On this World Environment Day, take a moment to think about how your business can contribute to the betterment of the environment. The fact that climate change is a major threat to both humanity and countless animal species is well-known to all. But there are other aspects of our environment as well that warrant our attention such as human and labour rights. On days like today, it is important for companies and individuals to take stock of the choices they make.
In 2009, nearly 10,000 other companies around the world became signatories to the United Nations Global Compact. Basic principles regarding human and labour rights, environmental protection, anti-corruption and business ethics – all factor in to make a business environment-friendly.
Understanding Environmental Management Systems
Environmental Management Systems certification as per IS/ISO 14001:2015 empowers you to demonstrate your responsibility towards nature, and helps in enhancing your corporate image. It supports the protection of the environment and counteracts the action of pollution in an offset manner with socio-monetary needs. It enables you to screen the effectiveness of efforts towards mitigation of environmental risks through the utilization of all resources available to the organization.
The philosophy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle can save money as well as the environment. IS/ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) helps businesses of all sizes and across all sectors to make their day to day operations more sustainable. Sustainability will ultimately save you money, improve brand reputation, engage your employees, and build resilience against uncertainty as well as the ability to rapidly adapt to change.
The management of an organization’s environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner is referred to as EMS. It includes the organizational structure, planning, and resources for developing, implementing and maintaining the policy for environmental protection.
The EMS can be traced down to the following key intentions:
Collaborating to improve the environment
Far from the quarries of Africa in the islands of the Baltic Sea, companies were found to be polluting the waters that, in turn, pose a real threat to sea life.
The Bank of Aland, a local institution, wanted to raise awareness of the issue. With the help of a few business partners, it launched The Baltic Sea Project. An Index was created by the bank that calculated the environmental impact of each transaction so that clients could better understand their carbon footprint. Then, the bank offered its clients the opportunity to make donations to offset the carbon they had used. To date, €1.6 million has been donated and the bank has opened up the technology used in the Index for other banks to use if they so wish.
Shifting to digital to make a difference
There are things companies can do with their daily processes to help the environment that goes far beyond the “think before you print” mantra. In Brazil, many institutions are running mobile marketing campaigns in order to accelerate customer acceptance to digital invoicing. Moving away from paper not only helps the environment but also increases the sustainability of conscious customers.
Solutions can also go digital. Physical tokens (such as those used for personal bank authenticators) can be migrated to digital. These act as secure authentication factors that not only reduce fraud but also stop plastics and metals being discarded once the old tokens no longer work.
Embracing the future
By connecting devices and machines and analysing vast data sets, companies can super-charge their product design. There’s a plausible future that can be foreseen where the Internet of Things (IoT) helps multiple aspects of society – from reducing automotive emissions to improving medical care and making power grids more efficient.
For those committed to pushing forward with a sustainable agenda, the future is bright. Pioneering innovative solutions will help improve interactions among billions of people in connected society that all of us live in. Consider this World Environment Day as an opportunity to think about how your business can contribute to preserving the environment!
Written By: U S P Yadav, Scientist ‘F’ and Head MSCD
Go Back
Comments
Title : One thought on “How can your Business help the Environment?”
I found your article very informative and I totally love how the concepts are explained in this blog post. Thanks for sharing this helpful information..it was easy to understand the content..good work..keep it up