Do you need to achieve ISO14001 and BS8901 Certification or EcoCheck?

There is confusion in this area as many companies are unsure of whether they need Certification and misunderstand the purpose of Certification or meeting standards. Certification has been available to organisations since 1983. However some sectors believe Certification is new and fall into the trap of believing that Self-Certification or Certification via a non-accredited Body is acceptable in the marketplace. It is not permitted by International Standards for any organisation to offer both consultancy and certification due to the inevitable conflict of interest.

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) establishes the protocols which all Accreditation Bodies have to follow (the UK Accreditation Body is UKAS: United Kingdom Accreditation Service). Each country has its own Accreditation Body that regulates the certification activities.

Accredited Certification Bodies are those organisations that comply with, and have been assessed against, the IAF requirements for carrying out assessment and certification of organisations. Accreditation is only available to Certification Bodies, not individual organisations, as often thought, and Certification is what an organisation achieves following the assessment of its activities against ISO 14001 or BS8901 by an accredited Certification Body.

EcoCheck is a Sustainability Performance programme with its own sustainability criteria based on Agenda 21 which was endorsed by 182 countries following the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. EcoCheck is a staged approach that has been specifically developed to enable all sizes or organisations to engage with sustainability issues and gain recognition for their participation and ongoing performance improvement. This can be used as a tool and lead to full Certification should it be required. It is an affordable, user-friendly and pragmatic approach to implementing sustainable practices and, by use of its unique brand, you will be able to gain recognition in the marketplace and prove to clients your independently verified ongoing commitment.

It is essential to weigh up the position of your organisation in the marketplace, your available resources, and your organisation’s objectives when deciding whether Certification or EcoCheck is the right route for you.