With Earth Day right around the corner, thoughts turn to making the planet a greener place for everyone. Many businesses already implement sustainability efforts, with numerous programs and policies designed to reduce negative environmental impacts. The benefits of these programs can be hard to measure but the goodwill they generate among employees, customers, clients and the public is invaluable.

If your company already has recycling, composting and other waste reduction measures in place, why not also aim to reduce your energy usage?  If your office uses efficient lighting solutions and Energy Star-rated appliances and business machines, why not look into further carbon footprint reductions via public transit, carpooling, or bicycling incentives for employees, the utilization of teleconferencing solutions to reduce work-related travel or even sourcing products and services your business requires from local suppliers? And if you already have all of these programs in place, why not just go ahead and become certified to a local, regional, national or international standard so that you can be officially recognized for all your efforts?

There are many different certifications to choose from. The EPA has a variety of eco-labeling programs that allow registered companies to label their products with government-backed logos testifying to their sustainability including Smartway Vehicle Certification, Design for the Environment, and of course the aforementioned Energy Star rating. There are GreenGuard and GreenSeal programs for consumer products, Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards for forestry and wood-based products, numerous organic and fair trade certifications for agriculture, fisheries and livestock, and even the LEED system for building design.

Here at ARTÉMIA, we decided to go with an international standard, the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. We decided to undertake the year-long process for a number of reasons:

1. Measurement – We wanted to be able to specifically measure our impact on the environment and how we have reduced it. We can also share this information with clients to help them meet their own sustainability procurement goals.
2. Local certifications – There are a number of local, regional and state-wide green certifications that mirror many of the ISO 14001 requirements. Certification to the ISO 14001 standard put us well on the way to complying with the various elements needed for these programs and obtaining additional sustainability awards. (For example, we were able to become a registered Green Business of San Francisco with relatively little effort.)
3. Reduction of carbon footprint – Climate change is a huge concern in the world today, and carbon emissions are a major component. By implementing programs to reduce the carbon emissions caused by our daily operations, we can do our part to ensure future generations can live happy, healthy lives.
4. We already had many pieces in place – We already recycled most of our waste. We used energy efficient lighting. We purchase post-consumer waste supplies. Formalizing the process was the next logical step (and we discovered new areas to improve upon as well).
5. Meshes with our philosophy – We really do care about the environment and want to do our part to ensure future generations will be able to enjoy the world as we know it. We have had many green programs in place for years, certification to ISO 14001 just allowed us to formalize them with an internationally recognized standard that speaks for itself.

So what are you waiting for? Click the button below to download a free presentation on all the benefits of registering to the ISO 14001 set of standards. Should you have any additional questions about getting certified, just let us know. We are happy to share our experience with the process to help you get started.