Sustainability and climate concern are increasingly important issues for many people, but they have also acquired great relevance in the business world. Climate change continues to directly affect our lives, as well as the fate of all other species on the planet.
For business owners, leaders, and managers, sustainable business practices are fast becoming a must. Human industry is a large part of the cause of climate change due to its dependence on land, resources, fossil fuels, and mass production.
From this derives the importance of a company having an Environmental Management System, that is, a method that consists of policies, processes, practices, and records that define the rules that will govern the way in which said company interacts with the environment.
The ISO 14001: 2015 certification constitutes unequivocal proof that a company fully assumes its commitment to protecting the environment, through the management of environmental risks associated with the activity it performs.
The norms of ISO (International Organization for Standardization), an international organization that creates and distributes global standards, are the reference for the implementation of this class of systems, and it is these that specify the auditable requirements for certification purposes.
GK, one of the largest textile manufacturers in the entire Central American region, with presence in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States, is proud to be certified under ISO 14001: 2015 in its Green Valley Advanced Manufacturing Hub.
Green Valley Advanced Manufacturing Hub offers a state-of-the-art infrastructure, combined with a carefully developed Environmental Management System. Green Valley is constantly aware of the rules and regulations required by international manufacturing standards.
What is the ISO 14001:2015 certification?
As mentioned above, in general terms ISO 14001 is an international standard for designing and implementing an Environmental Management System. Its requirements provide a framework and guidelines for a company to create such a system.
The most recent version of the Environmental Management System requirements was published in 2015, and is known as ISO 14001: 2015. This standard was approved by most member countries before being released and updated, and as such has become in an internationally recognized standard and accepted by most countries around the world.
The system must be tailored to the particular company, because only that company will have the exact legal requirements and environmental interactions that match its specific business processes. The structure of ISO 14001: 2015 is divided into ten sections, the first three being introductory, and the last seven specific to environmental management.
Some of those sections are: Organizational Context, Leadership, Planning, Support, Operation, and Performance Evaluation. These sections are based on a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which uses these elements to implement changes within the organization’s processes in order to drive and maintain improvements within the organization.
The benefits that ISO 14001:2015 brings to Green Valley Advanced Manufacturing Hub
The implementation of ISO 14001: 2015 in the Green Valley Advanced Manufacturing Hub has many benefits in terms of the environmental management of companies. Organizations and companies find that using the standard helps them:
- Improve resource efficiency
- Reduces costs
- Provides assurance that its environmental impact is being recorded
- Increases new business opportunities
- Increases customer confidence
- Manages environmental obligations more consistently
So the benefits of ISO 14001: 2015 cannot be ignored. Companies large and small around the world have used this standard with great success, and with a major impact on the way they do business.
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