Environmental certification

Environmental certification is a form of environmental regulation and development where a company can voluntarily choose to comply with predefined processes or objectives set forth by the certification service. Most certification services have a logo (commonly known as an ecolabel) which can be applied to products certified under their standards. This is seen as a form of corporate social responsibility allowing companies to address their obligation to minimise the harmful impacts to the environment by voluntarily following a set of externally set and measured objectives. Environmental certification is a form of environmental regulation and development where a company can voluntarily choose to comply with predefined processes or objectives set forth by the certification service. Most certification services have a logo (commonly known as an ecolabel) which can be applied to products certified under their standards. This is seen as a form of corporate social responsibility allowing companies to address their obligation to minimise the harmful impacts to the environment by voluntarily following a set of externally set and measured objectives. The primary motivations for many companies who choose to implement environmental certification schemes are, to provide an ethical product for the consumers, increase sustainable development, improve the image of the company, gain a better relationship with stakeholders and to make a higher profit. Many companies believe that the implementation of environmental certification programmes can lead to an improved company image and generate competitive advantage. This is usually achieved through the use of ecolabels which can be used on the company's products, allowing the product to stand out as being produced in an environmentally sound way.The ecolabels associated with environmental certification inform consumers that the product in question has been verified by a third party auditor as originating from an environmentally well managed company. Therefore, the certificate gives an indication of good practice and provides the company a better image. This approach allows consumers to steer their purchasing behaviour in a more environmentally sound direction. This also means that if environmental marketing strategies such as environmental certification are to work there must be consumers willing to purchase the resulting green products. There are also ethical motivations for a company to improve its environmental performance and move towards achieving sustainable development. All environmental certification schemes attempt to provide organisations with an effective environmental management system to help them to achieve environmental and economic goals The current high levels of consumption and economic growth often leads to the degradation of land and pollution of the natural environment. The aim of the move towards sustainable development is to ensure the availability of natural resources for future generations. Within environmental certification the life cycle approach is often adopted, where the life cycle of the product from its production to its disposal are followed to ensure that it is produced, used and disposed of in a sustainable and environmentally sound way. There is increasing pressure on companies to respond to environmental pressure from stakeholders, therefore increasing the use of voluntary environmental regulations such as certification to achieve sufficient social legitimacy and to protect their profits. This is a relational motivation as the company feels that environmentally conscious management will help to prevent stakeholder pressures and to form a good relationship with the socio-economic environment. There are also operational motivations which are the belief that environmental certification can help to reduce costs and increase productivity and commercial motivations which are the belief that it can help to increase sales and improve the market position. The Carbon Trust Standard is an independent certification scheme from The Carbon Trust, certifying an organisation's impact in respect of: Its stated aim is to recognize best practice and real achievements in reduction, to help organisations to measure, manage and reduce their environmental impact, whilst improving their resource management and operational sustainability. The certification process aims to identify inefficiencies in resource use and to provide a framework for improving management processes, reducing waste and costs. As of July 2014, over 1,100 organisations have certified to the Carbon Trust Standard. The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is the EU's voluntary environmental resources management instrument. Environmental Management Systems in accordance with EMAS are used worldwide by companies and organisations of all sizes and types. EMAS registered organisations commit themselves to evaluate, manage and improve their environmental performance. EMAS is open to every type of organisation eager to improve its environmental performance. It spans all economic and service sectors and is applicable worldwide. Currently, more than 4,400 organisations and more than 8,150 sites are EMAS registered.Only independent environmental verifiers that are accredited/licensed and supervised by government authorities (Accreditation or Licensing Bodies) are authorised to validate EMAS environmental statements. The external and independent nature of the EMAS registration process ensures the credibility of the scheme and the reliability of the information provided by registered organisations.The ISO 14001: 2004 requirements are a part of EMAS, but EMAS adds several elements to these: More than 80 percent of all EMAS registered organizations are small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs). EMAS has specific provisions in place to facilitate EMAS registration for SMEs. For example, EMASeasy, a lean and standardised methodology, has been developed to facilitate the participation of small and micro businesses in the EMAS Scheme.