#235 PUBLIC’s 3-Month Journey towards ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 20000-1
The ISO Show
An ISO project can typically be completed within 6 – 12 months depending on an organisations size and complexity. Anyone who’s been through the process of ISO Implementation knows that there is a lot of work involved in that time span, from coordinating teams, gathering and creating documentation to auditing your processes. Now imagine doing that for 3 ISO Standards simultaneously within 3 months! Which is exactly what today’s guest, PUBLIC, have achieved. While it’s not a timeframe we recommend, their efforts deserve to be celebrated, and displays what good project management with...
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#234 Finding The Root Cause In ISO Management
The ISO Show
Continual Improvement is at the heart of ISO Management, a large part of which is dedicated to ensuring issues don’t reoccur. This is more than just putting a plaster on it and calling it a day, it’s about finding the root cause. This not only eliminates wasted time, effort and money with firefighting repeated mistakes, but also drives meaningful improvement. Over the years, many techniques have been developed to help with finding cause. In this episode, Ian Battersby explores the need to find the root cause of issues in ISO Management and explains some key techniques for root cause...
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#233 Clyde & Co Achieves ISO 50001 - Setting the Standard for Energy Management within the Legal Sector
The ISO Show
When thinking of sectors that need effective energy management, the ones that typically come to mind include the likes of transportation and manufacturing. However, energy management is something that any business can benefit from. Such is the case with today’s feature, Clyde & Co, a global law firm who made the decision to Implement ISO 50001 energy management to tackle the largest part of their sustainability impact. In this episode, Ian Battersby is joined by Paul Barnacle, Head of Health, Safety, Security and Environment at Clyde & Co, to discuss their journey towards ISO...
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#232 Introducing BS 30480 Intervention, Prevention And Support For People Affected By Suicide
The ISO Show
The topic of suicide is all too often a discussion avoided due to its tragic and uncomfortable nature. However, the reality is that there are 6,000 deaths by suicide in the UK each year, with in excess of 727,000 deaths annually worldwide. In recent years there has been more awareness about the topic, with a range of resources targeted to help with the prevention and support of those affected. For businesses seeking further guidance, a new Standard is on the horizon. In this episode, Ian Battersby is joined by Marcus Long, Chief Executive at IIOA, who shares his inspirational story of...
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#231 Evaluating Compliance within ISO Management
The ISO Show
When stating ISO Management System ‘compliance’, that in reality means the conformance to ISO Standard requirements, compliance in ISO terminology actually refers to compliance with legal and other statutory regulations. It may sound like semantics, but the difference is distinct for a reason, as you don’t get a ‘non-compliance’ for not meeting requirements, rather you get a ‘non-conformity’. When it comes to compliance with the law as required by ISO Standards, you need more than a Legal Register to prove compliance. In this episode, Ian Battersby dives into what is meant by...
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#230 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Anju Punetha
The ISO Show
How often have you heard someone say they aspire to be an ISO consultant? Likely not at all! That’s not surprising as it’s quite a niche world to find yourself in, yet despite that, there are still thousands of ISO professionals worldwide. We’re continuing with our latest mini-series where we introduce members of our team, to explore how they fell into the world of ISO and discuss the common challenges they face while helping clients achieve ISO certification. In this episode we introduce Anju Punetha, a QHSE Consultant at Blackmores, to share the journey of how she...
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#229 From Platform To Proof – How To Tackle Your Scope 3 Emissions
The ISO Show
One of the biggest challenges for those looking to achieve Net Zero is tackling scope 3 emissions, which are indirect emissions that typically reside in your supply chain. These can account for up to 70% of your total emissions and can be quite the undertaking to gather the necessary data to be able to complete your calculations needed for carbon verification. In the final episode of the Platform to Proof mini-series, we invite Jay Ruckelshaus, Co-Founder and Head of Policy and Partnerships at Gravity, back onto the podcast to explain how to tackle scope 3 emissions, how it works in...
