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ISO 14001

Submitted by Fernando Mahamud MCMI on Fri, 05/03/2010 - 11:47

 

Hi!

I'm helping a company to implement ISO 14001. This is a major task because, if done properly, it involves a truly cultural change in the way the business operates and the employees behave.

I've set two tasks for 2010: Energy efficiency and Recycling. I've got Energy Efficiency fully planned and covered (3% electricity reduction and I am now setting the internal processes for Recycling.

I'm putting a document (simple excel form) together, where the appointed supervisor can monitor and log the firm's recycling activities on a daily basis for:

Mix Paper

Cardboards

Electronic and Electrical items

Cans

Food consumed in the office

Plastics 

Wooden Pallets

Other

 

I was wondering if someone has done something similar who would like to share their approach and how they monitor this and, more important, engage the staff to follow the procedures.

Cheers,

Fernando

 

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Comments

Submitted by Mike Davies on Fri, 05/03/2010 - 11:54

Hi Fernando.  I'm kinda clueless about the whole ISO thing to be honest.  I've heard of quite a few people that have gone through the process of attaining it, and the one thing that always stands out is just how much work is involved.  What are the benefits?

Submitted by Fernando Mahamud MCMI on Sat, 06/03/2010 - 21:26

Hi Mike,

Quoting the ISO website:

Business benefits of ISO 14000

This section identifies typical benefits for organizations of implementing ISO 14000 standards.
Most managers will try to avoid pollution that could cost the company a fine for infringing environmental legislation. But better managers will agree that doing only just enough to keep the company out of trouble with government inspectors is a rather weak and reactive approach to business in today's environment-conscious world.

The ISO 14000 standards are practical tools for the manager who is not satisfied with mere compliance with legislation – which may be perceived as a cost of doing business. They are for the proactive manager with the vision to understand that implementing a strategic approach can bring return on investment in environment-related measures.

The systematic ISO 14001:2004 approach requires the organization to take a hard look at all areas where its activities have an environmental impact. And it can lead to benefits like the following:

1. reduced cost of waste management
2. savings in consumption of energy and materials
3. lower distribution costs
4. improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public
5. framework for continual improvement of environmental performance.

The manager who is "too busy managing the business" to listen to good sense about environmental management could actually be costing the business, instead of achieving benefits like those above.

I hope this helps and if interested, you can find good info at http://www.iso.org/iso/business_benefits_of_iso_14001

Regards,

Fernando

Submitted by Colin Millar MCMI on Mon, 08/03/2010 - 14:26 Profile image

Hi Fernando,

I haven't been directly involved in implementing the ISO standards but some of the activities I have been party to include:

1.  Measuring use of electricity via the readings from our supplier;

2.  Measuring use of gas via readings from our supplier;

3.  Measuring use of paper and other consumables via stationery orders;

4.  Measuring the amount of paper we recycle (our shredding company estimate the number of trees saved by recycling the paper we provide them with).

We place tips on our intranet (things like switch off computers / monitors when you leave the office at night; take phone chargers out; turn the heating down slightly etc) and performance is measured and reported against previous year's usage (this was particularly important for energy consumption because of the potential for seasonal variations affecting results).

We're looking at extending the recycling programme to incorporate more than just paper but part of that process is finding a company who can help us measure our performance.

I think staff engagement is absolutely vital to the effectiveness of the programme so the bulletin's on the intranet are regular and broken into the key areas so we can see where we're performing well and where there's an opportunity to improve.

Good luck with the recycling!

 

 

Submitted by Andrew Hislop on Mon, 08/03/2010 - 17:53

Hi Fernando,

We were certified in ISO 14001 last year. Although I was not involved in implementing the changes, I did have to engage my staff and ensure that they followed the guidelines set out by the manager implementing the changes. We had an online course that was completed using our internal training system called edcafe. I know that there is similar courses available online which you could use to educate your staff in the guidelines.

What I would say is that the communication of this has to be straight foward and also specific to the role of the member of staff. You could draft up a moc template for the supervisors to use and detail of each objective on a noticeboard? When tours are done to potential clients, the areas where the recycling is done is always seen as a positive - clear signage is key.

If you want some pictures of this please let me know.

Andy