What is sustainability?
- Sustainability is the ability to provide for human needs – food, clothing, and shelter while having a minimum impact on the environment.
- Sustainability basically involves the restoration of our habitat.
- Brundtland Report defines sustainability as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” That said, it’s quite clear that a successful EMS, and the resultant good environmental practices and mitigation of environmental risk, can be significant contributors to reducing environmental impact.
- Steps taken using ISO 14001 principles within EMS is actually safeguard sustainability, as opposed to merely limiting an environmental impact.
What is sustainable development?
- Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the environmental, social and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- With a growing population and increasing demands placed on the planet, it is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today and the subject of much debate by politicians and business leaders.
- Many of the concrete actions to build a sustainable future are made at the local community level by the citizens themselves, and this is what ISO 37101 has been designed to support.
Sustainability another Possible Definition
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
World Commission on Environment and Development ( Brundtland Commission Report 1987 )
Therefore; can pollution prevention (through ISO 14001) translate into sustainability within a business context?
Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 by United Nations (UN)
source: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world
- 193 country Heads and top leaders attended the summit at UN Headquarters in New York in September 2015.
- A To-do list for people and the planet and a blueprint for success were prepared including 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years.
- At this summit UN, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared “ The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “
- It is an agenda for Sustainable Development for the Year 2030.
United Nations (UN): The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Year 2030
Following are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by the year 2030.
source: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world
GOAL 1: No Poverty
Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.
Goal 2: Zero Hunger
The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development and is central to hunger and poverty eradication.
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all at all ages is essential to sustainable development.
Goal 4: Quality Education
Obtaining a quality education is the foundation for improving people’s lives and sustainable development.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in.
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create conditions that allow people to have quality jobs.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Investments in infrastructure are crucial to achieving sustainable development.
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
To reduce inequalities, policies should be universal in principle, paying attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13: Climate Action
Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.
Goal 14: Life below Water
Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.
Goal 15: Life on Land
Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels.
Goal 17: Partnerships
Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
What is the ISO standard for sustainability?
- ISO 37101:2016 establishes requirements for a management system for sustainable development in communities, including cities, using a holistic approach.
source: https://www.iso.org/home.html
- This standard is used at the community level by a multi-actor structure. This reflects the wide variety of players that need to be involved in the management of real-life projects in cities and communities.
- It defines a community as a “group of people with an arrangement of responsibilities, activities, and relationships ”
- The ultimate goal of implementing this standard is to create a more sustainable future for communities.
- Implementing this standard may require the creation of a specific structure within a community that is mandated to drive the sustainable development process.
- This standard puts a strong emphasis on involving all interested parties in discussions to define and implement a sustainable development strategy.
- This standard reflects international best practices on sustainable development and is wholly compatible with evolving ideas in the sector.
- This standard underlines the importance of deciding collectively on objectives, a strategy, and a timeline in which to get there.
What is a management system for sustainability?
- A management system is a set of policies, processes, and procedures that help an organization meet the requirements expected by its stakeholders.
- It is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, a four-step management method used by organizations for the control and continual improvement of processes, products, and services.
- ISO has many different management system standards, focusing on topics as diverse as quality (ISO 9001), the environment (ISO 14001), Occupational health and safety management systems (ISO45001), Energy management systems (ISO5001), and anti-bribery (ISO 37001).
- These standards support organizations to put in place management systems that help them to achieve the objectives and requirements of their stakeholders
Sustainability: What’s the worst that can happen?
- Loss of natural resources and habitat is relentless and difficult to reverse.
- Along with developed nations, increasingly third world countries are begin developed and stress local habitats and the planet.
ISO 14001 provides a systematic approach to addressing environmental concerns.
What sustainability tools are currently available?
ISO14001: Environmental Management Systems can support and/or incorporate the following sustainable practices:
- ABCD
- Triple bottom line
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Cradle-to-cradle
- Natural Step
- Natural Capitalism
- Precautionary principle
- Zero Waste
- Factor X
- Eco-footprint
Sustainability Planning Process: ABCD Approach
- A -Awareness
- What do you know about sustainability and why it matters?
- B – Baseline Mapping
- What does your organization look like today?
- C – Clear and Compelling Vision
- What does your organization look like in a sustainable society?
- D – Down to action
- How will you manage and prioritize steps to sustainability?
Sustainability – Triple Bottom Line approach
A balance of:
- Environmental
- Economic
- Equity (social factors)
- Often referred to as “triple E” as well as people, planet, and profit.
- How do we put the triple bottom line into practice?
- Sustainability requires a proactive strategic response.
What is ISO: 14001? Why Register to ISO 14001 for sustainability?
This international standard is a model for an environmental management system consisting of several guideline standards which can incorporate sustainability techniques listed previously.
Should be considered when it:
- is a customer or industry requirement
- complements market strategy
- is perceived as a valuable motivational factor
- If the organization wants to improve its environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.
ISO 14001 & Sustainability
- ISO 14001 cannot completely solve global sustainability issues, however, it can help any organization use resources more prudently and prevent pollution.
- The structure of EMS provides opportunities for incorporating strategic sustainable concepts into the managerial decision-making process.
