Environmental certification
[6] The current high levels of consumption and economic growth often leads to the degradation of land and pollution of the natural environment.
[7] This is a relational motivation as the company feels that environmentally conscious management will help to prevent stakeholder pressures and to form a good relationship with the socio-economic environment.
[8] The New Climate Institute (NCI) reported companies were successfully lobbying the standards setting organizations (SSOs) to rubber-stamp the inclusion of 'insetting claims' that benefit their net zero pledges.
[9] The Carbon Trust Standard is an independent certification scheme from The Carbon Trust, certifying an organisation's impact in respect of: Its stated aim is to recognize best practice and real achievements in reduction, to help organisations to measure, manage and reduce their environmental impact, whilst improving their resource management and operational sustainability.
The external and independent nature of the EMAS registration process ensures the credibility of the scheme and the reliability of the information provided by registered organisations.
For example, EMASeasy, a lean and standardised methodology, has been developed to facilitate the participation of small and micro businesses in the EMAS Scheme.
It is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives for promoting responsible international forest management and was established in 1993 following concerns for global deforestation.
[13] The FSC provides a globally recognized private standard, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies, organizations and communities interested in responsible forestry.
[4][13] This helps a company to protect a brand or reputation and allows certificate holders access to highly environmentally sensitive markets.
[13] This provides an example of mainstreaming strategy shaped by retailer dominance of wood commodity networks as it has been supported by the World Bank, USAID, several European governments, influential environmental organizations, and by transnational retailers such as IKEA and The Home Depot and has especially strong market penetration in the United Kingdom, Germany and on the Dutch timber market.
[14][15] The fundamental purpose of the FSC is to allow environmentally aware consumers to use market forces to effectively complement and develop forest policy and to ensure that producer behave in a responsible way according to predefined objectives.
At the Uruguay round of the GATT negotiations the need to reduce the non-tariff barriers to trade were discussed whereas at the Rio Summit the commitment to protect the environment at an international scale was argued.
[17] The ISO 14001 standard defines EMS as "the general part of management that includes the organizational structure, the activity planning, the responsibilities, the practices, the procedures, the processes and the resources to develop, implement, carry out, and revise the environmental policy and keep it up to date".
Many organisations that choose to adopt the ISO 14001 are trying to achieve preferred supplier status as it is now often a competitive advantage or a requirement for local authorities or for a supply chain.
[17] The benefits of having ISO 14001 certification are seen to be, better management of environmental risks, both now and in the future, increased access to new customers and business partners, demonstration of legal and regulatory compliance,[18] potential for reduced public liability insurance costs and overall cost savings through the reduction of consumption and waste and through recycling.
[19] Business emissions into air, land and water are regulated under strict European and UK laws, to protect the environment and human health.
[20][21] Blue Planet Friendly is an environmental certification delivered by a French non-profit organization that serves a global movement for assessing and reducing the pollution generated by companies and cities.
The companies and cities certified prove emission reductions by product or inhabitant on a year basis and receive a certification with a level (bronze, silver or gold).
[22] The most obvious benefit of environmental certification is that it is used as in instrument to allow actors to make important improvements to the way the environment is managed and in achieving sustainable development.
[3] The general scope of the certification process can be looked at by the size of the area that is influenced, either directly or through demonstration of spill-over effects.
[3] As a result of this, certification can act as a catalyst for competitive advantage and lead to economic benefits for producers through more efficient production systems, easier market access and price premiums.
[7] Many certification costs are fixed therefore large produces gain an advantage on their smaller competitors through economies of scale.
In some cases, the proliferation of private standards related to environmental aspects resulted in fragmentation of the marketplace and potential dilution of their intended effects.
