ISO14001: Supporting your sustainability strategy

It’s impossible these days for reputable businesses to ignore their environmental responsibilities. But how do you break through the floods of “greenwash” and demonstrate that you really are taking positive action to reduce your impact and your carbon footprint?

This is where ISO 14001 certification can set you apart from the competition. Spanning all types and sizes of businesses, ISO 14001 requires you to map out a framework for an effective environmental management system. In short, it helps you to understand your current impact and guides you to make improvements.

The benefits are huge. Aside from the obvious and very positive advantage of reducing environmental harm, certification demonstrates your ongoing commitment to your customers, suppliers, partners and stakeholders.

In a world where people are increasingly looking to businesses to “do more”, ISO 14001 is a clear signal that you are taking a responsible approach to sustainability and it’s independent status is likely to enhance your brand reputation far more than any self-generated marketing message.

Given this standard naturally addresses issues such as waste and energy efficiency, you can also expect to see some potentially significant cost savings, something particularly relevant at the present time. And of course ISO 14001 puts you in a good position to meet evolving regulatory standards by developing a proactive approach to environmental management and helping you to identify and address future risks.

Another frequently mentioned benefit is improved employee engagement and trust. Businesses often find that encouraging a culture of good environmental management resonates well with staff and becomes the foundation for other corporate social responsibility or ESG activity.

After all, ISO 14001 is very much about investing for a better future and few people want to work for a company that is not committed to that!