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The rampant rise of greenwashing threatens to undermine genuine sustainability efforts and mislead consumers, with over 900 businesses in Europe being accused of the practice in 2024. 

Greenwashing can come in many different forms, and the tactics used aren’t always easy to spot.

In this episode, Mel dives into the 7 shades of greenwashing and explains the common greenwashing tactics you should be on the lookout for.

You’ll learn

·      What is Greencrowding?

·      What is Greenlighting?

·      What is Greenshifting?

·      What is Greenlabelling?

·      What is Greenrinsing?

·      What is Greenhushing?

·      What is Greenmasking?

Resources

·      Carbonology

·      7 Shades of Greenwashing Guide

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – In the 2nd part of this 3-part series on greenwashing, we dive into the various methods and tactics used by businesses to avoid their sustainability obligations.

[03:05] What is greencrowding?: This tactic relies on safety in numbers and occurs when different groups (like governments, organisations and companies) join forces to create the impression of making significant environmental changes.

For example, 8 of the world’s biggest 20 plastic polluters including companies such as Royal Dutch Shell, Coca-Cola, and BP are part of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, however the group moves at the speed of the slowest member and sets low environmental targets to stall action as it is often costly and involves a lot of the companies resources and time

[03:55] What is greenlighting? – This is when companies spotlight a particularly ‘green’ product or operation which helps to draw attention away from tis otherwise environmentally damaging activities.

Commonly seen in the car industry, recent BMW campaigning highlights the company’s electric vehicles, despite being heavily invested in combustion engine vehicles therefore not addressing their major source of emissions.

Another example is Exxonmobil, who heavily advertised its “advanced biofuels” made from algae, however didn’t mention the fact that the biofuels made up a miniscule part of production. Since coming under scrutiny Exxonmobil have rescinded this project altogether and haven’t looked to practical alternatives.

[05:15] What is greenshifting? - This is where the blame gets shifted onto consumers. BP’s “Know your carbon footprint” campaign is a key example, it invited customers to share pledges for reducing their individual emissions yet BP’s core business continue to partake and scheme hugely polluting oil and gas projects.

Another example include H&M who urged consumers to recycle their old clothes yet, the company continues to be a prime culprit in fast-fashion and have a significant part to plat in over-consumerism leading to environmental degradation.

[06:10] The growing need for comprehensive carbon reporting – This occurs when companies use words like ‘eco’, ‘sustainable’ or related wording or symbols conveying green messaging with no evidence to support it.

Kohl’s and Walmart were sued for labelling toxic rayon textiles as eco-friendly bamboo.

Another more recent example is McDonald's Paper Straws where In 2019 a paper straws to introduced to replace plastic ones, claiming it was an eco-friendly move. However, it was later revealed that these paper straws were not recyclable, leading to criticism that the company was misleading consumers about the environmental benefits.

[07:15] What is greenrinsing? - This is where companies change their sustainability commitments or targets before actually achieving them.

Repeatedly, Coca-cola has missed and moved its recycling targets. Between 2020 – 2022, the company dropped its targets for using recycled packaging from 50% by 2030 to 25% proving these targets were not sufficiently made.

BP and ExxonMobil are two more examples of being criticized for frequently updating their climate targets without substantial progress. Various ambitious goals were announced over the years, but critics argue that these targets are often revised or postponed making it hard to assess real achievements and also trust between consumers, investors and legal frameworks are lost.

So the takeaway here is, make sure you’re targets are realistic!

[08:45] What is greenhushing? – This occurs when companies deliberately underreport or hide green credentials to evade scrutiny, which is a rising practice found in larger firms who struggle to successfully hit their targets/ aims.

Commonly found with firms that make distant net zero targets but do not report on progress. It allows them to hide the fact that they are not taking meaningful steps. Companies often avoid reporting positive environmental measures they may be taking to prevent greenwashing accusations which can be argued as counter-productive in the efforts to help drive systemic and industrial change in the most polluting industries.

H&M and ExxonMobil are key examples of greenhushing and no-longer actively promote their sustainability practices as they have faced criticism over false / limited actions in the past. 

This one is rather damaging, especially to those who are taking meaningful sustainable action, but may not be keeping up with their targets. This is why it’s so crucial to make those targets obtainable.

If this practice continues, then there is less pressure overall for businesses to do their part for sustainability. It’s important to celebrate the victories, no matter how small, as it all adds up to the bigger picture.

[10:55] What is greenmasking? - Greenmasking (a term coined by Carbonology®) is used to describe the practice where organisations self-certify their environmental impact without independent verification. This means they claim their green credentials are accurate while avoiding transparency about their methodology and data.

Essentially, they are "marking their own homework," which can lead to misleading claims about their sustainability efforts. Some companies offer ISO 14064 consulting and verification services that may not always adhere to the rigorous standards required for genuine verification.

This can result in poor practices and undermine the credibility of the certification. For example, some consulting firms might offer ISO 14064 verification as part of their services but fail to conduct thorough and independent audits. Instead, they may ‘verify’ the data is correct in-house. This can lead to situations where companies are able to self-label their environmental impact as compliant with ISO 14064 without truly meeting the standard's requirements.

This results in a vast amount of unreliable and untrustworthy data that is purportedly verified. Furthermore, with some consultancy companies asserting that offering both consultancy and verification within the same firm is a viable option, it paves the way for poor reporting standards to be accepted, only worsening the problem in the long run.

Greenmasking can have significant implications for stakeholders, including investors, customers, and regulators, who rely on accurate and transparent environmental reporting. To combat greenmasking, it is crucial for organisations to seek independent and accredited verification of their GHG emissions ensuring that their sustainability claims are credible and based upon the rigorous standards stated in ISO14064-3.

Download a copy of The 7 Shades of Greenwashing from Carbonology’s website here.

If you would like some assistance with carbon Standards and reporting, simply get in touch with the team over at Carbonology.  

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

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In a world increasingly concerned about environmental impact, companies are under immense pressure to demonstrate their sustainability credentials. But how can businesses truly differentiate themselves from those simply paying lip service to green practices?

Greenwashing is a term that you will likely be familiar with, as it’s one that’s been on the rise as consumer preference steers towards those who are seen to be doing the right thing. Alarmingly, high-severity cases, which involve companies that took a purposeful and systematic approach to concealing ESG violations, rise by more than 32% year on year.

In our upcoming 3-part series we’ll be exploring the impact of greenwashing on business, the different types of greenwashing and the role verification can play in building genuine evidence based sustainability strategies.

In this episode, Mel dives into the first of this 3-part series to explain what greenwashing is, the common tactics used in greenwashing and how businesses can build genuine sustainability.

You’ll learn

·      Who is greenwashing?

·      Where did the term originate from?

·      The rise of greenwashing

·      What are some of the common greenwashing tactics used?

·      The danger of greenwashing

·      How can businesses build genuine sustainability strategies?

Resources

·      Carbonology

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – We kick off our 3-part greenwashing series with an exploration of what greenwashing really is, the common greenwashing tactics businesses employ and how you can avoid those pitfalls to build genuine sustainability within your business.

