Are you wondering what ISO 14001 is and why it is important to get certified? This information is for you.
As we move further into the 21st century, all forms of stakeholders are looking to work with, and purchase from organisations that are taking into account their environmental impacts. No matter your size or the scope of operations, public sentiment is increasingly favouring organisations that have an environmental management system in place to minimise their environmental footprint and continuously look for areas in which they can improve.
This is where an ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System – steps into the equation.
ISO 14001 Certification from best practice
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is an internationally-recognised framework that provides organisations with the requirements of an environmental management system. This Environmental Management System allows an organisation to minimise its impact on the environment, and optimise its environmental outputs through a framework that helps to identify environmental risks, as well as areas an organisation can consolidate its efforts to become more environmentally friendly.
An Environmental Management System like ISO 14001 helps you map out your organisation’s wide, strategic objectives and align them with goals and outcomes that are environmentally sustainable, so you can inspire your customers and external stakeholders with your organisation’s proactive approach to environmental concerns. In essence, it provides a framework that maps out how your organisation is currently impacting the environment, identifying areas of improvement and potential risks along the way.
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Why is ISO 14001 Important?
An environmental management system like ISO 14001 is becoming even more important as we move into a new decade that will be underpinned by environmental concerns and minimising our impact on the Earth. From the outset, certifying your organisation’s operations with a system like ISO 14001 illustrates to your customers, suppliers and external stakeholders that you’re committed to being an environmentally sustainable organisation, which can inspire both increased sales, as well as overcoming regulatory barriers to entry for certain projects.
It’s important because as we move further into the 21st century, regulators and customers alike are increasingly demanding environmental impacts be taken into account by the organisation they’re purchasing from or working with. In the absence of an environmental management system, you risk losing customers to competitors that see the value in showing their customers they’re certified to an internationally-recognised framework like ISO 14001.
Why Should I Get Certified?
You and your organisation should consider getting certified due to the risks and lost opportunities involved with not getting certified to an environmental management standard like ISO 14001. Regardless of your operations, there are areas in which your organisation can improve its impact on the natural environment in which you’re operating, as well as reducing the impact of your peripheral activities. Customers are increasingly voting with their wallets when it comes to organisations that fail to meet their environmental obligations, and you’ll risk being known as the organisation that doesn’t take environmental concerns onboard as you operate. With certification, you can present to your staff, customers, suppliers and stakeholders a comprehensive set of environmental considerations that you’re attempting to minimise, and in the process, you’ll gain a more insightful understanding of your operations.
Perhaps more significantly, once certified to an Environmental Management System like ISO 14001, you’ll potentially be eligible for more lucrative, large scale and government contracts that are only offered to organisations that can provide proof of their commitment to reducing environmental impacts in their operations.
What are the Benefits of Getting Certified?
- You’ll be eligible to work on larger, more lucrative projects reserved for companies with an environmental management system in place
- Impress customers, regulators and stakeholders with your proactive approach to environmental management and proven corporate responsibility
- You’ll gain a more comprehensive understanding of your operations
- You’ll benefit from increased addressing environmental risks in your operations
- Inspire consumer and stakeholder confidence in your ability to plan for, and mitigate environmental issues in your supply chain and operations
- Overcome regulatory hurdles
- More informed decision making in-line with risk-based thinking and the plan-do-check-act cycle of improvement
How to Get Certified to ISO 14001?
If you would like more information on how to get certified, we’d be happy to arrange a call to talk about your options. Alternatively, if you’d like an obligation-free way to see the ways in which an Environmental Management System can help improve your operations, get your Free ISO 14001 Gap Analysis Checklist.
