Green Business Certification Versus ISO 14001 Environmental Standards

Across the world there are over 100 quality, architectural and other standards with some significant "green" or "sustainable" components to their assessment, including the ISO standards. The ISO system provides a compliance framework; practitioners must create the framework and develop the reduction strategies.

GreenBizCheck Green Business Certification:

• Provides a direct action tool, incorporating an assessment and report.
• The assessment drives practical and cost positive GHG reductions.
• Focuses the business on reducing GHG rather than calculations.
• Is practical, simple and can reduce GHG today.
• Is delivered online minimising its GHG foot print.
• The GBC framework is world's best practice, recognised by a wide range of organizations;

ISO 14001 Environmental Standard

ISO 14001:2004 specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organization identifies as those which it can control and those which it can influence. It does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria. ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish, implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system, to assure itself of conformity with its stated environmental policy, and to demonstrate conformity with ISO 14001:2004 by

1. making a self-determination and self-declaration, or
2. seeking confirmation of its conformance by parties having an interest in the organization, such as customers, or
3. seeking confirmation of its self-declaration by a party external to the organization, or
4. seeking certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization.

All the requirements in ISO 14001:2004 are intended to be incorporated into any environmental management system. The extent of the application will depend on factors such as the environmental policy of the organization, the nature of its activities, products and services and the location where and the conditions in which it functions.

ISO 14064-1:2006 specifies principles and requirements at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals. It includes requirements for the design, development, management, reporting and verification of an organization's GHG inventory.

ISO 14064-2:2006 specifies principles and requirements and provides guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of activities intended to cause greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions or removal enhancements. It includes requirements for planning a GHG project, identifying and selecting GHG sources, sinks and reservoirs relevant to the project and baseline scenario, monitoring, quantifying, documenting and reporting GHG project performance and managing data quality.

ISO 14064-3:2006 specifies principles and requirements and provides guidance for those conducting or managing the validation and/or verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) assertions. It can be applied to organizational or GHG project quantification, including GHG quantification, monitoring and reporting carried out in accordance with ISO 14064-1 or ISO 14064-2. ISO 14064-3:2006 specifies requirements for selecting GHG validators/verifiers, establishing the level of assurance, objectives, criteria and scope, determining the validation/verification approach, assessing GHG data, information, information systems and controls, evaluating GHG assertions and preparing validation/verification statements.

ISO 14065:2007 specifies principles and requirements for bodies that undertake validation or verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) assertions. It is GHG program neutral. If a GHG program is applicable, the requirements of that GHG program are additional to the requirements of ISO 14065:2007.

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