Everything you need to know about ISO 14001
In the past decade, the idea of corporate social responsibility has become a major driving factor in business operations. Gone are the days when organizations could ignore the negative externalities of their actions and simply focus on profit. Today’s customers and employees demand businesses they are loyal to, to show an engagement with issues such as gender equality, community-building as well as environmental concerns.
What is ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is one of the most popular certifiable standards developed by the International Standards Organization, and falls within a greater family of standards known as “ISO 14000 – Environmental Management”. This voluntary standard seeks to help businesses create a systematic approach for managing and controlling the environmental impact of their business practices.
ISO 14001 takes a holistic approach to integrating environmental consciousness into an organization. Instead of dealing with these factors as they arise, the ISO encourages each function of the business from board-level strategic planning, to divisional management, to keep environmental performance in focus when developing any new initiative. As with most standards, ISO 14001, encourages continuous improvement of systems and processes to keep them in line with current environmental concerns.
Amongst the various issues that the ISO deals with are: waste management, sustainability, clean water, sewage treatment as well as the efficient use of resources.
Benefits of ISO 14001
Deciding to pursue an ISO 14001 certification can vastly improve your organization both internally and externally.
Many organizations are understandably concerned with their bottom line, and this standard can help improve profits. By turning the spotlight on the identification, management, and improvement of environmentally damaging activities, the ISO ensures that any waste management or expensive repairs costs are greatly eased, along with any rise in fines and government tariffs that could result from these activities. By encouraging sustainability, the ISO encourages firms to recycle and reuse materials where possible, cutting supply costs and increasing business flexibility.
ISO 14001 is a voluntary standard: if an organization decides to gain a certification without any external pressure, it is a clear signal to customers that the firm is committed to reducing its impact on nature. It’s easy to market your business as being customer-friendly and ethical but actually taking certifiable action reassures customers that the company they choose is aware of its social responsibilities and is working with the community. Of course, this will improve your brand image, and provide you with another unique marketing approach that will drive sales and allow you to reach market segments you may not have been able to, previously.
Attracts and Encourages Employees
Highly talented employees will often avoid firms with a reputation for unethical business practices. In a world where people are extremely engaged with social issues, many individuals do not want to contribute to a company that “doesn’t care”. An ISO 14001 certification and approach to management and practice can make a vital difference to that perception.
It will also motivate existing employees to be more environmentally conscious reducing the possibility of environmental incidents that could harm them, or the community.