Awareness of environmental issues is at an all-time high, and it is fueling a dramatic market shift. Venture capitalists are pouring huge investments into early-stage clean technology providers, and I.T. industry titans, such as HP, IBM, Dell and Apple, are actively marketing energy-efficient green technologies. Environmental initiatives are also being championed at multiple levels of government, most notably through federal economic stimulus funding. A similar phenomenon is happening at the local level. In 2008, for example, Dallas received national attention for becoming the first U.S. city to achieve ISO 14000 certification for "broad scale" operations.
As a self-service technology manufacturer or solution provider looking to benefit from the momentum toward greater environmental awareness, you face important questions. Will going green benefit your business? How do you convey a credible environmental message to customers and business partners? Which green initiative is the right one to pursue? For answers, look to the globally recognized ISO 14000 family of standards for implementing an environmental management system, or EMS.
A global standard
ISO 14000 is published by the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, the same group responsible for the ubiquitous ISO 9000 quality-management family of standards. The first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004, deal with EMS. ISO 14001:2004 provides the specifications for an EMS, and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.
Since its inception in the 1990s, tens of thousands of organizations around the world have achieved ISO 14001:2004 certification. But until recently, this initiative has been less visible in North America. According to the most recent ISO Survey of Certifications, this region has contributed less than 5 percent of the total worldwide ISO 14001:2004 certifications.
The premise of ISO 14001:2004 is straightforward. It aims to "provide a framework for a holistic, strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and actions." Because it is based on a generic framework for implementing an EMS, without dictating business-specific environmental performance levels, certification is available to virtually any organization, including start-up companies, multinational corporations, government entities and nonprofit organizations.
Initially, an EMS provides an organization with a baseline measurement of the impact of business operations on the environment. Programs can then be put in place to improve on this baseline starting with internally defined goals. The intent of the standard is to give an organization a way to measure progress against these targets. It also provides a common reference when communicating with customers, stakeholders and employees about progress made in reducing environmental impact.
Benefits of compliance
Adopting an ISO-compliant EMS can have a measurable bottom-line impact on your business. Implementation will result in a substantive, actionable framework for continually improving environmental performance and optimizing variable costs for waste management, energy usage, raw materials and distribution. This message resonates particularly well with larger manufacturers. In fact, for those companies with highly optimized production and supply-chain processes, reducing variable operating costs can be viewed as the next logical step to ensuring continued competition in the global economy.
For VARs and other self-service technology solution providers, the opportunity to reduce manufacturing costs may be less compelling based on the nature or scale of your operation. For you, the key financial consideration is the potential for incremental revenue. With increased market awareness of environmental issues and growing demand for a greener approach to business, cultivating an eco-friendly brand can boost top-line results.
Achieving this goal, however, requires that your organization's green credentials be perceived as credible in the marketplace. ISO 14001:2004 addresses this by providing a globally accepted designation that clearly demonstrates your company's commitment to reducing its environmental impact. When competing for business with environmentally conscious buyers, ISO 14001:2004-certified manufacturers — and solution providers that partner with certified suppliers — have a clear advantage over competitors that lack this green authenticity.
Market momentum is building for eco-friendly business solutions, and ISO 14001:2004 represents a globally accepted designation for your eco-friendly organization. It gives manufacturers a framework for continually reducing variable costs, and it helps all organizations elevate their standing with environmentally conscious buyers. If you are looking for a competitive edge, consider ISO 14001:2004 certification, and be sure to partner with certified suppliers.
Adam Ortlieb is associate director of marketing for Seiko Instruments' Thermal Printer division. He can be reached at adam.ortlieb@siu-la.com
