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Green Business Articles
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Myths, Misconceptions And Roadblocks To Implementing ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems |
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Myths, Misconceptions And Roadblocks To Implementing ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
ISO 14001 does NOT have to be paper heavy. It is essentially very simple but... there are a number of myths that start appearing as soon as the term "ISO" is seen.
The most common myth is the notion that an ISO 14001 management system is necessarily huge and that it adds an enormous overhead to the business. This myth is a hangover from poor consulting practices in early quality systems where the consultants were supposedly “experts” and some imposed overly complex systems, then sold maintenance contracts. The business manager or owner is the expert about his business and the consultant merely provides useful tools, training and hopefully coaching, to help the business owner to use a management system to increase business efficiency and help the environment at the same time. It is a fact that well implemented management systems save time and money.
I think also we have all had experience of the large company with an ISO 9001 quality system that has not entered the culture of the business and we have been disappointed. We should not condemn an entire system because some operators do not do it well.
One ISO 14001 auditor recently gave a conference presentation in which he stated that the single greatest roadblock currently inhibiting the effectiveness of ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management Systems (EMS) is the shortcomings of Certification Bodies which have to-date retarded ISO 14001’s potential. Although the ISO standard has the capacity to be an effective business tool that assists industry to improve environmental performance, there is a need for certifiers to exercise professional accountability in the environmental audit process and play a larger service delivery role.
Auditors need to use a practical approach to allow for innovative solutions previously not seen by them and to focus more closely on actual improvement and environmental performance. There are still many auditors who have come from Quality with no real understanding of environmental issues and who are out of their depth. It is good to hear this debate beginning in the certification industry.
People have lots of misconceptions about standards and even what international standards may mean. At a recent World Organic Conference I was even accused of being an advocate of Globalisation when someone asked what ISO stood for and I explained that it stood for International Organisation for Standardisation. She wanted me drummed out of the conference.
Another myth is that ISO 14001 doesn’t have any base standards. This is untrue because ISO 14001 includes a commitment to comply with legislation. The business has to make the commitment to comply with legislation and to make continuous improvement.
The benefit of ISO 14001 is that it starts business on a spiral of continuous improvement and it does not matter where the business is when it starts.
The biggest block is the initial expense and, most importantly, the time commitment during setup which is a definite disincentive. The implementation phase typically takes between six and twelve months and does require a commitment of time while the manager and his staff are working on their business as well as in it. Once in place, it saves time. Small and medium businesses are usually short of both time and money. They also worry about ongoing overheads and fear the myths.
Another fear is certification costs and this is very real. Certifying bodies have to comply with a series of guidelines that have been written to suit larger businesses. The system of needing a pre-audit, a desktop review and then the certification audit is way over the top for a small business. I asked a European consultant about the situation there and was told that it was more of a “Berlin Wall” than a barrier. The certification guidelines are not designed for small to medium enterprises and some certification bodies charge very high fees. The certification bodies (CBs) need to be flexible enough to certify groups not only individual businesses. Some do this.
The certification guidelines are not designed for small to medium enterprises and certification cost is a definite barrier.
Jargon is yet another block. Business wants to "do the right thing" but they do not want to get bogged down over aspects, impacts, objectives, targets and non conformances. I find that helping them identify "issues" first works well. Then once they are listed, and they understand the cause and effect relationship, they can introduce jargon like aspects and impacts which are a block to getting started. I will never forget being asked by a fisherman "what the **** is a non-conformance?" and on being told that it was a way of communicating things that have gone wrong I was told to call it a "*******" communication form" and a Communication Form is what I have called them ever since and found that the name change encourages a whole range of additional communication which enhances the system.
Recent surveys show that publicly listed businesses are implementing environmental management systems at a far greater rate than the small to medium and privately owned sectors. Part of this is because of these myths and misconceptions.
Also I seriously question why the community does not subsidise business to implement management systems that will improve the environment for the common good. We live in a time when our environment has changed so much that it is now beyond our ability to accurately model climate change and we all need to pull together.
The smaller end of town and the rural and regional businesses with much larger distances to travel will be hard hit by climate change because many do not have the financial resilience to make sudden infrastructure changes.
Small and medium businesses need help to get them across the initial cost barrier to implement environmental management systems and the emphasis here does need to be on systems as we move forward. In Europe, small to medium enterprises are subsidised to work on environmental systems to a full ISO 14001 Standard, in groups. The subsidies are carefully controlled to ensure the best value for money and the consultants are selected on track record of successful outcomes and qualifications.
Article submitted by Jean Cannon
http://www.enviroaction.com.au
About the Author
Hi I am Jean Cannon and my passion is helping small and medium businesses to fully realise the amazing help and protection a management system can bring. I am especially excited about the win-win of environmental management systems, when I help clients like you truly understand that reducing environmental impacts also saves time and money.