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#228 From Platform To Proof – How Carbon Accounting Software and Verification Combine for Carbon Compliance
The ISO Show
As the sustainability crisis grows more pressing each passing year, companies are increasingly being required to comply with various sustainability regulations and legislation, most of which include the need to monitor and verify your carbon emissions. Calculating these carbon emissions can be tricky, especially if you have a lot of sites or international locations that require conversions. This is where dedicated carbon accounting software can save you a lot of headache! In the second episode of the Platform to Proof mini-series, we invite Jay Ruckelshaus, Co-Founder and Head of Policy and...
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#227 From Platform To Proof – What Is The Business Driver For Carbon Accounting And Reporting?
The ISO Show
One of the biggest hurdles for businesses when embarking on their journey to net zero is the calculation required for carbon verification. Depending on the nature and size of a business, it can be quite the undertaking! Those looking to tackle this challenge have various options available to them, including the use of dedicated carbon accounting software, which we’ll explore in our latest mini-series: From Platform to Proof. In the first episode of this series, we introduce Jay Ruckelshaus, Co-Founder and Head of Policy and Partnerships at Gravity, to explore the key drivers behind carbon...
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#226 Driving ISO Implementation – Meet the Consultant: Minoo Agarwal
The ISO Show
Becoming an ISO consultant isn’t a career path many aspire to, rather it’s one often stumbled on after being tasked with either implementing or maintaining a Standard for a business. We’re continuing with our latest mini-series where we introduce members of our team, to explore how they fell into the world of ISO and discuss the common challenges they face while helping clients achieve ISO certification. In this episode we introduce Minoo Agarwal, a QHSE Consultant at Blackmores, to learn about her journey of following in her father’s footsteps towards ISO Standards...
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Greenwashing is a concern for both businesses and consumers. The proliferation of it in recent years has caused genuine green claims to be treated with an air of caution rather than being rightfully celebrated.
It’s become clear that there is a need for transparent and substantiated green claims, both to help consumers and stakeholders to make informed decisions and to ensure that real steps towards sustainability are being taken.
Is the upcoming EU Green Claims Directive the answer we’ve been looking for?
In this episode Mel is joined by Charlie Martin, CEO and Founder of The Anti-Greenwash Charter, to discuss the purpose of the EU Green Claims Directive, who it applies to and what it’s requirements for substantiation and verification mean in practice.
You’ll learn
· What is the purpose of the EU Green Claims Directive?
· What are the drivers behind this objective?
· Who is required to comply with the EU Green Claims Directive?
· What do the requirements for substantiation and verification mean in practice?
· How will the directive impact the use of carbon offsetting and carbon neutrality claims within the EU?
Resources
· How can The Anti-Greenwash Charter can help with the EU Green Claims Directive
· Green Claims Policy Template
In this episode, we talk about:
[00:30] Episode Summary – Charlie Martin joins Mel to discuss the upcoming EU Green Claims Directive, who it applies to and what it’s requirements mean in practice.
[02:30] What is the purpose of the EU Green Claims Directive?: This directive is a new law, not simply a voluntary scheme that businesses can opt into.
It’s a regulation that governs all voluntary green or environmental claims made by organisations operating within the EU, and requires data to back these claims up.
Another key fundamental of this directive is the need for independent verification of any claims before they’re made public.
[04:35] What are the main drivers for the EU Green Claims Directive?: One of the key drivers is combatting the rampant rise in greenwashing. It’s created a culture of mistrust around green claims, which makes it difficult for stakeholders and consumers to make informed decisions on who to work with or buy from.
Greenwashing also makes it harder to tackle bigger environmental concerns. With misleading data, we can’t accurately measure businesses impact on the environment, which is essential if we are to take meaningful action to reduce our impact.
Ultimately, greenwashing practices are slowing down our ability to effectively reduce our impact as a collective. We are at a point where sustainability related decisions need to be made quickly.
[08:00] Clearer Communications: This directive also has more control over what you can and can’t say in relation to green claims. By waiting until that independent verification has occurred, businesses can feel confident in the information they’re communicating.
[09:30] What is Green Masking? Coined by Carbonology, green masking is where organisations are essentially marking their own homework and hiding behind that fact. It’s where no independent verification has taken place, which can result in a lack of accuracy and transparency.
