ISO 14001 - Environmental Management Systems

A company with a certified Environmental Management System is a company that has made the decision to develop, implement, review and maintain a policy devoted to reducing and improving its impact on the environment.

ISO 14001:2018 “Specifications for Environmental Management System” is at the heart of the ISO 14000 series of standards; Organizations that implement such a Management System are committed to reducing the environmental impact of their company’s activities and aim to increase the trust of their stakeholders by demonstrating their commitment to sustainability. Growing interest in issues related to pollution and environmental protection have also led companies to develop policies to reduce and improve their impact on the environment and to the introduction of more stringent principles for participating in calls for tenders and working with public procurements. In fact, in recent decades, both at the national and European levels, regulations aimed at monitoring the sustainability of industrial, craft and service activities have proliferated. In this regard, the European Union is oriented to actively support companies that want to undertake the process of environmental certification and especially small and medium-sized enterprises.

THE BENEFITS.

Certification positively affects the company’s public image, recognizing superior quality in the eyes of potential customers, with positive implications in terms of business and marketing. Other benefits of environmental certification include:

• The reduction of resource and energy consumption resulting in reduced costs
• The reduction of environmental risks resulting in a decrease in, for example, insurance costs
• Involvement of staff, particularly management, which in the new version of the standard (14001:2018) takes on greater relevance with the goal of cascading influence to all stakeholders
• Reducing the risk of fines and preventing litigation
• The improvement of corporate image and relations with national and local institutions
• The facilitation of access to credit lines.
• Compliance with current environmental legislation
• The increase in the value of the enterprise in the market.

WHY CERTIFY

In addition to all the benefits mentioned above, ISO 14001:2018 Certification is an essential tool especially for:

1. Organizations participating in calls for tenders: contracting stations grant concessions to companies with a certified Environmental Management System, or ISO 14001 certification is often a prerequisite for participation in the tender itself
2. Organizations dealing with large contractors and public administrations: when a large company is looking for a supplier, one of the criteria may be precisely ISO 14001 certification. Again, the Public Administration may recognize facilities in permit renewals.

WILL MY COMPANY UNDERGO CHANGES?

One of the main concerns for those approaching the certification process for the first time is the thought of having to disrupt their Organization. The interventions required to properly implement an Environmental Management system actually consist of a number of best practices that Organizations already employ, such as proper waste disposal. Implementing the System is often a matter of better organizing what the company already puts into practice and documenting the information required by the standard.

HOW IS THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS CARRIED OUT?

The process to achieve ISO 14001 Certification begins with the implementation of the System, which can come independently or through the support of an external consultant. Once the system is implemented, ASACERT will verify the System’s compliance with the regulations and issue the certification which is valid for 3 years, subject to annual verification. The Audit takes place the first year and is divided into two stages (Stage 1 and Stage 2) at the end of which Certification is issued.

Within 12 months from the first issuance of Certification, a Surveillance audit is conducted to ensure that the certified system has not changed and is still in compliance. In case of major changes, the Certification Body may decide to make changes to the Certificate in order to make it responsive to the changed situation of the company.

Within 1 year from the first Surveillance check then a second Surveillance check takes place. At the end of the third year, the Certificate must be renewed by means of a Renewal Verification, otherwise it will lose its validity.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET CERTIFICATION?

Timelines depend on the level of readiness and compliance of the Management System implemented by the Organization and the size of the company. For more detailed guidance on costs and timelines, contact us and we will be happy to offer any support you need.