[05:25] What is greenwashing?: Greenwashing, in essence, is the deceptive use of environmental claims to mislead consumers into believing a company's products or services are more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

[05:45] Where did the term ‘greenwashing’ originate from? – The term "greenwashing" was coined in 1986 by Jay Westerveld, an American environmentalist.  

Westerveld first used the term in an essay describing his experience at a hotel in Fiji. The hotel encouraged guests to reuse towels to "save the environment," but Westerveld observed that the hotel was simultaneously expanding its operations, significantly impacting the local environment. This contradiction highlighted the hotel's primary intent to cut costs rather than genuinely conserve resources.  

Westerveld's observation exemplified how businesses could deceptively use environmental claims to mislead consumers into believing their products or services are more environmentally friendly than they actually are. 

[06:35] The rise of greenwashing: Many businesses over a wide range of industries have made a pledge to reduce their carbon impact by 2050, driven by both an increase in regulation and consumer perception.

However, the Economist highlighted some troubling research, citing that while many businesses will puff out their claims of sustainable practices, many don’t have the evidence to back them up. Many should have the resource, say an Asset Manager, that could provide tangible reports on their carbon consumption each year, and yet they choose not to publicly disclose any such reports.

So, a lot of talking the talk, but not walking the walk!

[07:40] The growing need for comprehensive carbon reporting – There are a number of sustainability and ESG regulations now in effect, with more to come in 2025 (such as the Green Claims Directive that is due to come into affect on the 27th March 2025) that require businesses of different sizes and sectors to report on their carbon consumption and reduction. If you’d like to learn more about a few of these, check out our previous episodes on:

·      SECR

·      ISBB S2

·      CSRD

·      CSDDD

[08:15] What are the common tactics used in greenwashing? These can include:-

·      Vague and Ambiguous Claims: Phrases like "eco-friendly" or "sustainable" are often used without specific, quantifiable data.  However, the EU Green Claims Directive, in theory help address this, although this only applied in Europe.

·      Focus on Single Issues: Highlighting one minor environmental benefit while ignoring significant negative impacts across the supply chain.

·      False Labels and Certifications: Creating misleading labels or misrepresenting genuine certifications.  There are numerous ‘Green certifications’ out there that charge for a badge, without providing any evidence, of for those that do provide information it could just be a document that isn’t evidence based i.e. a Policy statement or ‘pledge’ or ‘commitment’

·      "Greenwashing by Association": Implying a connection to environmental causes through sponsorships or marketing campaigns.

[10:15] The danger of greenwashing – The danger with greenwashing is the negative impact it has through an Erosion of Consumer Trust. People are becoming increasingly skeptical of environmental claims, making it harder for truly sustainable companies to gain credibility.

Greenwashing can also lead to Distorted Market Signals: creating a false impression of progress, hindering genuine innovation and investment in sustainable solutions.

[11:30] How can businesses build genuine sustainability strategies?

·      Transparency and Accountability:

• Disclose environmental data openly and transparently.
• Seek independent third-party verification of sustainability claims.

• Focus on Life-Cycle Assessment:
• Evaluate environmental impacts across the entire product or service lifecycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal.

• Continuous Improvement:
• Set ambitious, measurable, and time-bound environmental targets.
• Regularly review and refine sustainability strategies based on performance data.

• Engage with Stakeholders:
• Collaborate with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders to identify and address environmental challenges.

If you would like some assistance with carbon Standards and reporting, simply get in touch with the team over at Carbonology.  

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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The end of another year has rolled around in the blink of an eye! We’ve managed to publish a whopping 42 episodes this year, pushing us over the 200 episode mark. 

We want to thank all our listeners, both old and new, for allowing us to continue to share both ISO tips and success stories from our wonderful clients. We hope you’ll follow along as we continue our podcasting journey in 2025.

To close out the year, Ian Battersby and Steve Mason share some of their stories of misadventures during audits, from common mistakes, to broom battles and forklift mishaps, they really have seen it all! Listen, laugh and learn what not to do during an audit.

You’ll learn

·      What not to do in an audit

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – Ian and Steve share some of their experiences from their time as auditors. From common mistakes to outlandish situations that you’d have to see to believe, listen and learn what shouldn’t happen during an audit. 

[03:40] Lazy Copycats: Steve recounts a time where a company had copy and pasted their Management Review for years, which rightfully earned them a non-conformity.

Ian shares a similar story where a construction company submitting a tender had copy pasted the content and included the wrong company name!

The copying doesn’t stop there, as Steve remembers a company Quality Manual that managed to include multiple company names. It was found that they’d simply copy and pasted example pages they’d found online that looked good, but didn’t bother to update any of the content to be relevant to them.

[06:30] Training Troubles – Ian recounts a time where he was auditing a subcontractor for a construction company that required a record of training. The induction was very important and obviously needed to be documented.

When he checked the documents, though all the forms had different names, all the signatures suspiciously had the exact same handwriting! Turns out the Director was signing them all off, which is obviously in breach of a number of health and safety related regulations.

[08:00] IT Security slip-ups – Steve recounts a time where a Finance Director had good intentions, but poorly implemented his idea. The Finance Director didn’t trust their IT system back-up and instead backed-up all his information on a memory stick.

Steve had pointed out the flaws with this, such as losing the memory stick, data getting corrupted ect. It just simply isn’t a safe or reliable way to store such important information.

[09:05] Disconnected Leadership – Ian shares a time where an auditor caught the lack of leadership commitment to their management system. Despite it being a very nice looking management system by all accounts, the cracks showed enough for an outsider to spot the flaws.

Steve adds that sometimes, you can over engineer a management system to a point past useful. It needs to work for your business, otherwise people will work around it to get what they need done.

Steve had a rather obvious example if this when he required a chat with a member of leadership, who refused on the day initially, despite it being scheduled for 6 months. The person relented a few minutes over lunch where he posed his complete commitment to BS 5750 – A standard that existed 20 years ago and had since been replaced by ISO 9001. Very telling for his level of ‘commitment’.

As we have covered in a previous episode – Leadership commitment is imperative to a successful management system.

[11:40] Skip Diving for Secrets – Steve shares his experience of conducting a skip diving exercise, which is following a document waste trail. At a certain company, they ended up looking in an actual skip only to find what looked like a lot of confidential documents, when questioned someone had said that they looked like they belonged in the CEO’s filing cabinet.

When questioned, the CEO remarked ‘I didn’t want you to catch me with anything that I shouldn’t have, so I threw it all out last night’.

This warranted a non-conformity as anyone could have gone past and fished out that confidential information just as Steve had.

Ian also adds a time where he worked in the NHS and a local hospital had an accident where a lot of confidential medical files ended up scattered across the floor. These were documents that should have been disposed of securely.

[14:05] PPE? You’ve got to be kidding me! – Ian recounts a time working for a manufacturing company that was part of a large international firm. Their UK operation had to abide by strict PPE requirements, proper shoes, eye protection ect. It was something that everyone on the premises had to adhere to.

One day, a Director walked in with none of the PPE which was clearly labelled on many of the signs decorating the shop floor. He had incorrectly assumed that because of his position, he could walk around with no PPE whatsoever. Fortunately the shop floor supervisor set him right and sent him to get properly suited up.

[15:35] Data Centre security says no – Steve recalls a time when a member of top management went to visit one of their own data centre’s, on getting to the gate the security had told him ‘I don’t care who you are, your name isn’t on the list so you’re not getting in.’

