UK in top five for environmental certification

Figures published recently show that more than 267,000 organisations in 158 countries are now certified against the standard’s requirements.

The standard, which aims to improve environmental performance in business and public sector organisations, has seen its uptake grow globally by 6% during 2011.

The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment’s (IEMA) executive director of policy, Martin Baxter said: “Growing at a rate of 6% during 2011, ISO14001 has proved both popular and effective at providing a global framework through which organisations across the world manage their impacts on the environment.

“With the UK maintaining its position as one of the top 5 countries globally this is excellent news for UK plc as companies are using ISO14001 to maintain competitive advantage, cutting costs, enhancing their reputation and winning new business.”

During 2011 the top five countries holding the highest number of certificates were China, Japan, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The top six countries maintaining the highest levels of growth in certificates were China, Italy, France, Romania, Republic of Korea and the UK.

Baxter added: “ISO14001 presents a fantastic opportunity to influence over a quarter of a million companies in the world.

“During this time of economic uncertainty, this continued growth in the number of companies that are now certified demonstrates that investing in environmental measures plays a fundamental role in helping companies and economies build a sustainable future.”

Conor McGlone