ISO 14001 Certification improves the corporate image, enhancing the company profile in terms of trading credibility and marketing reputation, this translates into:
- Reduced resource and energy consumption, consequently lowering costs
- Decreased environmental risk, consequently lowering, for examples, insurance costs
- Increased management involvement and engagement of employees, encouraging better performances of stakeholders
- Reduced risk of fines and prevention of disputes
- Enhancement business image and improved both national and local institutional relationships
- Easier access to a credit line
- Demonstrated compliance with current statutory and regulatory environmental requirements
- Increased value of the organisation on the market.
In addition to the advantages mentioned above, the ISO 14001 is particularly important in case of:
- Organisations taking part to tenders. The certification might be a prerequisite to take part to tender procedures.
- Organisations interested in specific and important customers. In order to select the appropriate service provider, a large company can assess the supplier’s reliability through ISO 14001 Certification
Organisations approaching the Environmental Management System for the first time are worried about all the changes that the adaptation to the standard may imply.
Actually, implementing a certified Management System means to follow principles and to carry out activities that already exist, such as the risk assessment.
Often, the implementation of the Environmental Management System consists in a better arrangement of the Organization’s processes and in a detailed documents review.
The Certification ISO 14001 process begins with the system’s implementation, carried out by an internal specialist or an external consultant.
Once the implementation is completed, ASACERT verifies the system consistency with the legislation and issues the Certificate that will be valid for 3 years and verified yearly.
The Audit taking place in the first year is carried out in two phases (Stage 1 and Stage 2) and leads to the final Certificate issue.
Within 12 months from the first certification, ASACERT carries out a Surveillance audit in order to verify that the management system is unchanged and still compliant with the standard. If any great change occurs, the Certification Body can modify the Certificate updating it to the organisation’s new situation.
Within one year from the first Surveillance Audit a second Surveillance Audit is due.
At the end of the third year, the organisation has to renew the Certificate through a specific Renewal Audit, otherwise the Certification will be no longer valid.
The timing depends on the consistency level of the Management System and on the business size.
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