That person hadn’t gone through the process of being approved for entry. Yet, predictably, they sent complaints everywhere, but the head of the UK branch had quite rightly praised the security personnel for simply following protocol.

[16:55] Private bank details? Don’t mind if I do! – While Steve was auditing physcial security for an office, a printer ended up printing the payroll of every employee at the business. This wasn’t in a private room, this was in the middle of the office, so anybody could walk up and see bank account details and salaries!

When questioned, it turned out their Finance Director was working from home, and hadn’t bothered to contacts anyone to retrieve the documents. So unsurprisingly, they received a non-conformity.

[19:55] Do not goad the auditor -  A bit of advice from Steve “Never say ‘this is our most secure room’ to an auditor” – that is essentially a challenge, and one that you’ll likely lose if you don’t follow your own processes.

Steve put this to the test when someone had claimed only 3 people had access to a certain room. Out of curiosity, Steve used his visitor badge to gain entry, and asked if he was included in that 3. Obviously he wasn’t, and this was simply down to access control being a bit muddled at that particular company.

[21:25] Mistaken Identity: Steve recalls a time when he was given a visitors badge with a completely different person as the photograph. It had no effect on the correct access rights, but amusing all the same.

He shares another story where he shared a waiting room with another Steve. When they called only the first name, the other Steve was taken into that business and questioned on ISO, to which the poor man had to inform them that he had no idea what they were talking about! Shortly after, the correct Steve was collected. But it goes to show how important it is to ensure you’re giving access to the right people.

[24:20] Battle of the Broomsticks: Ian recalls another time when working in construction, when he had the opportunity to work at a horse racecourse. They were looking to achieve what was OHSAS 18001 at the time (now known as ISO 45001), and it was going so well until a few new hires came running across the stable yard wielding 2 brooms, battling like gladiators in view of their auditor.

Thankfully they weren’t really harming each other, but it was enough for the auditor to raise a few questions about subcontractor controls. You really couldn’t write the timing any better (or worse, I suppose!).

[26:15] Clearly a certified forklift driver:  While Steve was working at a warehouse, the manager there stressed how well trained all of their forklift drivers were, how sensible they all were.

Though, Steve could see a person dancing, speeding and popping wheelies with his forklift over the managers shoulder. After he’d been alerted to the wannbe stunt driver, the manager went to have a word with them.

[27:30] Accidents don’t happen after 5pm: Ian was working at a company that highly valued the use of PPE on-site, everyone did a good job of abiding by that, until it came to the end of the day. One person leaves across the shop floor in just a normal t-shirt and jeans, waving them all off happily as he leaves for the day.

He still had to cross the shop floor, and being off the clock doesn’t make you invincible.

[29:10] Fire Door Dramas: Steve recalls a time during an ISO 9001 audit where he spotted a fire door had been blocked by pallets in a warehouse.

Another time he saw a fire door that was actually chained and padlocked!

On another occasion, a local council had put their rubbish bins outside the fire door for the building, and during a fire drill, they couldn’t get out.  

Ian states how many times he’s seen signs ignored by drivers who park in front of fire exits. All this to say that a little awareness goes a long way.

[31:10] Emergency Plans for the avid reader: During an incident at an NHS hospital where they’d suffered a long term major power outage, Ian and the staff had found that the emergency plans were 144 pages long! With Senior responsibilities hidden away in an Appendix on the last few pages.

Well thought out plans are necessary, but the actual procedure needs to be something that can be followed in the event of an emergency. A little common sense should be applied when deciding what needs to be communicated.

[34:00] Risk Assessment disaster: While working with a team in a manufacturing plant, Ian helped them to streamline their risk assessment process as their previous one needed too many signatures to actually go anywhere. This bottleneck was resolved with months of hard work, or so they thought…

When it came to being audited, the auditor asked the team manager what happened to all of the risk assessments, he’d then pointed towards the Health & Safety Management and claimed they had them all, who had to admit that he didn’t.

Later that evening a director called the administration and asked to hide all of the documentation, to which she rightly refused to do. This also linked back to when the auditor had asked about how the apprentices were trained, and it happened that the apprentice supervisor was on holiday and so they were just let onto the shop floor. Suffice to say, this didn’t reflect well on the resulting audit results.

[36:30] Against the wire: Ian states that manufacturing companies are not famous for admin. He had one experience while trying to get a recertification booked in, which went up against the wire for their current certification running out.

The CB obliged and sent a very qualified Health & Safety assessor there, who took them to pieces. It didn’t take long for him to point out that they had a really nice management system with no commitment from managers to use it.

A word to the wise – don’t leave your recertification up until the last minute! If a CB tried to move your recertification past that expiry date, you can and should push back.  

[39:00] Password palavers: Steve shares an experience when he interviewed a very organised PA who managed 7 Directors. At the end of the audit he pointed out a folder on her computer called ‘passwords’, to which she obliged to show him the contents. Predictably it contained all the usernames and passwords for various accounts the Directors owned.

She knew about the secure passwords policy, but no one could realistically remember that many! When Steve questioned the technical team, they states only selected people needed one, and she wasn’t one of them. Steve pointed out that she did, and had done the best she could with the tools available, and gifted them a non-conformity as a result as they hadn’t done a good job of ascertaining who should get additional security tools.

By the end of that day, the PA had their own password vault.

[41:30] A fire extinguisher as useless as a chocolate teapot: In another company Steve had noted that they still had a black fire extinguisher. When asked, the staff replied that they were all up-to-date as of 2007. On checking, it was revealed that it had last been serviced in August 1997 – so no, it was not in fact ‘up-to-date’.

It may be innocuous to some, but when it comes to safety equipment, that could be the difference between life and death in an emergency.

[42:40] Technophobes in a modern age: Ian recounts a past quality audit he did for an engineering company. They require a lot of specific ISO Standards for that industry, and so the company paid a subscription service to ensure they had digital copies of all these Standards to refer back to.

One such standard was on verification, and on asking a particular quality engineer about how he verifies a specific product, he pulls out a printed hard copy of a standard from 1993. Ian was interviewing him in 2017, there had been at least 2 updated versions of the Standard out by that point. When probed about why he wasn’t using the online standards library paid for by the company, he simply stated ‘I don’t like computers’.

[45:00] The case of the mysterious ghost file: Steve once had an audit with a relatively nervous member of staff, after explaining that all he has to do is explin how he works, the interview went rather smoothly.

At one point he photocopied a bit of paper, hole punched it and filed it away on a shelf in the corner. Steve initially thought ‘good admin, he’s clearly following a process’, so when he returned Steve asked why he filed that particular bit of information away, to which the staff member said ‘I don’t know, I’ve just been told to do it’.

Steve then questioned the Quality Manager there about that document and they replied with the same. He then questioned the warehouse personnel to get the same answer.

So, you have this document being photocopied over and over, filed away each time and no one knows why! Steve politely pointed out that it might be a good idea to rethink that pointless process.

[47:50] Useless numbering systems: Ian had a similar experience with a numbering system that nobody knew the origins of. The staff involved simply shrugged it off and stated it was simply just what they used.

