ISO 14001 Certification in the Solar Sector

A number of green companies have sought ISO 14001 environmental management certification including those associated with solar power.

Satelite solar panel maker AXT Inc. is committed to environmental protection and positive corporate citizenship. In 2006, they were certified as ISO 14001:2004.

A German manufacturer of photo-voltaics known as Q-Cells, is also ISO certified. The company earned ISO 9001:2000 certification and ISO 14001:2004 certification. Q-Cells is the world`s second largest maker of PV cells, after Sharp of Japan.

The Swiss connector manufacturer, Multi-Contact, which provides electrical connectors to the photovoltaic industry, recently achieved DIN ISO 14001 certification. The company uses resource saving MC Multilam Technology. With the MC3 and MC4 connector systems, Multi-Contact is leading in the Photovoltaic sector worldwide. With successful ISO 14001 certification the company has strengthened its sustainable positioning.

With the help of ISO certifcation, companies in the solar sector are integrating ecology into their management, processes and practices.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The Implications of ISO 50001 for Your Business

To help businesses understand the implications of the new energy oriented ISO series, GreenBiz.com gathered a panel of energy and sustainability executives for a webinar titled, "ISO 50001: Preparing for the New Energy Management Standard."

The business community is increasingly adopting sustainable practices to decrease costs, reduce environmental impacts and add value. Energy management is central to these efforts. According to panelists Bill Allemon, vice president of Energy Management Services at ARCADIS U.S. what distinguishes the new ISO standard is its reach and range.

Other panelists include Don Macdonald, director of Sustainability Business Development of UL DQS Inc., and Kelly Smith, Global Energy and Sustainability program manager for Johnson Controls Inc.. The discussion was moderated by GreenBiz Executive Editor Joel Makower.

Allemon said, "the standard gives you the tools and basics, and if you want to, you can go all the way to certification." Smith of Johnson Controls noted that the standard can be applied to a single facility or building within a company and be used across an organization.ISO 50001 provides a systematic comprehensive approach for continuous improvement and an emphasis on performance management which are essential for development of sustainable organizations, Macdonald said."Energy is a corporation's 'currency,' " said Macdonald, pointing to a failure to value energy as organizational currency as a key barrier to improving energy management. Other barriers he cited include:

-Absence of continuous monitoring, metrics and performance management.
-Initial costs more important than recurring costs.
-Disconnect between capital and operating budgets.
-Immature sustainability culture.
-Shareholder focus on production rather than efficient use of resources.
-Failure to embed deep process quality management systems in an organization.

The panelists' presentations and their discussion are available in a GreenBiz webinar which can be downloaded free with registration.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is developing a guideline for energy management known as 50001 which will be published in the third quarter 2011. ISO 50001 is designed to help organizations improve their energy performance, increase energy efficiency and reduce climate change impacts.

ISO has identified energy management as a priority area meriting the development and promotion of international standards. Effective energy management is a priority focus because of the significant potential to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide.

The new energy guideline establish a framework for energy management systems for buildings, industrial plants, commercial facilities and utilities. ISO 50001's broad applicability across national economic sectors, it is estimated that the standard could influence up to 60 percent of the world’s energy use.

ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard is based on the common elements found in all of ISO’s management system standards. It is entirely compatibility with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management).

ISO 50001 will provide a framework for integrating energy efficiency into management practices. It will make better use of existing energy-consuming assets, as well as provide benchmarking, measuring, documenting, and reporting of energy intensity improvements and their projected impact on reductions in GHG emissions

ISO 50001 will provide energy management best practices and good energy management behaviors. It will also supports transparency and communication on the management of energy resources. Evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies are important part of the framework that also promotes energy efficiency throughout the supply chain and energy management improvements in the context of GHG emission reduction projects.

ISO 50001 is being developed by ISO project committee ISO/PC 242, Energy management, whose Chair, Edwin Piñero, has said of the new series of guidelines, “Everyday, organizations all over the world deal with issues such as energy supply availability, reliability, climate change, and resource depletion. A critical element in addressing these issues is how effectively an organization manages its energy use."

“ISO 50001 provides a proven model that helps organizations systematically plan and manage their energy use. With a strong focus on performance and continual improvement, ISO 50001 will contribute to enhanced energy efficiency and prudent energy use. An extremely high level of consensus drove our committee’s fast progress toward publication - proof that the world needs and wants this standard.”

Roland Risser, Chair of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO/PC 242, and Manager of the Building Technologies Program at the U.S. Department of Energy, underlines that, “This new International Standard provides the structural framework for commercial and industrial companies to continually improve their energy intensity - saving money, improving competitiveness and reducing pollution. When companies can link efficiency to profitability, that’s a win-win.”

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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The History and Value of Environmental Labeling

Environmental labels have been around for more than a quarter century, yet their value rests on the assurance that the information provided is credible, objective, easily identifiable and understood by consumers.

The demand for environmental information on consumer products has been growing since the late 1970s. There are now many different approaches and systems for assessing and communicating environmental product information.

In 1992, the concept of environmental labeling was endorsed by participating governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) to "encourage expansion of environmental labeling and other environmentally related product information programs designed to assist consumers to make informed choices".

In 1993, ISO established a technical committee to develop international environmental labeling standards. These standards are intended to incorporate requirements for consistency and accuracy, and create fair competition in the marketplace. ISO 14020 series is part of a family of international environmental labeling standards.

Environmental labeling is based on international standards and is recognized as an effective instrument of environmental policy by the World Trade Organization (WTO) secretariat, (see WTO Web page on environmental labeling).

Standards play an important role in providing guidance to ensure responsible claims in industry and advertising.

Standards for environmental claims benefit consumers, industry, and advertisers by providing a level playing field and consistency of application. They also provide continual improvement through the maintenance of a standards program that is updated as environmental practices and scientific information evolve.

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Standards are Required to Combat Eco-label and Eco-Certification Confusion

With the plethora of competing green claims it is imperative that we develop industry specific standards. There are a wide range of eco-labels and eco-certification approaches, they include self-managed or third-party-managed: verified in-house or independently verified and/or certified; based on the product life cycle or a single attribute; available for single or multiple sectors and product categories; and designed to demonstrate environmental leadership, relative performance, or just provide information.

It is becoming increasingly important for consumers and institutional buyers to know if a product or service is truly green.

Producers use eco-labels and eco-certification to validate green claims, guide green purchasing, and improve environmental performance standards. According to a 2007 USDA report, eco-labels in organic food products and forestry practices have grown at 20-30% per year since the late 1990s and early 2000s.

A report titled Global Ecolabel Monitor 2010, Towards Transparency (PDF), was produced by Ecolabel Index, the largest global database of ecolabels, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute. The report provides a snapshot of eco-label transparency, including the results of a survey of 340 eco-labels from 42 countries, conducted between the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010.

The report indicates that demand for products with eco-labels is growing, although confusion about which companies are truly environmentally responsible persists. A 2009 UK Carbon Trust study indicated that 44% of UK consumers want more information on what companies are doing to be green, but 70% do not feel confident about identifying which companies are environmentally responsible.

Several large companies and government agencies have recently announced or improved their green- or eco-purchasing policies, notably Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Mars, Dow, Dell and the US Federal Government. In order to meet their policies, these large-scale institutional purchasers need standards, detailed information, and proof that a product is green.

With differing criteria as to what constitutes green, eco-labels are lacking the credibility they require to be effective. According to a European market research study (OECD, 2006), marketing, consumer confusion and competition between similar schemes has caused low market penetration for some ecolabels.

Eco-labels and eco-certification can provide an effective baseline and encourage best practices and guidelines but only if we first develop industry specific standards.
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