Sustainability is currently a significant trend in business development. As a result, more companies are becoming more aware of how their business activities affect the environment. For this reason, they’re looking to make informed decisions on reducing their carbon footprints.
The movement toward more sustainability in business operations brings many benefits. For instance, clients and customers are becoming more informed on environmental issues. As a result, they tend to interact with businesses that share their concerns. What’s more, becoming more eco-friendly also increases customer and client interest, brand loyalty, and even the recruitment of top talent.
As a result, environmental certification is becoming increasingly important.
What is an Environmental Certification Scheme?
An environmental certification scheme is when a third party assesses your business operations and process. They check to see if your company uses environmentally friendly practises in a sustainable manner.
The third-party assessment team may also designate a set of criteria and use these as a measure for your company. The assessor grants your business environmental certification if your business meets these criteria. The certification can then be used as proof that your business is using eco-friendly business practises and processes.
The assessor audits your environmental activities, policies, and initiatives to show that:
- The claims your company makes about its sustainable practises are valid.
- That the business complies with criteria determined by the assessment process.
- That the company’s environmental practice standards meet the standards and regulations of your industry.
The third-party assessment consultant may also review the company’s environmental policy documents and other certifications that prove its environmental practises.
Environmental certification is a method used to monitor and improve environmental practises. These practises are reviewed each year to make sure the company keeps up its environmentally friendly activities. Plus, the certification works to make the company’s environmental efforts more visible, as a third party verifies them.
Who is Environmental Certification For?
Environmental certification is for businesses of any size that want to ensure their practises and operations are friendly to the environment.
Certification is also useful for businesses that want to attract strategic partners and scale within an industry.
Why Does Your Company Need Environmental Certification?
While environmental certification is extremely valuable for the planet and our environment, is there a commercial need for environmental certification?
As eco-friendly businesses become more in demand, bear in mind that customers and clients look for companies that have corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies in place. More clients and customers are concerned about how their projects impact the environment. One of the main concerns for many of them is their supply chain.
Clients and environmentally conscious customers look for businesses that seriously work to improve their sustainability while reducing their environmental impact. In addition, more clients and customers are searching for companies that can prove their eco-friendly practises through eco-friendly credentials and certifications.
What’s more, your customers and clients may also have to meet specific environmental regulations in their own companies. They may also have a legal requirement to only work with environmentally certified businesses.
In other words, with environmental certification, your company can find more work. It’s that simple. Not only does environmental certification verify your business practises and operations are eco-friendly, but certification also shows customers and clients you can support their own CSR objectives and responsibilities.
Benefits of Environmental Certification
We’ve already covered a couple of the benefits that come with environmental certification. However, there are also more benefits that come with certification:
1. Find Your Company’s Weaknesses
Environmental certification can also help your business identify vital practises that may not be as eco-friendly. Certification assessments review your company policies and analyse practises and procedures.
The analysis can help point out weaknesses you may not realise within your sustainability strategy. With the information from the analysis, it’s possible to improve the company’s environmental practises before they have a negative effect on the business.
2. Save Time & Money
Environmental certification also shows you’re already in compliance with environmental standards that may be required by a client.
It’s not uncommon for a client to require certification before you can even bid on a project. Some may even require you to prequalify for a project through a questionnaire process, or they may request to audit your sustainability practises before you’re accepted.
The process can be expensive and take quite a bit of time. However, if you already have environmental certification, you can cut this process short. Plus, your company saves time and money by not going through an audit or survey process.
3. Improve Stakeholder Investment in Environmental Activities
Another benefit of environmental certification is increased engagement with stakeholders. They may become more invested in seeing the company certified and pass assessments.
But it’s not only the stakeholders who become more invested in the company’s eco-friendly practises. From the stakeholders to management and employees, each person becomes dedicated to improving the company’s impact on the environment and society.
4. Incorporate Environment Policy into Business Strategies
Environmental certification and policies also have the ability to work with business strategies. When environmental activities are integrated with business strategies, the company is in a better position to implement even more sustainable solutions that go along with business goals. What’s more, these policies can also work in the long-term to help the company improve and meet environmental performance targets.
If your company receives environmental certification, the result is more visibility for eco-friendly practises and meeting the needs of clients and customers looking for more sustainable partners.
5. Encourage Environmental Changes within the Industry
Environmental certification is seen as recognition of your company’s eco-friendly accomplishments. You could say certification is a sign that your business takes its impact on the environment seriously. Such a sign may even inspire environmental changes within your industry, as other companies focus on becoming more sustainable.
Both the environment and society benefit when more companies and individuals become involved with improving the climate.
Concluding Thoughts
Companies looking to achieve environmental certification need to reach out to sustainability consultants for a third-party assessment. Sustainability consultants are experts who can help you work through the assessment process while also providing guidance and advice on methods to become certified.
Environmental certification has never been more critical than today. So, why not contact a sustainability consultant today and get your company certified?
