ISO 14001:2015 – sustainable environmental management

Organizations benefit from the implementation of an environmental management system based on ISO 14001 by improving their environmental performance, saving resources, energy, and money. A certified environmental management system is a good preventive tool and helps to be in compliance with legal and other requirements.

DQS, with more than 30 years expertise, supports their clients in:

• webinars
• Seminars and training
• Gap audits

To receive individual information about ISO 14001:2015, please contact our office.

ISO 50001 – Save Energy, Costs and Taxes

Careful handling of energy resources is one of the most important responsibilities of any organization today. Suitable measures focus on the continuous improvement of energy efficiency, as well as the entire energy-related performance of the organization. The international energy management standard ISO 50001 supplies your organization with an ideal framework: it allows you not only to conserve energy but also to reduce costs. And what’s more: in many countries, governments grant financial benefits to energy-efficient organizations. Are you ready to keep your organization up-to-date on energy matters? Then why don’t you demonstrate your abilities with an ISO 50001 certificate?

DQS, with more than 30 years expertise, supports their clients in:

• webinars
• Seminars and training
• Gap audits

To receive individual information about ISO 50001:2018, please contact our office.

Sustainable Biomass

REDcert, ISCC, ISCCplus

Benefits for energy from sustainable resources

Sustainable BiomassWith Directive 2009/28/EC (Renewable Energy Directive, RED), the European Commission has defined a framework in which liquid biomass used for the generation of energy can be considered sustainably produced and therefore subject to tax breaks, if applicable. By 5 December 2010, this Directive must be transformed into national law by the European member states.

Germany reacted very quickly to this and published the first ordinance in July, 2009, already: the Biomass-Electricity-Sustainability-Ordinance (BioSt-NachV), which governs the generation of electrical power from liquid biomass. In September 2009, there followed the Ordinance on Requirements Pertaining to Sustainable Production of Biofuels (Biokraft-NachV), which governs the use of biological combustibles in fuels. Both ordinance focus primarily on vegetable oils to be used for heating or power generation. Implementation of these legal requirements has been delegated to the German BLE (Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food), which for this purpose recognizes and monitors certification systems and bodies.

Para 46 of the Renewable Energies Act (EEG)

According to para 46 of the German EEG, operators of biogas plants are obliged to notify the network operator about their input materials (solid biomass, liquid biomass, other biomass), as well as the technologies used. The operators of biogas plants are required to supply the data necessary for final settlement by 28 February of each year for the previous year.

DQS has available authorized environmental auditors for all aspects of para 46 EEG, BioSt-NachV, and Biokraft-Nach.

EMAS: Eco-Management and Audit Scheme

EMASAn effective environmental management system is considered a prerequisite for responsible economic activity. European Eco-Regulation EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) provides your organization with a suitable basis for this, in combination with the environmental declaration that you have prepared on your own responsibility. First published in 1993, the current version of the EU Regulation, EMAS III, has been valid since 2010. In addition to the continuous improvement of your organization’s environmental performance in accordance with ISO 14001, EMAS also requires the routine validation of your environmental declaration, standardized environmental indicators, and an environmental assessment by specially authorized environmental verifiers. Take advantage of our environmental verifiers’ expertise for an audit according to the EMAS rules. An EMAS registration is the perfect tool for you to demonstrate your environmental commitment to outsiders in a strong and transparent manner.

ISO 14001

All of the EMAS verifiers assigned by DQS have also been appointed for ISO 14001, as well. Given the proper extent of the audit, and a successful EMAS validation, you will also receive an accredited, internationally recognized certificate to ISO 14001

Environmental Declaration

Your environmental declaration in report form will be published for the public to read – making your environmental performance and the environmental objectives of your organization transparent for all interested parties. The findings that result from the regular measurement of the environmental impact of your economic activity will allow you improve and sustain your environmental performance, and to reduce environmental risk. Another important advantage that goes above and beyond the environmental ones: you improve the trust of authorities, banks, and insurances in your company – as well as that of your customers and employees. And you achieve increased legal certainty in the environmental arena. The systematic and preventive thought and deed of your employees may also result in cost savings. At the same time, you sustainably improve your organization’s image – and thus, your competitive ability.

Since the scope of EMAS II was extended in 2001 from companies in the industrial sector to organizations of any type, EMAS III now extends the scope to organizations located outside of the EU. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), there is now also some relief regarding inspection intervals and validation of the environmental declaration.

Validation Process

As a preparation, you will first conduct your own review of all environmental aspects according to the rules of EMAS. Afterwards, you implement a suitable environmental management system on the basis of your results. After you have prepared your environmental declaration, our verifiers review the procedure for the environmental verification of your organization, and its implementation. Then your environmental declaration will be verified. If you were successful, you can be registered by the respective authorities. Inspection intervals will be specified according to your company’s size; they usually take place at three-year intervals.

GC-Mark Validated Life Cycle Assessments (LCA)

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool to determine the environmental impact of specific products. With an increasingly standardized methodology as well as a solid scientific basis, LCAs play an equally important role in product marketing, process optimization, and the legislative context. To ensure the credibility of Life Cycle Assessments, third-party validation is essential. GC-Mark, a registered trademark of DQS, is a standardized third-party validation methodology.

For more information, please visit the DQS GC-Mark website.