Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Business Consulting Firms have placed Sustainability on top of their list

By Baskar Kotte


Over the previous several years, many member web sites have tried to address this concept. Nevertheless for such websites to completely implement every aspect of Supportability, a number of concerns must be addressed. We rarely have a problem in spotting what really should be done; instead , our problem often is related to implementation. In the case of Sustainability, a disregard of trained tools available is the primary cause of insufficient implementation.

This article addresses certain concepts of sustainability and how such concepts can be totally implemented with available trained tools like ISO standards.

1. What's Sustainability?

The World Organization for Standardization (ISO) pertains to Sustainability as the ability to maintain or develop performance over the long run. Looked at through a different lens, sustainability has to do with sorting out your business financially, socially and environmentally.

2. Parts of Sustainability

Sustainability broadly consists of three components:

- Business Sustainability (economic/monetary);
- Environmental Sustainability; and
- Social Responsibility.

Put simply Sustainability is related to an optimal balance of risk, profitability, social responsibility, and responsibility.

3. Sustainability in action



4. Connecting Sustainability to ISO Certification

To achieve and maintain sustainability for continued success, an organisation should relentlessly follow certain management disciplines. ISO has developed Standards for Quality, Environment and Safety, each of which details approaches to reach long term sustainable success.

5. Which ISO Standards?

A few members of AICC have developed Sustainability mechanisms. However , these members are often facing difficulties in employing such methodologies.

2 kinds of ISO Standards are helpful for successful implementation of Sustainability practices: Certifiable standards and Steerage standards.

A. ISO Certifiable Standards:

Certain certifiable ISO standards have given benefits to the corrugated changing industry, such as:

- ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System (QMS) is focused on Trained Problem Fixing Continual Improvement and Enhancing Customer Satisfaction; permits top management to drive improvement thru synchronizing quality manager's system results with business performance results
- ISO 14001: 2004 Environment Management System (EMS) concentrates on Pollution Prevention, Conservation of Energy and Natural Resources; promotes Sustained Improvement and Environmental Sustainability
- OHSAS 18001: 2007 Occupational H Managing System (OHSMS) is focused on Occupational Health & Safety risk assessments related to perils with collaboration and consultation to drive Continual Improvement

B. ISO Steerage Standards:

ISO has developed one or two steering standards, some of which have been along with its partner, IEC (World Electrotechnical Commission). The following guidance standards have been handy in successful implementation of Sustainability:

- ISO 9004:2009 Handling for the sustained success of an organization: A top notch management approach
* Provides steerage to associations for accomplishment of sustained success thru a top quality management approach. This standard may be employed by any organisation, without regard for size, type and activity.
- ISO 31000:2009 Risk management: Beliefs and suggestions
* Identifies opportunities and minimizes threats related to environmental, fiscal and safety risks.Risk is all about uncertainty and the effect of uncertainty in achieving set goals related to safety and environment.
- ISO/IEC 31010:2009 Risk management: Risk assessment methods
* Provides organisations with steering on: risks related to societal, environmental, technical, security and safety outcomes; commercial, financial and economic disciplines; and social, cultural and political reputation impacts. This standard may be used to treat particular risks and to choose between options.
- ISO 26000:2010. Steerage on Social Responsibility
* Emphasises a transparent ethical behavior in all choices related to society and the environment. This standard promotes sustainable development on health and safety and international norms of behavior, and it provides guidance to associations of whatever size regarding ideas, beliefs and practices related to social responsibility

6. List of Sustainability and ISO Standard Connections

Sustainability PartsISO Standard Business Sustainability ISO 9001; ISO 31000; ISO 31010; ISO Guide 73 Environmental Sustainability ISO 14001 Social Responsibility (OH&S) ISO 26000; OHSAS 18001

7. Other Standards in relation to Sustainability

Certain certifiable Chain of Custody and US Green Building Council (USGBC) standards also relate to sustainability.

A. Chain of Custody

- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
- Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

B. US Green Building Council (USGBC)

USGBC has developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a globally recognized green building verification system.

Some AICC members are requiring their customers to go along with these building verification system requirements.

8. Validation Essentiality

Imperative questions:

- Have we got to attain certification for all certifiable standards so as to demonstrate Sustainability? The answer is No.
- Can we maintain Sustainability without having a discipline in place and have it verified by a third party on a periodic basis? The answer is It depends.

The decision is yours. Answers to these questions rely on senior management's perspectives as well commitment to achieve and maintain sustainability over the longer term.

9. Customers Influence on Sustainability

Major packing purchasers are indirectly or directly influencing AICC members to stick to precise sustainability wants (e.g, Walmarts Sustainability Score Cards system).

In the final analysis the customer is king; our consumers sign our pay check. Our enterprises are going to help satisfy customer demands, without reference to how many ISO standards are required to completely implement measurable Sustainability.

10. The Rs Connection to Sustainability

Being in the Corrugated Changing Industry, we cannot close the loop on sustainability without talking about Rs. My top 5 Rs are: Remove; Reduce; Reuse; Recycle; and Replenish.

Summary

Sustainability is the facility to maintain your business financially, socially and environmentally. To accomplish total sustainability, practitioners must recognise the tools that are available for effective implementation. Certifiable and Steering ISO standards together with some shopper required tools are specified in this piece for upper management review and selection. Application of the chosen tools on continued basis throughout the organization in relentless demeanour will position any organisation on a sustainable trail.




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