Ian decided to put something to the test, by getting rid of it. He removed an entire archive system from a company’s network folder, as back then file space was a big cost and concern. He kept the files and waited to see if anyone actually needed them. After months, he only had 2 requests for documents.

It’s important to ask both what is and isn’t working well. Getting input from all levels of staff can be eye opening, and empower those employees who can help shape up company processes to work more efficiently.

[49:50] Allergic to Audits: Ian shares a secondhand story where a trainer for the HSE was conducting a site visit, where he needed to question the shop supervisor on a few things. He asked him for something he couldn’t see, and the guy agreed to go get it, and just never came back. Apparently he was so scared of the auditing process that he just went home!  

[54:00] Shady police and stolen cars: One of Steve’s previous clients had an experience where what they thought was a policeman asked about a hire car the company owned, stating it had been involved in a crime. They didn’t think much of letting him take it for his ‘investigation’.

Later when the hire company asked about getting their car back, the staff let them know what happened, rightly confused this led to a lot of discussion. As you can probably tell, the man was not a policeman and had made off with a nice shiny BMW simply by asking for it.

If something like this happens to you, always ask for documentation from the police.

[55:00] The Great Computer Caper: Ian recalls a training centre incident where a lot of computer equipment is stored in one suite. One day a few  guys came in and started lifting stuff out, people were holding doors open for them, not at all thinking them to be thieves. Low and behold, they were and took everything.

Steve recounts a very similar experience where the thieves posed as a computer service company, stripping the entire office on a Friday afternoon. It wasn’t until Monday when everything was still gone that people thought to question who those people really were.

Thank you all for a great 2024, we look forward to bringing you more ISO tips and success stories in 2025.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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On average, international events emit over 2,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases, which is the equivalent to what 270 UK citizens emit in a whole year. 

The events industry has been under scrutiny for a number of years in regard to its sustainability, with many factors such as international and domestic travel and exhibition waste to consider, it’s quite a beast to tackle!

Back in 2012, to coincide with the London Olympics, a new Standard dedicated to Sustainable Events Management was launched. ISO 20121 provides a robust framework for those seeking to take actionable steps to tackle their sustainability, such as todays’ guest FESPA.   

In this episode Ian is joined by Graeme Richardson-Locke, Head of Associations & Technical Lead at FESPA, to discuss FESPA’s journey towards achieving ISO 20121, the challenges faced along the way and benefits felt from certification.

You’ll learn

·      Who is Graeme Richardson-Locke?

·      Who are FESPA?

·      What was the main driver behind obtaining ISO 20121?

·      What was the biggest gap identified in the initial Gap Analysis?

·      What did FESPA learn from the experience of implementing ISO 20121?

·      What are the main benefits of ISO 20121 certification?

Resources

·      FESPA

·      FESPA Sustainability Spotlight

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – We welcome today’s guest, Graeme Richardson-Locke, Head of Associations & Technical Lead at FESPA, to discuss their journey towards achieving the best practice standard for Sustainable Event Management – ISO 20121.

[02:40] Who is Graeme?: Graeme has spent 40 years in the print sector, from textiles to graphics to industrial printing. Starting from an apprenticeship in screen printing, which moved onto industrial printing and then finally into digital print.

A little known fact about Graeme, he used to live on a goat farm on the Isle of Isla in the inner Hebrides. He speaks fondly of his time in a small community of just over 3,000 people, taking long walks and admiring the rich landscape.

[06:00] Who are FESPA? – FESPA is the global Federation of National Specialty Print Trade Association.

They work to support visual communication businesses in wide format and production of wide format products, so this includes things like garment decoration, interior décor, signage and industrial products.

Their association have members across 37 countries with around 1400 businesses within their membership. They ultimately seek to reinvest their profits for the purpose of inspiring, educating and growing the industry.

Their roots can be found in creativity, with some of their founding members coming from a background of screen printing.

[09:55] What is the scope of FESPA’s ISO 20121 certification? Currently it extends to their major European based exhibition – Global Print Expo, which also includes their European Sign Expo.

They thought it best to roll out certification to the Standard against their largest event.

Outside of the certification scope (so far) they do run events in Mexico, Brazil, Africa and the Middle East. It would be much too large of an undertaking trying to certify all their events initially, so they started with the European events with a view to expand their scope of certification at a later date.

[11:05] What was the main driver for achieving ISO 20121? Their was a clear need for sustainability related materials to be made available to their members. So FESPA started to develop a guide on sustainability certification schemes, a glossary of terms and a calculating carbon guide.

As a result, they set-up a feature on their website called Sustainability Spotlight, which highlights new sustainability produced materials coming to market. So it was clearly a topic of focus for their members.

They also sought to increase the positive impact they can have within their community, reduce the negative impacts and further develop their overall value.

[13:05] The ethical way forward – As an internal advocate, Graeme wanted to put forward a proposal for something that was really meaningful and not just a greenwashing exercise. This is something that seeking certification, which includes third-party verification, can provide.

[13:35] How long did it take FESPA to achieve ISO 20121? – FESPA began looking into the Standard back in 2022, but it was mired with other turbulence that needed their focus. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, supply disruption and inflation, there was a lot happening in a short space of time.

They made a start on their journey in the Summer of 2022, but it was slow going as they were still building back from the pandemic. The slow burn picked up speed in 2023, with their certification being secured in May 2024.

[15:45] What was the biggest Gap identified during the Gap Analysis? FESPA have a lot of talented members, with a lot of competence, but the experience of creating formalised policies, procedures and a Management System that had to meet the set requirements of the Standard was a learning curve.

FESPA didn’t have the benefit of other ISO certifications, and this was the first time they were implementing an audited Standard, so the whole process was very eye opening.

[16:40] What impact did Implementing ISO 20121 have on FESPA? It provided a new perspective on their business, and has helped to develop a greater awareness of sustainable development opportunities.

An example of this includes when they started to really dig deeper into how they build and run events, from stand materials to catering. They found that switching their stand build materials to fiber build materials reduced their carbon footprint by 90%!

By simply thinking more carefully about what they were doing, they managed to make a massive carbon reduction, with an appetite to reduce this even further.

They worked with a company called Quota to calculate their carbon emissions, as they didn’t have that particular expertise in-house.

With that massive reduction as a motivator, they are now looking at stand material lifecycle, with a view to use more recycled materials that can be reprocessed.

[19:00] An eye opening experience -  Completing exercises like a SWOT and PESTLE and rolling out a risk register which is reviewed on a quarterly basis, allows them to really keep an eye on how things are changing and any available opportunities.  

All of these feed into their objective setting for the next year, establishing a solid path of progression to drive the business forward.

[20:10] Keeping up with an ever changing world: FESPA have molded their Management to suit the way they work, which is not linear.

Venues change ever year, and it’s critical that their management system assist in asking the right questions for new event locations.

One of their recent events took place in The Rye in Amsterdam, and they had zero emissions relating to energy because the Rye had their own sustainability related policies and procedures in place.  

[21:15] The event industry’s collective effort: Many venues and other businesses involved in the events sector are large organisations with high energy consumption.

Many will already fall under legislative requirements to address and reduce their energy consumption. So, everyone is working in step with each other for the most part.

