The Top 10 Reasons Why is ISO 14001 Important for Running a Business

Are you planning to improve your business process and get more customers for your brand? Well, there are many ways to do so. You can provide lots of discounts and loyalty points to attract more customers to your brand. Promoting your brand through social media also works. However, have you ever thought of obtaining an ISO 14001 certification? ISO 14001 is a globally known standard for EMS (Environmental Management Systems). Implementing ISO 14001 in the business process shows that your brand cares for the planet and reduces the environmental impact of your brand. But why ISO 14001 is important for running a business?

The amount of interest in the ISO 14001 standard and EMS certifications continues to grow over time. And why shouldn’t it? The ISO 14001 standard provides a set of frameworks for organizations to implement sustainable practices and maintain them properly. Every business owner knows about sustainable practices not only because they’re a good thing but also because they can contribute to their brand reputation, employee engagement, and ultimately, to your business sales. Yes, that’s right! If implemented correctly, the ISO 14001 standard can improve your overall business process and improve your bottom-line numbers.

Do you want to know more about implementing the ISO 14001 standard in your business process? Let’s dive into the following blog post to learn more about the importance of obtaining the latest ISO 14001 certification for running a business.

How can getting your organization ISO 14001 certified help you with running your business?

Most businesses wonder whether getting their organizations ISO 14001 certified is necessary or not.

Well, obtaining an ISO 14001 certification isn’t a compulsory requirement to run a business in any country. However, ISO 14001 in place can help your organization in numerous ways.

The following are the top 10 of them:

1. Improving resource efficiency

Implementing the ISO 14001 standard in your business process can encourage your organization to reduce the consumption of resources such as water and energy.

It, on the other hand, can help you save lots of money and reduce your brand’s carbon footprint.

Part of it can also ensure that your organization has an efficient system to manage the EMS in one place so people can use it.

2. Enhancing brand reputation

Getting your organization ISO 14001 certified demonstrates that you commit to sustainability.

Hence, it enhances your brand reputation among your customers, employees, and stakeholders.

Alongside that, maintaining a more environmental approach, including lowering your noise levels, pollution, and resource consumption can also improve your relationship with your neighboring companies or office buildings.

3. Lowering the environmental impact

One of the most important reasons to invest in the ISO 14001 certification is that it can help your organization reduce its environmental impacts by identifying areas for emissions and waste and creating rigorous plans to minimize or mitigate them.

Tracing the CO₂ impact of your organization by recording how often you use them.

You can do it just by recording the run hours of the pump or other equipment(s) and the km your business’s delivery truck has traveled during business hours.

It can help you understand the CO₂ impact on your business and focus on the energy reduction program, which can further improve your bottom line.

4. Increasing employee engagement

Do you know that by reducing your organization’s environmental impacts, you also are allowing your team to research more environment-friendly options and activities?

Well, it, on the other hand, can increase your employee engagement.

Involving your employees in the implementation and management of the ISO 14001 standard can also increase their motivation and make your work environment look more positive.

5. Reducing waste production and increasing business efficiency

Implementing ISO 14001 in your process can help you identify areas of business inefficiencies and waste.

It, on the other hand, can help you streamline the procedures, improve overall efficiency, and reduce costs.

6. Gaining a competitive advantage over your competitors

ISO 14001 certified organizations can differentiate themselves from organizations that aren’t ISO 14001 certified.

It can help you gain a competitive advantage over your competitors and help you attract potential customers to increase sales.

Getting ISO 14001 certified may not allow you to charge more, but it can definitely help you land more projects, especially with government agencies and international customers.

7. Ensuring continual improvement

One of the major ISO 14001 requirements for organizations is to monitor their EMS performance and improve it continuously.

Doing so can help your company ensure that you’re always striving for efficiency and sustainability.

8. Complying with the latest environmental regulations

Implementing ISO 14001 in your organization can help you ensure that your procedures comply with the latest environmental regulations, which, on the other hand, can reduce your chances of getting penalties and fines.

You can use numerous tools to do so by listing the EMS requirements for your business, recording the environmental incidents (if any) and how you managed them, and understanding the potential EMS risks and procedures to avoid or mitigate them.

9. Identifying and addressing potential EMS risks beforehand

Having ISO 14001 in place can help you identify, address, and mitigate potential environmental risks.

It can further help you reduce the likelihood of various environmental incidents that could affect your business reputation negatively and result in expensive penalties.

Identifying these risks before they occur can help you develop rigorous plans to minimize or rid them, so you don’t have to go through any sort of expensive dangers.

10. Improving the supply chain management

Lastly, implementing ISO 14001 in your business process can help you manage your supply chain more effectively.

It can further help you ensure that all your business partners and suppliers are also committed to practicing sustainability alongside your organization.

It, on the other hand, can increase your customer satisfaction rate and increase your bottom-line numbers.

How to find the right third-party ISO 14001 specialists for your organization?

The ISO 14001 certification has become a common ISO certification for organizations.

So, you’ll find numerous third-party ISO 14001 auditing firms nationwide.

However, not all of them are the same.

Hence, you must check a few points before hiring someone.

Consider the following factors when looking for one:

• Expertise and reputation of the third-party ISO 14001 auditing team.

• Understanding of the ISO 14001 standard and its implementation.

• Knowledge of the latest ISO 14001 requirements and guidelines.

• Client testimonials and portfolio on ISO 14001 implementation.

• Estimated budget and timeline for the ISO 14001 certification process.

• ISO certifications and qualifications of the third-party ISO 14001 auditors.

Take away

Are you wondering what would be the best way to improve your business process and gain more customers? Offering loyalty points and numerous discounts will indeed work, but they can’t bring any long-term benefits, while implementing the latest ISO 14001 standard in your business would be an excellent way to bring those benefits. We hope this blog post can help you understand why is ISO 14001 important for running a business.