Why should you implement ISO 14001 within your company? If you’re not familiar with environmental management, this question may be asked more times than once by employees in your organization. In addition to the obvious benefit of improving the environment, everyone, from top management down to the workers, will want information. Understanding the importance of your company can mean the difference between a successful implementation or a disastrous failure. There are many benefits, and not all of them will be beneficial for everyone. But here are some benefits you can discuss.
1) Improve Your Image
If you need to obtain ISO 14001 certification for your contracts or tenders, this is a clear benefit. Even though it is not a mandatory requirement, customers, neighbors, as well as the local community, will be interested in how you treat the environment around them. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental practices employed by companies that produce the products. To show these people that your company is committed to managing environmental impacts, you must have a demonstrated environmental management system. This will help you to build your reputation and maintain a positive public image.
2) Help You Meet Legal Requirements
Implementing ISO 14001 has one of the greatest benefits. It provides a framework to help you identify, monitor, comply and report on the environmental requirements that affect your processes. While it is important to comply with all applicable laws before implementing an environmental management plan, the system may help in maintaining compliance. The implementation will demonstrate to the world that you care about your environment and have a solid framework for complying with all regulatory and legal requirements. This will help boost your image as well as credibility.
3) Improved Cost Control
Companies want to reduce their costs. This is an inescapable fact of modern business. However, many people are curious about how an environmental management system can improve cost control. You can start by using your system for identifying, controlling, and reducing environmental incidents. Injuries can result in fines, cleanup costs, or reparations. Second, the environmental management system improvement can be used to reduce costs by conserving energy and materials.
4) Higher Success Rate In Implementing Change
The ISO 14001 standard is key to ensuring that you work with accurate and good data when trying to make the improvements mentioned above. The best way to increase your chances for success is to track the improvement using good data collection. This will enable you to spot problems early and make corrections faster.
5) Speed Up Process Improvements
The ISO 14001 requirements include the requirement for continuous improvement. This can help your company make small improvements, but more significant improvements to your business processes. These processes will improve your public image and decrease your costs. However, you also can help your employees find new and more effective ways to reduce your environmental footprint and save time and money when improving your processes. A culture that involves people in common goals for improvement makes them more engaged.
6) Reducing Employee Turnover
As mentioned, employees who are actively involved in company improvement are more inclined to engage in other aspects. When given the option of choosing between a company that cares and takes care of the environment or one that does, most people would choose the first. Employees that are actively involved in reducing the company’s environmental footprint can often be more focused and retain their employees. Additionally, it is much easier and cheaper for employees to stay with the company than to train and recruit new employees. Every dollar spent on employee engagement is worth more for the training or recruitment department.
Implementing an environmental management system according to ISO 14001 is essential to minimize environmental impact and decrease your environmental footprint. This principle is still true. However, some companies find it difficult to justify the costs of making changes. You can justify the cost of these improvements by focusing on other benefits. This will allow you to focus more on long-term benefits and not just the ideals of environmental responsibility.
