials gives your
company a competitive advantage over others when contending for
new clients. Evidence of a low-impact supply chain and efficient
processes will often clinch a contract, or at the very least ensure a
place on a tender list.
For more information on what ISO 14001 stands for and how to become accredited, visit www.nqa.com | 
