There are upwards of 20,000 ISO certifications and accreditations which set international standards for how something should be done. Holding an ISO certification means that customers know the business they are buying from meets high standards, and is reputable and reliable. For a business, an ISO certification means working towards streamlined processes, building a positive employee culture, creating fruitful relationships with customers, and growing revenue.
In this post:
ISO Standards & The Benefits of ISO Certifications
An ISO standard provides requirements, specifications, and guidelines for a business to comply with. It ensures that any products, processes, and services are fit for purpose. They bring myriad benefits for businesses, including:
- Improving efficiencies and streamlining processes
- Building trust with customers
- Creating brand awareness
- Providing access to bigger markets and facilitating trade
- Creating a stronger, more positive work culture
What Is ISO 14000?
ISO 14000 is a set of environmental management standards. These standards give businesses a framework they can use to streamline and enhance their environmental management system. This system supports businesses in identifying, managing, checking, and controlling anything to do with the environment and environmental issues.
Becoming certified for an ISO 14000 standard is completely voluntary and isn’t linked to compliance with environmental laws, but it is an extremely strong marker that a business takes the environment and their impact on it very seriously.
The ISO 14001 standard is the most important of the ISO 14000 series. ISO 14001 means that a business considers all the environmental issues it has an impact on, such as waste management, recycling, air pollution, climate change, and use of resources. It also requires continual improvement to be compliant with the standard.
Why Is ISO 14001 Important?
ISO 14001 lays out the standards that a business’ environmental management system must meet, providing a systemic approach to dealing with issues related to the environment. It is based on ISO’s Plan > Check > Do > Review > Improve process, meaning that a business continually improves by measuring their current status and making positive changes. Examples of these changes can be a more efficient use of resources, reducing waste, and improved recycling schemes.
Benefits of being ISO 14001 certified include:
- Complying with current and future statutory and regulatory requirements
- Getting business leaders involved, engaging employees, and gaining the trust of stakeholders
- Building your business’ reputation
- Gaining a competitive and financial advantage by reducing costs and becoming more efficient
What ISO 14001 Means For ReAgent
For ReAgent, holding the ISO 14001 certification means we are conforming to an international standard that our global customers recognise. It shows that we are a professional, high-quality organisation that takes the environment seriously, that we have an efficient and streamlined environmental management system, and that we are committed to looking after our environment. It is reflective of the ethos of our company.
We use ISO 14001 to set ourselves environmental objectives such as reviewing waste efficiencies, reducing the amount of gas and electricity we use, and monitoring our cardboard and paper recycling.
How ReAgent Was Recertified to ISO 14001
We have passed every annual interim audit, and earlier this year, we were delighted to pass our three-year renewal to become recertified to ISO 14001. During this recertification, we provided proof and evidence that we meet the criteria of the standards. Our auditing agency looked at our internal documents, procedures, and records – for example, our chemical waste records and dealings with the Environment Agency – in order to recertify us to the ISO standard.
One of the big changes to the standard in this recertification phase was to focus on the full lifecycle of all products and how the environment could be impacted at each stage, from buying raw materials to processing and selling our end product.
At ReAgent we take our commitment to quality and the environment very seriously, which is why we are proud to hold the ISO 14001 certification amongst other quality standards.
