The sustainability debate is at a turning point - governments and companies are increasingly focusing on new strategies to save resources and actively counteract climate change.
For years, the management of environmental impacts has been the focus of corporate strategic planning. Today, it goes one step further: In the future, not only should regulations be adhered to, but customer expectations should also be met - in the best case even exceeded. One promising model is the development towards a circular economy - a regenerative business model that continuously recycles and reuses resources.
"Public awareness of the dangers posed by climate change has increased dramatically in recent years," says Sébastien Fox, Vice President Certification at Bureau Veritas. "Governments and companies are increasingly focusing on reducing their energy consumption, resource use and waste production along the life cycles of their products and services".
A focus on the circular economy model should continue to optimise energy consumption and conserve natural resources such as wood, metals and minerals. However, this process is not entirely without problems: the introduction of a circular economy requires companies to abandon the tried and tested linear business models in the same breath. These generate waste products in every phase of the production and consumption process. This can be a challenge, especially for large companies in traditional industries.
As one of the world's leading providers of environmental and sustainability certifications, Bureau Veritas supports organizations of all sizes to operate in the best possible sustainable way according to their individual requirements and to align themselves with the circular economy model. Our new service tool Circular+ ensures this by providing an application-oriented framework:
"Circular+" is a holistic approach that combines process audit and management system related services to help organisations manage their environmental impacts in the best possible way. The wide range of training, independent verification and certification enables companies to design or further develop both individual processes and entire business models to meet specific requirements. Any problems along the supply chain are identified, thus ensuring transparency. Audits also make it possible to effectively track and document the achievement of business objectives," adds Sébastien Fox.
The ISO 14001:2015 standard for environmental management systems represents the core of the Circular+ approach: the focus is on promoting a holistic, cyclical approach to products and services and their environmental impact. We would be happy to provide you with additional support for your energy management in accordance with ISO 50001 and risk reduction in the processing of wood (FSC and PEFC).