ISO 14001 – Environmental Management: Sustainable Action and Legal Certainty

Only systematic environmental protection can create a balance between economy and ecology. That is why you have implemented straightforward measures for environmental conservation in your corporate culture. You consider ecologically responsible action to be more than just the observation of legal obligation, or the limitation of environmental impact – you bear responsibility for the continuous improvement of your organization’s specific environmental performance. Well-defined and clearly structured processes help you to systematically achieve your environmentally relevant objectives. That is where the internationally recognized standard ISO 14001 comes in. A management system certified by DQS according to ISO 14001 sends a clear message of commitment to your customers, business partners, and the interested public.

ISO 14001: Transparent environmental processes

Environmental management standard ISO 14001 helps you to identify the impact of your business activities on the environment. By developing suitable measures, you create trust and save costs through systematic, foresighted action. At the heart of this is the avoidance of environmental risk, respectively its controllability. Another focus point is adherence to current legislation and the fulfillment of regulatory provisions. Your employees also recognize the necessity of measures, and bring the environmental management system to life in their own immediate work environment. You can make this balance of economy and ecology visible and transparent to all interested parties.

Just like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 is based on the PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act). This makes it easy to integrate the requirements of the standard into existing management systems, and to implement similar requirements across subject areas. The simultaneous certification of an integrated management system also creates synergies, because the high level of technical expertise of DQS auditors allows for the parallel auditing of cross-standard requirements.

How it works

You will undergo the classic certification process of DQS. The procedure begins with a system analysis (Stage 1 audit on site). During Stage 2, the actual certification audit, a review of your corporate processes follows. This gives you the certainty that your system conforms to the standard’s requirements. In addition, our auditors will focus on the identification of strengths and potential for improvement. A pre-audit may serve as an initial evaluation of performance. Annual surveillance audits then accompany the continuous further development of your organization.

DQS offers accredited certification services for ISO 14001:2015.

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?

Transparency through clear energy planning processes

ISO 50001 is a management system standard that supports your organization in the implementation of a comprehensive energy management system and the continuous improvement of energy-related performance. In doing so, it focuses on the energetic review of your organization, and the implementation of an energy planning process.

The most important prerequisites are the systematic recording of your organization’s energy flows, the definition of energy targets and action plans, as well as detailed and suitable mechanisms for monitoring. The implementation of legal requirements adds the additional component of legal certainty.

An energy management system according to ISO 50001 is based on the PDCA cycle, in the same way as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001– which means it can be integrated easily into an existing management system. The improved transparency of energy flows allows you to conduct a more stringent evaluation of energy-related performance in the daily work flows. In addition, well-founded data analysis will help you to identify saving potential.

How it works

A certification by DQS will result in many advantages for your organization, above and beyond a simple declaration of conformity. In order to achieve maximum benefit on site, we tailor the planning of each assessment and coordinate with you in respect of any particulars, your corporate objectives, and success factors. A pre-audit by DQS can be used to evaluate performance in advance, and to identify strengths and potential for improvement. In the case of larger certification projects, a project planning meeting is a valuable opportunity for your organization to meet the lead auditor, and to jointly prepare a customized assessment plan for the areas and sites involved.

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.

PEFC Certification Guarantees Sustainable Forest Management

PEFC offers buyers of wooden and paper products a safety mechanism to enhance a lasting cultivation of forests. The PEFC certification is a transparent system combining forestry and an instrument for the traceability of wood and paper from the moment of starting to cut down a tree up to the final product.

Benefits:

• Documentation and continuous improvement of lasting forestry
• Improvement of the forestry image and partner in the market
• Strengthening of competitiveness of PEFC certified companies for wood and wooden products
• Public trust in products which are verifiable originate from lasting forestry
• Adequate participation of all groups who are interested in the forest

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.