I am also an extremely pragmatic business person who knows that small business is under enormous pressure. My unusually wide background as a business person, consultant, trainer, marine biologist, teacher, speaker, auditor and author provide a wide knowledge base to give you better service.
Building a management system is really easy! Yes, I will admit that up front it does take some time but we keep it simple and use tools to minimise this and once in place you soon find it SAVES time and money!
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Why Go Green?
Being environmentally friendly has many benefits. Being “green” is a positive brand attribute, it can generate publicity, younger generations tend to buy products and services from green companies and issues surrounding corporate social responsibility can also come into play.
One of the major benefits that is rarely considered is the financial benefit. Most people tend to associate making ‘green’ changes in the workplace with hefty costs and premium products but this can be a fallacy.
Of course, there will be “start up” costs associated with any changes to the way a business operates. And the initial costs of implementing changes can be expensive, but in the long-term, organisations can save money and the planet by making environmentally-friendly changes.
Importantly though, every business has a carbon footprint. Accordingly, every business has a social and ethical obligation to be informed about its effect on the world and minimise that effect.
Where should we start?
The first step in the process is to find out your business’ carbon footprint or measure your business’ impact on the environment. This means auditing the business to measure CO2 output and discovering the major causes of emissions. Respectable carbon emissions reduction consultancies will have qualified auditors and engineers to undertake this process. [PROMOTIONAL - In Australia, there is only one company that has this capacity in-house – Carbon Planet.]
The second step is to reduce emissions. Here, the business should receive advice on how to reduce and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions where possible. This can be as simple as shutting down the computers at the end of the day, to minimising transport costs by using suppliers based locally instead of overseas.
The final step in becoming CO2 freeTM is to offset any emissions that can not be reduced by purchasing fully certified carbon credits. When purchasing carbon credits, there are five essential steps that must be taken.
1. Check that the company is certified and reliable
Don’t be caught out – there is a difference between carbon offsets and carbon credits. In the same way that street sellers advertise fake brand name products at inflated prices, there are some retailers who may offer naive consumers uncertified carbon offsets without informing them of the difference. Without certification, there is no guarantee that you will get what you paid for. The money that you thought was saving the world may just have been pocketed.
Even if a company is certified, it must be remembered that not all certifications are equal. In particular, make sure that endorsement comes from a trusted third party source, such as carbon credits under the New South Wales Greenhouse Abatement Certificates (NGAC). These credits, generated, traded and regulated under NSW law, each abate a single tonne of carbon dioxide for 100 years (a stronger requirement than for a Kyoto-compliant credit, where abatement length is only 30 years).
2. Know where your money is going
While there are established companies who will give you exactly what you paid for, others are making massive profits from carbon trading for very small expenditure.
When selecting a carbon emissions reductions company, buyers must make sure they have information on finances readily available. This would preferably be provided in a clear format on their website, complete with specific percentages on where the money is being spent, as opposed to vague pledges and promises of trustworthiness. Transparency and accountability are two key things to look for in a company that sells carbon credits.
3. Ensure there will be a transfer of legal ownership
Like any other product purchased, when you buy carbon credits, legal title of these should be passed to you. This transfer should not only be taken by agreement with the company, but also confirmed by the formal transfer of NGACs within an online registry at www.ggas-registry.nsw.gov.au.
You should be provided with an account at the NSW Greenhouse registry, where you can keep an eye on the carbon credits you are accruing and compare these to your daily emissions.
4. Make certain there are real emissions reductions being made
Just because you are having money taken out of your bank account doesn’t necessarily mean that you can rest easy. In the past, companies and individuals with idealistic views of “going green” have pumped millions of dollars into projects that have little, if any, environmental benefit.
With the recent increase in focus on environmental issues, the escalating market for carbon credits is set to more than double in size to about $68.2 billion by 2010. Now, more and more companies are getting in on the boom, driven by the aim to make profits rather than to make a difference. Many of these new companies, despite setting their sights high, have little idea of how the market, or indeed the carbon credits themselves, operate. Investigations have even suggested that some people and organisations are paying inflated sums of money for emissions reductions that do not take place.
It’s always best to go for a company that is established and well-known.
5. Ensure you are easily able to unsubscribe and change your plan
When signing up to reduce or completely eliminate your carbon footprint, you must keep in mind that circumstances change, especially if you are taking action to reduce your carbon footprint. A quality carbon emissions reduction company will allow you to “unsubscribe” from your contract (if you have a contract), or change your subscription at any time. If offered, this policy will typically be mentioned on the company website.
Purchasing carbon credits can be a daunting process, especially if you are not quite sure where to start. Make sure to keep your grand fantasies of saving the world in check and keep these five simple steps in mind. After all, when saving the world, there’s simply no way you can go wrong.
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