Third-party certification, where an independent auditor reviews a company’s practices against the requirements of a standard, is a powerful way to show your customers, suppliers and other stakeholders that you’re serious about your efforts and that you meet, or go above and beyond, environmental regulatory requirements.

 

In terms of sustainability in the label and printing industry, two of the most recognized are ISO 14001 and the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP).

 

“Third-party certifications provide an invaluable system of assurance to stakeholders”.

 

As brands, investors and the public increasingly expect companies to behave in an environmentally responsible manner, operating with an environmental management system in place signals that you are committed to responsible practices, thereby leading to a better reputation with your customers. This is on top of the clear operation efficiency gains, risk management and regulatory compliance.

 

In this column, I will explore the steps to take to implement an environmental management system in your facilities.

 

ISO 14001

 

Let’s look at ISO 14001, the internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems (EMS).

 

All management systems follow a continuous improvement model of Plan, Do, Check, Act on an annual basis to establish policies, goals and processes to meet certain objectives. For ISO 14001, it looks something like this:

 

Plan: establish environmental objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the company’s environmental policy.

 

Do: implement the process as planned.

 

Check: monitor and measure against the environmental policy, including commitments, objectives and operating criteria, and report the results.

 

Act: take actions to continually improve.