[10:25] Who needs to comply with the EU Green Claims Directive? – This is an EU based regulation, so if you’re located within the EU you will be expected to comply with this law.
If you do business within the EU, so if you’re based in the UK and sell to Europe, then you will also fall under this jurisdiction as well.
[11:25] What is required by the EU Green Claims Directive?: A full summary of the directive’s requirements can be found on the EU website. A simple break down of these requirements is also available on The Anti-Greenwash Charter website.
Charlie recommends familiarising yourself with the EU Green Claims Directive requirements initially, which are written to suit how businesses generally operate. He also advises that you seek legal assistance as well as sustainability and marketing experts or consultants to get a full picture of how you can comply with these requirements.
[13:35] There is an emphasis on substantiation and verification in the EU Green Claims Directive – what does this mean in practice? A green claim doesn’t account for much if you’re marking your own homework. For it to be truly substantiated, it needs to be verified by an independent third party.
The Directive also highlights the need for life cycle data, and its inclusion within the verification process. This will give businesses a more wholistic view of the impact of the materials they use, the products they use and services they deliver.
Charlie encourages businesses to get a head start on this now, not only due to the benefits it can bring but also to get ahead of the tightening of sustainability legislation that is coming down the road for the UK.
[16:15] How will the directive impact the use of carbon offsetting and carbon neutrality claims within the EU? Businesses are going to have to be crystal clear in their terminology in terms of their substantiated claims.
There is going to be a lot more scrutiny on the quality of evidence provided for carbon claims, so businesses may want to outsource help with analysing the relevant carbon data and communicating any claims and offsetting efforts.
[18:25] Is the Directive ambitious enough? Or could it be strengthened? – Previous attempts to enforce sustainability regulations have been rather weak, and time will tell if this EU Directive is set to change that pattern.
Charlie praises the Directives approach to best practice, though that will evolve further as time goes on. He thinks that the use of generative AI and how that impacts and influences sustainability communications needs to be considered further.
It’s all still quite new, so this may be added in down the line. The Anti-Greenwash Charter already have considerations for responsible AI use within communications and data processing within their Green Claims Policy Template.
They caution any signatories of their Charter to be very careful with the use of AI to support data collection and analysis, as it has the tendency to ‘hallucinate’, and companies will be held responsible for any mishaps related to incorrect results provided by AI.
[23:00] What are the potential consequences for businesses that fail to meet the requirements of the EU Green Claims Directive? – The penalties will be significant, including both fines and potential bans in areas such as marketing, advertising and promoting sustainability claims on the basis of malpractice.
Time will tell on how these penalties are delivered and to what extent within the EU and UK. It shares similarities with other regulations, such as ESOS, where a phased approach was implemented for organisations that met certain criteria.
[25:00] How can The Anti-Greenwash Chater help organisations comply with the EU Green Claims Directive? – Since it’s inception in 2022, they have paid close attention to the Directive’s development, utilising any improvements and iterations to bolster their own process.
As a result, a lot of the work they do with signatories directly aligns with and facilitates the delivery of the foundations of the Directive.
Examples of this include:
Independent verification – Their Green Claims Policy has to include a green claims database, so any claim that a business want to make has to have the relevant data to back it up. It also requires specification of what third party that business used to verify that evidence.
Accessibility of evidence – This is stressed within the EU Green Claims Directive, and is easily fulfilled with the creation of a green claims database as specified by The Anti-Greenwash Charters’ Green Claims Policy.
A full summary of how The Anti-Greenwash Charter can help with compliance to the EU Green Claims Directive is available on their website.
[27:55] How will the EU Green Claims Directive will impact consumer trust in environmental claims? – There’s currently an issue with the flooding of sustainability related communications. With greenwashing so rampant, making an informed decision as a consumer is really difficult.
The standardisation of sustainability credibility and substantiation is what the EU Green Claims Directive aims to do. Ultimately, it will act as a trustworthy marker for stakeholders and consumers to make an informed decision quickly.
If you’d like to learn more about The Anti-Greenwash Charter, visit their website!
If you’d like any assistance with carbon standards, get in touch with Carbonology, they’d be happy to help!
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