Every organisation, of whatever type or size, through its very existence, creates an impact on the environment. ISO 14001 provides organisations with the response needed to control and reduce that impact by implementing an environmental management system.
A business with environmental policies and procedures in place, to the requirements of the standard, is able to achieve formal certification to ISO 14001, demonstrating the organisation’s level of environmental awareness and social responsibility and providing a range of other potential and tangible benefits.
How Can ISO 14001 – The Environmental Management Standard – Benefit An Organisation?
By implementing an environmental management system to the requirements of ISO 14001, an organisation addresses the consequences of its own impact on the environment while redefining and increasing its competitive edge:
- Creating new sales opportunities: a commercial organisation that is operating in the ‘business to business’ arena may find that, unless it has a formal environmental management system in place, it may be considered less favourably as a potential supplier by prospective public or private sector customers. Equally, many individual customers are sufficiently concerned about environmental issues to seek to deal with like minded organisations.
- Running good publicity campaigns: organisations with ISO 14001 certification have a reason to contact potential customers and run reinvigorated publicity and marketing campaigns to maintain their leading edge over competitors.
- Seeking help with finance: lenders may be more willing to deal with organisations that take a high level of environmental responsibility and operate to the demands of a recognised management standard and best practice.
- Achieving improved performance and compliance: the way in which the organisation works can become more consistent, reliable, and efficient, enabling it to reduce costs, improve performance and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
- Creating a dynamic new culture: the organisation’s people will be likely to welcome the improvements to the way they work and will also be keen to play a role, creating a refreshing new culture.
- Gaining an enhanced reputation: the organisation’s clear commitment to the environment and responsibility towards the community and its people will be recognised and respected.
ISO 14001 Environmental Management Integrated With Other Management Systems
Increasingly, standards are being updated and revised to ensure that several management systems can be operated effectively together, under the same framework, with familiar themes, in common with one another.
If an organisation is already operating a recognised management system to a standard, such as ISO 9001 (quality management), the right type of procedures will be in place to support the implementation of other management systems, such as environmental management. If an organisation is new to management standards, two systems can be introduced and integrated together, each with the same look and feel, under similar procedures that will be operated more efficiently and clearly understood.
By integrating two or more management systems, duplication of effort and cost can be reduced or avoided wherever possible.
Achieving ISO 14001 Certification By A UKAS Accredited Body
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service UKAS) is recognised by the UK government as the national accreditation body to assess organisations that provide certification to internationally recognised management standards, such as ISO 14001. Accreditation by UKAS is evidence of the competence, impartiality and performance capability of the bodies that are accredited and which carry out the certification process. UKAS is a non-profit-distributing private company.
Following the implementation of a new environmental management system, Touchstone Renard always recommends that formal certification to ISO 14001 be carried out by an independent certification body, accredited by UKAS. This enables the final certification process to remain independent from the work carried out by Touchstone Renard in setting up the system, providing transparency, confidence and reassurance that the new procedures are sufficiently robust and comply with the requirements of the standard.
An increasing number of private and public sector organisations require their suppliers to operate an environmental management system to ISO 14001 to enable them to be considered for selection. However, many customers prefer or even insist on suppliers who have achieved independent certification by a UKAS accredited body.
Touchstone Renard will support clients in designing and implementing an environmental management system to the requirements of ISO 14001 before facilitating clients in selecting a UKAS accredited body (of the client’s choice) to carry out the final assessment and certification of the new system, independently of Touchstone Renard.
Following achievement of certification to ISO 14001 through an independent certification body, an organisation will be entitled to display the UKAS accredited body logo as evidence of its success.
How Touchstone Renard Can Help An Organisation Achieve ISO 14001
Touchstone Renard has been supporting a vast range of organisations across the private and public sectors with the design and implementation of management systems since the early 1990s.
We have developed a long and successful track record in working with clients, in the way that suits them best, to set up and maintain management systems that comply with the requirements of the relevant standards but which also fit the needs and culture of the client concerned. Our aim is to provide a highly flexible and comprehensive service to meet the needs and budgets of our clients.
We will provide the support required while ensuring that our clients are able to continue dealing with the day to day running of their organisations.
We will appoint a consultant to match the demands of the organisation and its marketplace and will agree a fixed cost and time schedule for completing the work by following a proposed programme to suit the organisation’s requirements.
The qualified, experienced, professional consultant appointed will support the organisation throughout the entire process up to ISO 14001 certification - and beyond if agreed. The work will usually be divided into a series of clearly defined stages, from the design of the new system, through to certification by an independent body.
Our consultant will initially hold a meeting to ‘get to know’ the organisation and the way it operates and will then be able to suggest ways in which the management system can be designed to ensure that major benefits are realised.
If a client wishes, our consultant will help maintain and update the certified management system going forward into the future. This service could include carrying out internal audits, internal training, overseeing management reviews and generally ensuring that the system is up to date, working effectively and continuing to achieve re-certification.
If required, we are also pleased to help an organisation to achieve or maintain an environmental management system integrated with other management systems, such as quality management (ISO 9001) or health and safety management (BS OHSAS 18001).
We always aim to avoid any disruption to the day to day working activities of our clients and to develop straight forward procedures and policies that are easily understood and meaningful, tailored to the demands and circumstances of the organisation.
We will work as cost effectively as possible and, of course, do all that is necessary to ensure that certification is achieved.
No assignment is too small or large and every client organisation that engages our service receives a free copy of the relevant standard(s).
Please Contact Touchstone Renard
If you would welcome a discussion or would like to receive information, without any obligation, about ISO 14001, or any other management standard, or you would like to find out more about how a certified management system can support an organisation in achieving its aims, please contact: Phil Austin, Managing Director:
- Tel: +44 (0)203 954 2576.
- Mob: +44(0) 7768 366 744.
- Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
