Is combining environmental management with profitable business possible?

Knightec challenges the view of sustainability as something costly by showing how to reduce both environmental impact and costs.

Do you encounter difficulties in navigating the sustainability area and determining the best way to assess, categorize and minimize environmental impacts caused by your company? A great way to start or boost sustainability work is to install and maintain an Environmental Management System.

Product durability is a subject exposed to constant change, with increased requirements – both from customers and authorities, we are well aware of the challenges organizations face today. In an ever-changing sustainability market, designing products with the less environmental impact that follows suitable compliance levels is difficult.

We want to take the opportunity to challenge the view of sustainability as something costly by showing how to reduce both environmental impact and costs. While reducing environmental risks that could lead to environmental damage, injuries to personnel, and brand damage, we have found that a down to earth sustainability systematical work could increase customer satisfaction. It also potentially increases sales and get personnel involved and happier at work.

By adopting a proactive mindset under a management system's guidance, real value creates to stay competitive. Here's where Knightec comes in.

We have experience in both implementing management systems at a strategic and operational level. Environmental management doesn't have to be a daunting task. By investigating the organization's risks and impact on the organization, continuous improvement can be achieved through systematic work with threats, objectives, and communication.

A key component in producing durable products involves including the entire organization into the sustainability endeavor, not only single departments such as product development. Otherwise, there could be a risk that the sustainability effort only lives a short time and doesn't align with the organization's strategic vision, making the work tiresome and hard to improve. To achieve increased profits and lowered environmental impact, Knightec helps clients coordinate all departments in a joint sustainability effort.

Knightec has created many efficient and down to earth Environmental Management Systems for our clients. An exciting example is where Knightec supported a new and innovative automotive organization. By building their management system together with the client, we found components in their strategic work. We maintained an adequate operational level, which resulted in reduced risks on a ground level. Furthermore, Knightec supported developing its management system at different sites and provided their internal auditor year after year.

In conclusion, the most optimal way of designing durable products and services is to ensure that all environmental risks and impacts of the company are accounted for and dealt with continuously. We at Knightec provide honest services in setting Environmental Management Systems up, which ensures that our clients can secure sustainable development.

Authors

Elin Vik-Fredriksson, works as a consultant within Quality, Environmental and Health and safety area, with experience in management systems at both large and tiny organizations, Elin is an IRCA-certified LEAD auditor and Quality and Environmental leader.

Mate Saric works as a Quality and Environmental consultant, with experience in environmental management systems, conducting life cycle assessments and business improvement activities concerning sustainable development.

Curious to know more
Please contact Knightec and read more about “Evaluation of the costs and benefits of an environmental management system” written by M. Alberti, L. Caini, A. Calabrese and D. Rossi. At www.sciencedirect.com you can read about ”Environmental management systems and the smaller enterprise” by Ruth Hillary.