- The purpose of ISO 14001 is the creation of an environmental management system (EMS) to systematically support improved environmental performance through pollution prevention.
- ISO 14001 is an International Standard of worldwide acceptance based on the concept that better environmental performance can be achieved when environmental aspects are systematically identified and managed to give a major contribution to Sustainability, through pollution prevention and an improved environment.
- It helps organizations improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders.
- ISO standards enable businesses to plan their future growth around meeting consumer expectations. They enable transparency about products and best practices for limiting their impacts.
What is the relationship of ISO 14001 to sustainable leadership?
- ISO 14001 is widely recognized as the primary ISO standard to help organizations run an effective EMS (Environmental Management System), and thereby limit the business’s environmental impact.
- Planning, reviewing, and improving organization activities through an effective EMS can certainly mitigate environmental impacts.
- ISO 14001:2015 – Clause 5.1 Demonstrating Leadership & Commitment.
ISO 14001 Benefits
Benefits of implementation may include:
- enhanced compliance with legislation
- facilitated financial and real estate transactions, where environmental performance is a factor
- reduced costs associated with consumer audits
- ability to bid for contracts
- a real or perceived ‘greening‘ of the marketplace
- economic return better efficiency of resource use
- increased ability to adapt to changing circumstances
- reduction of liability
- The ability to support sustainable practices.
- to support sustainability goal
What are the additional benefits gained by a company through the implementation of ISO 14001 over cleaner production?
Cleaner Production, when compared to ISO 14001, presents the following advantages:
- a potential for economical solutions, with a reduction in the number of materials and energy used;
- Scope for innovation in the company, as a result of the evaluation of the production process; minimization of waste, effluents, and emissions.
Opportunities for sustainability throughout the organization: through ISO: 14001 EMS
Establishing EMS encourages sustainability and is achievable with structured planning. Some practical examples of sustainability initiatives are:
(A) Use recycled products wherever possible
- The company has performed an “Internal audit and review” of all consumables and found a wide range of products that are used one time and after that disposed of through proper channels. These consumables were regular purchases. After analysis possibility of replacing these consumables with recycled products was find out.
- For example printer paper (use on both sides), Re-use hand globes, Washing & reuse of waste cotton, reuse of machine oil after the filtering process, use of recycling bins, empty drums as FLOWERPOT, emphasis on paperless working, use of rechargeable batteries in place of single-use, re-sharp the edge of the blunt tool etc.
- Most organizations find a lot of opportunities to improve sustainability through this simple “review and replace” process.
(B) Establish measurements to understand your consumption of materials:
- Find out how to measure EMS parameters.
- Ensure to measure all utilities and carbon footprint, prepare an action plan for improvement and adhere to plans to achieve improvements.
- Electricity, oil, gas, water,
- As an example – reducing the consumption of the earth’s natural resources by 10%y could be extended significantly.
- As an example – Reducing carbon footprint can have a huge effect on increasing sustainability
(C) Understand the lifecycle of your product:
- The ISO 14001 standard has specific product lifecycle requirements,
- Impact of all elements of the product (from cradle to grave) to be designed with environmental elements, such as the ability to upgrade and recycle.
- Here significant opportunities are identified to improve sustainability performance.
- Is there a possibility to reduce the consumption of products (during manufacturing)?
- Is there a possibility to reduce consumption during product use (during the life cycle)?
- Think of power-saving devices for lighting and electrical goods, or cars that turn off the engine when idling.
- Is there any way to upgrade or upcycled the product?
- Does the configuration of the product support future circular economy activities for reclamation of parts for reuse or upgrading?
- Circular economy activity is an excellent way of increasing sustainability, extending lifecycles, and ensuring that raw materials are preserved.
- Considers product design and development as a continuum. This involves an analysis of the environmental impact of raw materials from extraction through refinement and incorporation into a product. It frames the reuse or recycling of raw materials as well as the energy consumption of a product throughout its useful life cycle. This is done in an effort to identify methods to reduce the environmental impact from a holistic perspective.
(D) Ensure “Opportunity” is the positive side of “Risk”
- When considering sustainability savings for an organization, consider carefully every risk considered has a potential opportunity on the other side.
- If the negative aspect of setting up a new plant is the consumption of materials & natural resources, perhaps the opportunity is to use recycled materials.
- If you are designing a new product, take extra time to consider the key elements that could improve future sustainability.
- Can recycled materials be used?
- Can the product be “future-proofed” in terms of ensuring it can be upgraded in the future? Is it practical to go 100% vehicles with electric.
- Is there an opportunity to use recycled packaging?
- If the product is electric or electronic, offer the mandatory service to take the product back and ensure that maximum reuse and recycling take place.
- Equal weightage for Risk-based discussions on sustainability in EMS system
- Monitor and Improve organization sustainability performance.
(E) Sustainability – Where does the responsibility lie?
- Responsibility for sustainability lies with us all, as organizations and as individuals.
- A required tool: the organization should have ISO 14001 compliant EMS
- Organization leaders embrace sustainability, through planning and process risk analysis
- Organizational knowledge and awareness are in sync with the planned improvements
- Consider sustainability as both an opportunity and a responsibility
- Be part of the generation that redressed the balance between the planet’s resources and humanity’s consumption.