FESPA’s own members are showing trends of steering more towards utilising more sustainable materials such as recycled fabrics, as these have less weight, less cost to ship and more opportunity for reprocessing.

It’s still very much a work in progress, but it’s being driven in the right direction.

[24:20] Graeme’s Top Tip:  The power of systematic thinking, Implementing a Management System requires a new way of working.

Graeme ran into trouble when first providing auditable evidence, as it was not something FESPA had ever done before. They encountered a minor non-conformance for F gas leakage in their head office air conditioning, and while they could confirm that their provider was F gas certified but they hadn’t checked to make sure the certificate was in date.

Little examples like this proved that they need a more systematic approach in all aspects of the business to ensure they complied with all relevant regulations, while also providing a solid framework for continual improvement.

[26:15] Celebrating ISO Success: Graeme was fortunate to attend a Certificate ceremony, put on by their Certification Body, BSI. The acknowledgement of not only his effort, but others who had been through a similar experience made for a fantastic celebration of FESPA’s achievements.

[27:20] Graeme’s book recommendation: Green Swans, The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism – By John Elkington

[29:15] Chris’s favourite quote: The biggest threat to this planet is the belief that someone else will save it – Robert Swan

If you would like to learn more about FESPA, and their sustainability initiatives, visit their website.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

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AI has been integrated into almost every aspect of our lives, from everyday software we use at work, to the algorithms that determine what content is recommended to us at home.

While extraordinary in its capabilities, it isn’t infallible and will open up everyone to new and emerging risks. Legislation and regulations are finally catching up to the rapid adoption of this technology, such as the EU AI Act and new Best Practice Standards such as ISO 42001.

For those looking to integrate AI in a safe and ethical manner, ISO 42001 may be the answer.

Today Rachel Churchman, Technical Director at Blackmores, explains what ISO 42001 is, why you should conduct an ISO 42001 Gap analysis and what’s involved with taking the first step towards ISO 42001 Implementation.  

You’ll learn

·      What is ISO 42001?

·      What are the key principles of ISO 42001?

·      Why is ISO 42001 Important for companies either using or developing AI?

·      Why conduct an ISO 42001 Gap Analysis?

·      What should you be looking at in an ISO 42001 Gap Analysis?

Resources

·      Register for our ISO 42001 Workshop

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Rachel Churchman joins Steph to discuss what ISO 42001 is, it’s key principles and the importance of implementing ISO 42001 regardless of if you’re developing AI or simply just utilising it.

Rachel will also explain the first step towards implementation – an ISO 42001 Gap Analysis.

[02:45] Upcoming ISO 42001 Workshop– We have an upcoming ISO 42001 workshop where you can learn how to complete an AI System Impact Assessment, which is a key tool to help you effectively assess the potential risks and benefits of utilising AI.

Rachel Churchman, our Technical Director, will be hosting that workshop on the 5th December at 2pm GMT, but places are limited so make sure you register your place sooner rather than later!

[03:20] The impact of AI – AI is everywhere, and has largely outpaced any sort of regulation or legislation up until very recently. These are both needed as AI is like any other technology, and will bring it’s own risks, which is why a best practice Standard for AI Management has been created.

If you’d like a more in-depth breakdown of ISO 42001, check out our previous episodes: 166 & 173

[04:30] A brief summary of ISO 42001 – ISO 42001 is an Internationally recognised Standard for developing an Artificial Intelligence Management System.  It provides a comprehensive framework for organisations to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve how they implement and develop or consume AI in their business. It aims to ensure that AI risks are understood and mitigated and that AI systems are developed or deployed in an ethical, secure, and transparent manner, taking a fully risk-based approach to responsible use of AI.

Much like other ISO Standards, it follows the High-Level Structure and therefore can be integrated with existing ISO Management systems as many of the core requirements are very similar in nature. 

[05:45] Why is ISO 42001 important for companies both developing and using AI? – AI is now becoming commonplace in our world, and has been for some time.  A good example is the use or Alexa or Siri - both of these are Large Language AI Models that we all use routinely in our lives.  But AI is now being introduced in many technologies that we consume in our working lives - all designed to help make us more efficient and effective.  Some examples being:

·      Microsoft 365 Copilot

·      GitHub Copilot

·      Google Workspace

·      Adobe Photoshop

·      Search Engines i.e. Google

Organisations need to be aware of where they're consuming AI in their business as it may have crept in without them being fully aware.  Awareness and governance of AI is crucial for several reasons: 

For companies using AI they need to ensure they have assessed the potential risks of the AI such as unintended consequences and negative societal impacts, or potential commercial data leakage.  They also need to ensure that if they are using AI to support decision making, that they have ensured that decisions made or supported by AI systems are fair and unbiased.   It's not all about risk - organisations can also use AI to streamlining processes helping to become more efficient and effective, or it could support innovation in ways previously not considered.

For companies developing AI, the standard promotes the ethical development and deployment of AI systems, ensuring they are fair, transparent, and accountable.  It provides a structured approach to risk assessment and governance associated with AI, such as bias, data privacy breaches, and security vulnerabilities.

And for all, using ISO 42001 as the best practice framework, organisations can ensure that their AI initiatives are aligned with ethical principles, legal requirements, and industry best practices. This will ultimately lead to more trustworthy, reliable, and beneficial AI systems for all.

[10:00] Clause 7.4 Communication – The organisation shall determine the internal and external communications relevant to the system, and that includes what should be communicated when and to who.

[09:00] What are the key principles outlined in ISO 42001? –

·      Fairness and Non-Discrimination - ensuring AI systems treat all individuals and groups fairly and without bias.

·      Transparency and Explainability - Making AI systems understandable and accountable by providing clear explanations of their decision-making processes.

·      Privacy and Security - Protecting personal data and privacy while ensuring the security of AI systems.

·      Safety and Security - Prioritising the safety and well-being of individuals and the environment by mitigating potential risks associated with AI systems.

·      Environmental & Social - Considering the impact of AI on the environment and society, promoting sustainable and responsible practices.

·      Accountability and Human Oversight - Maintaining human control and responsibility for AI systems, ensuring they operate within ethical and legal boundaries.  You'll often hear the term 'Human in the loop'.  This is vital to ensure that AI is sanity checked by a human to ensure it hasn't hallucinated or result ‘drifted’ in any way.

[11:10] Why conduct an ISO 42001 Gap Analysis? What is the main aim? – Any gap analysis is a strategic planning activity to help you understand where you are, where you want to be and how you’re going to get there.  The ISO 42001 gap analysis will identify gaps and pinpoint areas where your AI practices need to meet the ISO 42001 requirements. 

It aims to conduct a systematic review of how your organisation uses or develops AI to then assess your current AI management practices against the requirements of the ISO 42001 standard. This analysis will then help you to identify any "gaps" where your current practices do not fully meet the standard's requirements.  It also helps organisations to understand 'what good looks like' in terms of responsible use of AI.  

It will help you to prioritise improvement areas that may require immediate attention, and those that can be addressed in a phased approach.

It will help you to understand and mitigate the risks associated with AI. 

It will also help you to develop a roadmap for compliance to include plans with clear actions identified that can then be project managed through to completion, and as with all ISO standards it will support and enhance AI Governance.

