Business owners and senior managers are having to give more thought to how they can reduce the environmental impact of their organisation’s operations.

For many, a significant challenge is identifying what steps to take, how to get started and how to sustain the new regime. Some organisations use the internationally recognised ISO 14001 accreditation as evidence of good operations, and many large public and private sector tenders routinely ask if suppliers have this accreditation.

This briefing paper explains how organisations work towards ISO 14001 – and how we help clients to successfully achieve this international accreditation.

Practically Green has a 100% success record in supporting clients through the process of achieving ISO 14001 accreditation, and our engagement reduces client workload and costs. Because our business also holds ISO 14001, we can offer practical tips and guidance based on experience.

practically-green.co.uk

Briefing Paper: ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems

Why is environmental management importantAll businesses use resources. Many are readily available and do not cost much – water in the Scottish highlands is a good example. But increasingly, our business operations involve raw materials and inputs which are obtained from overseas and transported many miles. If these resources become scarcer, we will have to pay more for them.

At the end of our business operations, we produce waste. In the past this was taken away and dumped in landfill, at a cost, with very little thought.

Between the start and end of operations, there is a range of activity requiring energy and resources, which will produce waste and by-products.

Good environmental management, packaged in an Environmental Management System, is a direct way to eliminate bad practice and achieve a raft of cost-efficient benefits. Imagine the advantages over your competitors if your business requires less raw material, uses less resources in day-to-day operations – and produces less waste that needs to be taken away!

An Environmental Management System ensures staff, customers and stakeholders understand how an organisation manages its interaction with the environment. This new way of working can then be accredited to the ISO 14001 standard.

What does ISO 14001 involveAchieving ISO 14001 involves a number of activities:

Start by considering actual and probable environmental issues arising in operations, as well as possible effects outside the organisation

Produce an environmental policy which details the organisation’s commitment to good environmental management

Develop in-depth understanding of environmental regulation and compliance, as it applies to your organisation

Set objectives and targets for environmental management and improvement

Allocate resources to implement good environmental practice

Establish and maintain key environmental operations and procedures

Support regular reviews that identify potential improvements and establish continual operational development

How we help implement ISO 14001 We have supported a wide range of clients, from sole traders to national, multi-site organisations, who are working towards ISO 14001 accreditation.

Our custom-designed activity, tailored to meet client requirements, involves:

An initial free review to provide a bespoke assessment that ensures you only pay for what you need

Our unique interactive resource helps clients quickly and effectively identify key environmental issues and requirements

Minimal paperwork and writing; we keep text to a minimum, using process diagrams and flow charts to explain activity. A management system doesn’t need to fill lots of files

We work with clients until they pass the first audit, ensuring their new management system is fit for purpose. Only then do we charge our final payment, underlining our absolute commitment to supporting clients until they have the foundation in place for successfully achieving ISO accreditation.

What our clients say The following testimonial highlights a client’s experience of engaging with Practically Green to help create their management system:

“To assist with a planned and structured growth Korrie Mechanical & Plumbing identified the need for the business, together with its branches, to operate on a uniform basis. The aim was to introduce a Quality Management System that was tailored, user friendly and not too onerous. We approached Archie at Practically Green; not only did he embrace this challenge, he created the idea of developing an Integrated Management System to incorporate Quality Management (ISO 9001), Environmental Management (ISO 14001) and Health & Safety (BS OHSAS 18001).

Archie prepared the foundation and together we developed and populated the processes and procedures. We achieved accreditation for all disciplines in September 2017 - testament to Archie’s knowledge, guidance, patience and perseverance.”

Peter Corbett, Operations Director, Korrie Mechanical & Plumbing

To find out more, contact Archie Prentice, Practically Green Managing Director.

info@practically-green.co.uk 07584 297485

practically-green.co.uk

Briefing Paper: ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems