|
Environmental Management taken seriously
|
15/02/2008
|
| |
Businesses are now beginning to take the subject of Environmental Management Systems extremely seriously – so much so that the number of companies with ISO14001 accreditation increased by 15% in the first half of 2007.
What’s particularly interesting about the trend is that, contrary to popular belief, implementing an Environmental Management System is likely to save your business money, not cost money.
So while an Environmental Management System reduces your businesses impact on the environment, it also makes solid business sense.
An Environmental Management System is a framework that enables an organisation to manage its environmental performance, minimise its environmental impact and comply with environmental legislation. The most internationally acclaimed form of such a system is for companies to achieve the ISO14001 standard.
The benefits of implementing an environmental management system applies to all types of organisations. It doesn’t matter what size they are or what they do. The list of benefits is considerable; cost savings, reduced tax liability, new market opportunities, legal compliance, enhanced image, meeting customer requirements, greater productivity, lower running costs and reduced risk.
According to the Environmental Agency, companies with high environmental standards can financially outperform other companies by up to 43%. Furthermore, an up to date accreditation can assist when tendering for business as many large companies now insist on their suppliers having an accreditation. Clearly, the length of time companies can continue to ignore environmental impacts is limited.
Once you have achieved certification, you'll want to maintain your registration and ensure that you continue to meet the requirements of ISO 14001.
Help is at hand for small to medium sized companies in the West Midlands. With the necessary funding and resource provided by Coventry City Council in partnership with the West Midlands Technology Network (WMTN) funding is available to help companies maintain certification to the standard. So if your business is eligible and already has ISO14001, help is available for continuous improvement and maintaining environmental legal compliance. Companies are simply expected to provide employee time (private match funding) towards the project. This opportunity is only available to SMEs that meet certain eligibility criteria.
For further information and to discuss your eligibility, please contact Christine Dhammi on 024 7683 2040 or visit the website.
|
| |
Author
Chris Rowlands
|
| |
| |
|
| Email this article |
|
|