[13:15] Does an ISO 42001 gap analysis differ from gap analysis for other standards? – Ultimately, no. The ISO 42001 gap analysis doesn't differ massively from other ISO standard gap analysis, so anyone who already has an ISO Standard and has been through the gap analysis process will be familiar with it.

In terms of likeness, ISO 42001 is similar in nature to ISO 27001 in as much as there is a supporting 'Annex' of controls and objectives that need to be considered by the organisation.  Therefore the questions being asked will extend beyond the standard High Level Structure format.

Now is probably a good time to note that the Standard itself is very informative and includes additional annex guidance information to include

·      implementation guidance for the specific AI controls,

·      an Annex for potential AI-related organisational objectives and risk sources,

·      and an Annex that provides guidance on use of the AI management system across domains and sectors and integration with other management system standards. 

[14:55] What should people be looking at in an ISO 42001 gap analysis? – The Gap Analysis will include areas such as looking at the 'Context' of your organisation to better understand what it is that you do, or the issues you are facing internally and externally in relation to AI - both now and in the reasonably foreseeable future, and also how you currently engage with AI in your business.  This will help to identify your role in terms of AI. 

It will also look at all the main areas typically captured within any ISO standard to include leadership and governance, policy, roles and responsibilities, AI Risks and your approach to risk assessment and treatment and AI system impact assessments.  It also looks at AI objectives, the support resources you have in place to manage requirements, awareness within your business for AI best practice and use, through to KPI's, internal audit, management review and how you manage and track issues through to completion in your business.

The AI specific controls look more in-depth at Policies related to AI, your internal organisation in relation to key roles & responsibilities and reporting of concerns, The resources for AI Systems, how you assess the impacts of AI Systems, The AI system lifecycle (AI Development), Data for AI Systems, Information provided to interested parties of AI Systems, and the use of AI Systems and 3rd party and customer relationships.

[18:10] Who should be involved in an ISO 42001 Gap analysis? – An ISO 42001 gap analysis looks at AI from a number of different angles to include organisational governance that includes strategic plans, policies and risk management, through to training and awareness of AI for all staff, through to technical knowledge of how and where AI is either used or potentially developed within the organisation.  This means that it is likely that there will need to be multiple roles involved over the duration of a gap Analysis.

At Blackmores we always provide a Gap Analysis 'Agenda' that clearly defines what will be covered over the duration of the gap analysis, and who typically could be involved in the different sessions.  We find this is the best way to help organisations plan the support needed to answer all the questions required. 

It's also important to treat the gap analysis as a 'drains up' review, to help get the  most benefit out of the gap analysis.  This will ensure that all gaps are identified so that a plan can then be devised to support the organisation to bridge these gaps, putting them on the path to AI best practice for their business.

If you’d find out more about ISO 42001 implementation, register for our upcoming Workshop on the 5th December 2024.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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One of the biggest contributors to a stagnating ISO Management System is a failure to communicate.

This has certainly been true in our experience with implementing ISO Standards for over 18 years, and as a result, we make sure to highlight awareness and communication as an integral step of the Implementation process.

It’s a wasted effort only to have your management system gathering dust in a rarely visited folder on your server. If you want to reap the benefits of ISO implementation, it’s in your best interest to make everyone aware of their role in relation to your management system and its continual improvement.

Today Ian Battersby explains what ISO Standards mean by awareness and communication, why they are so integral to a successful management system and how you can effectively communicate your management system.  

You’ll learn

·      What does awareness and communication mean in relation to ISO Standards?

·      Why should you communicate your management system?

·      The benefits of management system awareness

·      How can you effectively communicate your ISO management system?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian Battersby will be explaining what ISO Standards mean by awareness and communication, and why they are so integral to a successful Management System.

[02:30] What is awareness and communication so important?– The success and failure of a management system depends on it’s existence being known and understood within an organisation.

Staff have a key part to play, and they need to know their part in the Management System and how it aligns with the organisations direction.

[03:20] Extra guidance available for awareness and communication – There is a Standard that accompanies ISO 9001, called ISO 9004:2018 – Quality of an Organisation: Guidance to achieve sustained success.

This is a great companion to any Standard, as it provides general guidance on how to properly embed a management system within your business.

It talks at length about people and the need to ensure that they are competent, engaged, empowered and motivated. These are crucial as:

Engagement of people enhances the organisations ability to create value for interested parties.

Empowerment motivates people to take responsibility for their work and the results of their work.

These can be achieved by providing people with necessary information with authority and the freedom to make decisions related to their own work.

People should understand the significance and importance of their role, specifically in creating that value to meet and exceed customer expectations.

[05:30] What should be communicating according to ISO Standards? – Taking ISO 9001 as the example, because it is the basis for most ISO Standards, it has a specifies the following:

5.2.2 Quality Policy - The policy should be available and maintained as documented information, so must be issued somewhere so that people can see it. But it also, quite importantly, must be communicated, understood and deployed within the organisation. It also needs to be made available to other relevant and trusted parties.

5.3 Organisational roles, responsibilities and authorities - Top management have a responsibility here. They must ensure that responsibilities and authorities for relevant rules are assigned, communicated and understood within the organisation. There’s a lot to consider here as this will also take into account for ensuring processes are delivering expected outputs, the reporting of system performance and improvement and the promotion of customer focus throughout the organisation.

6.2 Objectives - The organisation should establish objectives. These will be targeted at relevant functions, levels and processes and should be communicated to the relevant people affected by those objectives.

7.3 Awareness – Includes the specification that anyone working under the organisations control, so this could include indirect workers, must be aware of your quality policy. Also included is the awareness of objectives and staff’s contribution to the effectiveness of the management system. People aslo have to be aware of the implications of not conforming to the requirements of the management system or standard.

[09:30] The implications of not following requirements – You need to consider what happens if someone doesn’t follow a process. For Standards such as ISO 45001 Health & Safety management, following processes could be a matter of someone getting hurt or breaking the law.

[10:00] Clause 7.4 Communication – The organisation shall determine the internal and external communications relevant to the system, and that includes what should be communicated when and to who.

[10:30] When should you deliver ISO Management System awareness and communication training? – If you’re just starting out on your ISO Implementation journey, it’s crucial to communicate at the outset the importance of the process of achieving certification.

The level of awareness will vary depending on people’s roles, i.e:

Top Management: Top management must understand the role of the management system in relation to the strategic direction of the organisation as part of context, they must understand what the management system contributes to the overall business outcomes. While top management don't need to know standards inside out, they must be aware and must have understanding of the overall purpose of the standard and the benefits that standard will bring to the organisation.

To gauge the level of awareness top management need, ask yourself, would you be happy to let them be interviewed in private by a third-party assessor in regards to all of their responsibilities in relation to the management system?

[13:20] General awareness for the workforce– While leadership require a greater level of awareness, there is still a need for general staff to have a certain level of management system awareness.

For those on their first implementation journey, you should bring people in from the very beginning, this includes all staff and those working indirectly under your organisation.

You will want to make them aware of the following:

What is a quality management system? – Define what it is and what it means

What’s important about the Standard? – People don’t need to know the intricacies of standard subclauses, so just select important aspects such as the Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycle

If you’re integrating Standards, what are some common requirements? – If you’re integrating a new standard, what requirements specific to that new standard need to communicated?

