Managing Environmental and Carbon Footprint
In October/November 2021 Glasgow hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), 197 nations of the world were represented at the conference. The COP26 Goals are aimed at change on a national level but identify that “We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together.”
The week before COP26 we saw the public’s interest and demand for more action on climate change which culminated in marches and protests during the week of COP26. With public interest growing in climate change action, it will begin to show itself in consumer habits which will translate itself into a need to shift supply chain values to more environmentally conscious behaviors and attitudes.
Regardless of which industry your business operates in, it is likely there will be more of an incentive to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious. There is a recognition, especially among consumers, that to protect the natural environment, keeping it clean and unpolluted, stewardship from industry and businesses will play an ever increasing and important role.
With supply chains likely to face increasing scrutiny on environmental matters such as sustainability, carbon neutrality or becoming carbon zero, the expectations from consumers alongside local, national, and even international legislations can quickly become overwhelming, trying to maneuver and manage the expectations, requirements and legislation while trying to operate your business.
Implementation of an environmental management system such as ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems (EMS), can help formulate and maintain your EMS. Implementation of an EMS can help to control your environmental aspects, reduce impacts, and ensure legal compliance.
ISO 14001 saw a 5.5% increase in worldwide certificates in 2020 which highlights that industry and business have identified the need to become more environmentally conscious, the Statistics come from the most recent ISO Survey. (https://www.iso.org/the-iso-survey.html)
Your Business can benefit from certification to the ISO 14001 standard. The certification offers benefits to organisations, regardless of industry or sector, by providing a specific framework for implementing relevant sustainable practices.
Since COP26 there has been a push within industry and business to become carbon neutral, the most common way to achieve this is to offset. PAS 2060 is the only internationally recognised standard for carbon neutrality. PAS 2060 maps the four key stages to carbon neutrality, measurement, reduction, offsetting, and documentation. At the end of the process verification as a carbon neutral business can be achieved.
The PAS 2060 follows on from existing standards such as ISO 14001 and PAS 2050 that deal with the emissions of products throughout their lifespans. The PAS 2060 standard allows your business to strengthen relationships with customers and contribute to the fight against climate change.
An important part of the PAS 2060 process is that the standard allows the company to purchase carbon credits to offset their carbon emissions, but it requires that the offsets meet certain criteria, and the company cannot receive PAS 2060 verification using offsetting alone but must have a carbon emission reduction plan in place.
Industry and business can also benefit from signing up to initiatives such as SME Climate Hub which is “a global initiative that aims to mainstream climate action in the small to medium sized business community and enable SMEs to build resilient businesses for the future.”
As an environmentally conscious business, QHSE Aberdeen have signed up to the SME climate hub and have completed the process of becoming a carbon neutral certified business.
With our business being the implementation and maintenance of Management systems for our customers, we have begun to see an increased interest in either implementing a standalone IS014001 environmental management system or incorporating it into the customers’ existing ISO9001 & ISO45001 systems to create an integrated management system (IMS).
We have also seen an increased interest in implementing the PAS2060 standard to help customers achieve carbon neutrality. We have helped the customer with the process of measurement, reduction, offsetting, and documentation which leads to their verification as a carbon neutral business.
QHSE Aberdeen’s team of qualified and experienced consultants are available to assist with your needs whether that is implementing an ISO 14001 EMS or incorporating the EMS into your existing management systems, we can also assist if you want to move your business towards achieving carbon neutrality by utilising the PAS2060 standard
QHSE Aberdeen provide a Consultancy and Advisory service to organisations of all sizes and sectors that require assistance in the development & implementation of robust Management Systems. We operate internationally with clients from all corners of the world. For more information visit www.qhseaberdeen.com
Published: 11-04-2022
