Want to make commerce flow more sustainably?
Know the Five W’s of ISO 14001 certification and how to get there.
Are you responsible for managing a supply chain or transportation/distribution network? No doubt, reducing your carbon footprint is becoming a key supply chain management priority. You may be pursuing this goal in a number of ways. Maybe your focus is on reducing energy consumption to cut costs. Improving energy efficiency in distribution centers. Or, adding fuel-efficient vehicles to your fleet to minimize environmental impact.
Whether your efforts are incremental or large-scale, supply chain logistics practices that make commerce flow sustainably are gaining traction every day. Customers are challenging companies to make production and logistics processes more sustainable. Partners want to work with companies that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. And government regulations are mandating more responsible practices. Just two weeks ago, President Obama discussed new emissions standards for manufacturing.
So how do you get there from here – and do business in more sustainable ways?
Here’s one way to get there: ISO 14001 certification
One route to a more sustainable business is building an Environmental Management Systems (EMS) within the auspices of the global ISO 14001 environmental management standard. Before we get into the how of getting ISO 14001 certified, let’s consider the Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Who?
Given the flattening effects of globalization, any company looking to do business in countries that value sustainable practices (think Japan, Germany, Finland and Denmark) should consider ISO 14001 certification. In fact, any company can benefit because of the resulting operational, economic and environmental efficiencies.
What?
ISO 14001 is an international standard certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In simple terms, it’s a set of guidelines and requirements that encourages companies to put an Environmental Management System (EMS) in place to identify impacts and adopt policies, plans and actions to drive continuous improvement.
When?
This is a subjective question. Certification doesn’t happen overnight. How long it takes to implement an EMS depends on the environmental programs you already have in place, resources you can commit and whether you’re already ISO 9000 registered. Implementation can take anywhere from 18 months to two years. When is a good time? As the supply chain becomes a differentiator rather than a cost of doing business, there’s never been a better time than now.
Where?
Offices and production plants, not products, become certified. The standard applies to any organization looking to improve and manage resources more effectively, whether it’s a single-site or large multi-national company, in manufacturing, process and service industries, the public or private sector or an OEM and its suppliers.
Why?
The case for implementing an ISO 14001 EMS is an overwhelmingly convincing one:
- It improves environmental performance: from pollution production and prevention to more efficient use of fuel and energy and a smaller carbon footprint
- Customers want it: more are pressuring companies to demonstrate environmentally sound manufacturing and logistics practices
- It conveys corporate social responsibility: certification demonstrates your status as a responsible corporate citizen to partners, customers and stakeholders
- Efficiencies improve: getting certified typically boosts environmental performance and drives newfound operational efficiencies, and cost savings
- It demonstrates a commitment to excellence: it takes time, effort, preparation and re-thinking practices, reflecting a company-wide focus on excellence
- It standardizes work processes: with more visibility to enterprise-wide activities and a work environment driven by teamwork, quality, & best practices
- Partnership opportunities open up: certified companies often want to partner with companies that share a commitment to improvement and sustainability.
These aren’t just hypothetical reasons. They transfigure supply chains and business relationships every day. When a major electronics manufacturer became certified, its new environmentally friendly stature led to several awards, including the State of Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Awards and the Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award. Awards like these are valuable not just in terms of what they tell the public, prospects and end users, but pay real dividends when you’re looking to partner with companies.
That’s the Who, What When, Where and Why.
Now for the How:
An Environmental Management System forms the basis of ISO 14001certification, so the first step is to get an EMS in place. Here’s how to get started:
State your organization’s goals and objectives when it comes to preventing pollution, driving continuous improvement and complying with regulations
- Get management buy-in
- Review your existing environmental programs and management systems
- Perform a gap analysis to identify actions you’ll need to take to build an EMS
- Create a policy statement documenting:
- Your environmental goals
- Actions you’ll take to meet those goals
- Desired environmental performance
- Plans for continuous improvement
- Train your employees
- Establish best practices and work standards
- Track your progress against established metrics
Ryder’s Environmental Management System (EMS) incorporates elements of the global ISO 14001 standard, along with other environmental best practices unique to our operations and services. It also establishes a foundation for customer-specific EMS programs that conform to the standard. Selected Ryder locations have achieved certification to the ISO 14001 standard and we have achieved certification at several customer sites around the world.
Want to learn more about how you can address your transportation and logistics ecosystem with solutions that are energy-efficient and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Interested in low-emission technologies, ways to use resources and facilities more efficiently and options for greening your supply chain? Learn more by downloading our Corporate Sustainability Report now.