[15:15] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[17:20] General awareness for the workforce continued – You will also need to make sure people are aware of:

What do they need to know in relation to certification? – This can include the date you’re working towards, what might be expected of them during an ISO assessment, what does the certification actually mean for the business?

Accessing the Management system – How can people find your management system? What documents does it hold? How do you use it? And how does this impact on staff’s day to day activities?

Staff’s role in relation to the Management system – How do staff contribute to the management system on a daily basis? How do they contribute to business objectives?

How does the management system benefit them? – Your management system will include tools and guidance on how to carry out certain activities. It explains how improvements can be suggested and made and how audits work. Ultimately it provides a structured approach to ensure everyone is singing from the same song sheet.

The importance of complying with policies, processes and procedures – including the consequences of not complying with them.

Raising issues relating to non-conformity, the effectiveness of the management system and any potential improvements – You can’t have eyes everywhere, and the people working in alignment with your processes can better highlight where something may not be working. This also increases engagement as people will have a real impact on how your business operates.  

[20:15] Specific standard considerations for communication – The focus of elements of your communication will be tied to the specific ISO Standard you’re implementing.

I.e. A Health & Safety management system will include communication of key risks and hazards, how to report safety issues and abiding by Health & Safety law

Environmental management systems may include awareness of the need to protect the world we live in, how each person can help lessen their impact on an individual scale ect.

[21:00] Other key roles and related communication – There are other key roles within the organisation which will have specific communication requirements.

These will be people like operational functional managers with key roles in processes they may be involved in, i.e. sales, design, purchasing, calibration ect.

If they've got specific functions in the organisation with respect to the management system, they need to understand them as much as top management needs to know theirs and the general workforce need to know theirs.

[21:50] Communicating key changes to the Management system – You need to continually communicate to the workforce when changes occur to the management system. That communication doesn’t stop as soon as you’re certified!

For first time implementation, you’ll want to communicate when you’ve achieved certification.  

[22:30] The importance of communication within a Management System – If people are aware of their role and importance to a management system, they will be more engaged with its operation.

This can include reporting on objectives progress during team briefs, raising potential issues and non-conformities or opportunities for improvement, highlighting customer complaints, monitoring number of incidents at work ect

All of these contribute to the success of the business and need to be reported on continually.

These can turn into lessons learned, which could lead to major system changes where documentation or processes need to be updated and communicated.

[24:30] What’s the best way to communicate your ISO management system? – Not all organisations are the same, so there is no right or wrong way to do so. A few suggestions include:

·      SharePoint

·      Teams Channel

·      E-mail / internal newsletters

·      Bulletins

·      In-person training

·      Videos

For any of the above you may need to consider how to record who has completed set awareness training.

[25:30] A final thought  – If an auditor stops and asks a worker about your quality policy, what will that person say to that auditor?

We understand that the quality policy must be communicated, but how does each person understand it?

Your awareness raising needs to capture methods of ensuring that that happens, which is a tricky task!

They do not need to know a Standard verbatim, but they should know the importance of complying with it, what a non-conformity within that system means, and what are the consequences are if they don’t follow the rules.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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A crucial part of Implementing any ISO Standard is addressing your risks and opportunities. 

This is a key part of Clause 4 Context of the organisation, which expresses and explicit need to review and assess what internal and external factors could help and hinder in achieving your business goals.

While ISO Standards don’t define a definitive method of doing so, many have adopted the practice of carrying out a SWOT and PESTLE analysis.  

Today Ian Battersby explains what a SWOT and PESTLE analysis is, the key questions you should be asking and the importance of continually reviewing and updating the results as your management system matures.   

You’ll learn

·      What is a SWOT analysis?

·      What is a PESTLE analysis?

·      Examples of questions you should be asking during a SWOT and PESTLE

·      How often should a SWOT and PESTLE be conducted?

·      Examples of SWOT and PESTLE in practice

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian Battersby will be explaining what a SWOT and PESTLE exercise is, it’s role in fufilling key requirements in Clause 4 of any ISO Standard, and the key questions you should be asking during the exercise.  

[02:30] What is a SWOT and PESTLE analysis? – This is one is the tools you can use to look at various factors that affect your organisation.

SWOT standards for:

·      Strengths

·      Weaknesses

·      Opportunities

·      Threats

PESTLE standards for:

·      Political

·      Economical

·      Social

·      Technological

·      Legal

·      Environmental

And in recent years, people have added ethical into PESTLE too. Whether that’s on its own or integrated within the other elements is up to the organisation and how they want to run the exercise.

Both analysis are fundamental in helping organisations understand the benefits and pitfalls of a project, management system implementation included.

[05:05] Where in the Standard is there a need for a SWOT and PESTLE? – Clause 4 in all ISO Standards is known as ‘Context of the organisation’, which you need to establish early on in order to set the foundations for building your management system.

Context is the world in which an organisation works, it is the considerations of the internal and external factors that affect what you do.

SWOT and PESTLE, while not specifically referenced in the Standard, is a highly recommended tool as it directly assesses multiple internal and external factors and can fulfil the requirements of any ISO Standard.

[06:20] Addressing Context of the Organisation – Clause 4, Context of the organisation states:

“The organisation shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and its strategic direction, and that affects its ability to achieve the intended results of its management system.

The organisation shall monitor and review information about these external issues.”

There are also 3 additional notes:

#1: Issues can include positive and negative factors or conditions

#2: Understanding the external context can be facilitated by considering issues arriving from legal, technological, competitive, market, cultural, ect

3#: Understanding the internal context can be facilitated by considering Issues related to values, culture, knowledge and performance of the organisation.

So, there’s a lot to consider!

[08:10] How SWOT and PESTLE address Context of the Organisation – Taking a look at SWOT, strengths and weaknesses would refer to factors internal to your organisation, while the opportunities and threats would be external.

Depending on the focus of your management system, you may also want to complete this exercise through a certain lens. That could be information security, health & safety or environmental.

The Standard requires you to align your management system with the strategic direction of the organisation, so even if you are viewing this exercise through a certain lens, don’t do so in complete isolation.

[09:55] How to conduct a SWOT and PESTLE – The people involved in completing this exercise are important, not just the questions you ask.

Senior management should be included as they will have key insight to the strategic direction of the business.

You should also include operational managers or other functional managers as they will have more context for how things actually work in practice.

The point of a SWOT and PESTLE is to ascertain where you stand in terms of your risks and opportunities, and issues relating to resources, people, information, process, technology, equipment, laws, markets, environment, finance, economy ect from both an internal and external lens.

This will give you a solid foundation to build your management system on, which will ultimately help you achieve your intended outcomes and lead to a cycle of continual improvement.

[11:55] Considerations for Strengths – Strengths is an internal factor. Questions you could ask include:

·      What do we control through good processes?

·      What are we known for?

·      What does our marketplace and competitors say about us?

·      What are we good at?

·      What assets do we have?

·      What resources and knowledge do we have readily available?

·      What's the strength in our products and in the processes for delivering those products and the people that run those processes and deliver those products, their skills, their knowledge, their strengths, their weaknesses and their expertise?

·      What areas in our organisation are already at a high standard and don't necessarily need improvement?

·      Do we have objectives and targets that we measure against, i.e. KPIs, metrics, success factors and service level agreements, that demonstrate we're good?

[13:10] Considerations for Weaknesses – Weakness is another internal factor, one that you have to be brutally honest conducting. Questions you could ask include:

·      What could you improve?

·      Where is money being spent poorly, or being lost?

·      What do your competitors do better than you?

·      What resources / knowledge / people / expertise do you lack?

·      What processes do you lack?

·      Where can your products or services be improved?

·      What are the constraints on your ability to meet changes in market need or demand?

·      What does your customer feedback look like?

·      Do your suppliers meet your requirements or the requirements of your clients?

[14:45] Considerations for Opportunities – Opportunities are considered an external factor. Questions you could ask include:

·      What new opportunities are available in your market?

·      What data do you have available on market trends, and how can you leverage that?

·      How changes in compliance requirements in your specific industry or your locality might provide you with opportunity to gain an edge?

·      What are past identified opportunities that we’ve not acted on?

·      What is the competition not taking advantage of that you could?

·      How can you increase customer satisfaction based on both positive and negative feedback received?

[16:00] Considerations for Threats – Threats are also considered an external factor, they are obstacles for you achieving your goals. Questions you could ask include:

·      What new environmental effects may affect you? Note: there is a new climate change amendment added to many commonly adopted ISO Standards, so this is something you will need to address.

·      What competitors are a threat to you?

·      Are other competitors taking advantage of markets that you have not accessed?

·      Why might competitors be getting ahead?

·      Are the habits of customers changing, and if so, how?

·      Are there other interested parties other than customers who present obstacles to you?

·      Are there any foreseeable resource issues? i.e. loss of experienced staff, lack of relevant talent in the pool of available people ect

·      Are you adapting to changes in the world?

[16:00] PESTLE: Addressing political factors – When you’re looking at political factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      What is happening politically in your environment? - That could be international or local on scale

·      What is the impact of policy or tax?

·      What is the impacts of employment trends / trade restrictions / tariffs?

·      What is the impact of unemployment rates on your organisation?

·      What is the impact of workforce shortages that may affect you?

·      Is there any form of Government intervention in your specific market?

·      Would this government intervention be considered an opportunity or threat? i.e. offering grants

[19:20] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[21:25] PESTLE: Addressing economic factors – When you’re looking at economic factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      What is the impact of interest rates / exchange rates / inflation?

·      What is economic policy doing to you and your industry and your clients?

·      What are the impacts on wage rates / minimum wage changes /affordable living cost of living?

[21:50] PESTLE: Addressing social factors – When you’re looking at social factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      What's the impact of changes in the cultural landscape?

·      What’s the impact of the expectation of people?

·      What’s the impact on working people’s lives and what their expectations are for working life in general? i.e. working hours and career aspirations

·      What is the and the emphasis on ethics, safety, Environmental Protection and data privacy for your clients / workforce / suppliers?

[22:50] PESTLE: Addressing technology factors – When you’re looking at technological factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      What is happening technology wise which impacts on what you do?

·      How does this affect the equipment you use? i.e. automation, the age of your equipment ect

·      What's the impact of emerging technology?

·      How you decide on the costs and benefits of investing in new technology?

·      How do you use your website / blogs / social media to interact with your marketplace?

·      Have you got intellectual property you need to protect? i.e copyright pins that need consideration.

[23:40] PESTLE: Addressing legal factors – When you’re looking at legal factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      How does the law affect how you do business? i.e company law, health & safety law, HR law, trade law?

·      What changes in legislation have occurred recently that you need to have considered?

·      How do you horizon scan for changes in legislation that affect you in your market?

·      What's the impact on employment on imports, exports, labour departments?

·      Have you considered other compliance obligations, such as certification to certain standards?

[24:50] PESTLE: Addressing environmental factors – When you’re looking at environmental factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      How do environmental aspects impact you, and how does the way you operate affect the environment? This includes consideration for air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna.

·      How do changes in the energy and utilities markets affect you?

·      How does your organisation fit in with any carbon reduction targets that your Government may have in place?

·      Are you required to create a carbon reduction plan?

·      Do you need to comply with certain environmental reporting requirements? i.e. here in the UK we have schemes like ESOS and SECR

[24:50] PESTLE: Addressing ethical factors – This one is optional, but many are choosing to include it as part of their PESTLE now. When you’re looking at ethical factors affecting your intended outcomes, consider the following:

·      How do you stay on the right side of the law with respect to the use of money?

·      Have you considered human rights / labour / children in the workforce / slavery / health & safety and well-being of local populations?

·      What charitable contributions do you make as an organisation?

[27:15] Assigning significance  – The next part of a SWOT and PESTLE requires you to assign significance to the various factors affecting your organisation.

So, make sure you document every factor and how those factors affect your ability to achieve what you intend. Ensure that this all remains in alignment with the strategic direction of the business, as ultimately, you want your Management System to help drive those goals forward.

[30:25] Frequency of a SWOT and PESTLE: This isn’t just a one-off exercise. You should be continually monitoring these internal and external factors, and only updating the exercise during a management review meeting will do you a disservice.

This is an ever-changing world, it’s the one in which you operate, and you need to ensure you’re keeping up with it.

You could look at various factors in monthly or even weekly meeting with the appropriate parties, and see if circumstances have changed.

[31:25] Examples of why you should continually update your SWOT and PESTLE: Ian recounts an experience he had with a client where they had failed to disclose where they had switched to a digital system for competence related documentation, but it had not met their needs and so they needed to return to manual documentation.

This switch made finding the required documentation for internal audits difficult. None of this was recorded in their SWOT and PESTLE.

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Business travel remains one of our largest sources of greenhouse emissions, accounting for 26% of the UK’s total emissions.

In an ideal world, no one would have to travel to work or events, some might even point to the way everyone adapted in COVID as a prime example of this in practice. However, for many that model of work is not feasible in the long-term.

So, how can we reduce this unavoidable stream of emissions?

Businesses are starting to take the right steps, however, today’s guest is paving the way as a shining example of sustainable business travel and events management.  

In this episode, Mel is joined by Christopher Truss, Global Sustainability Director at Reed & Mackay, to discuss their impressive existing ISO Standard portfolio and their journey towards ISO 14064 carbon verification.

You’ll learn

·      Who is Chris Truss?

·      Who are Reed & Mackay?

·      What are the highlights from Reed & Mackay’s latest Sustainability and Responsible Business report?

·      What Standards are Reed & Mackay certified to?

·      What is the demand for sustainability within the business travel and events management sector?

·      Why get ISO 14064 verified?

·      What were the challenges with obtaining ISO 14064 verification?

·      What are the benefits of obtaining ISO 14064 Verification?

Resources

·      Reed & Mackay

·      Reed & Mackay Sustainable and Responsible Business Report 2024

·      Carbonology

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – We welcome today’s guest, Chris Truss, Global Sustainability Director at Reed & Mackay, to explore their ISO Standards portfolio and journey towards ISO 14064 verification.

[02:40] Who is Chris?: Chris has had over 20 years experience in the business travel industry. He is currently responsible for driving the sustainability agenda at Reed & Mackay, which includes the development of services and solutions that their clients require to meet their own sustainability initiatives.

He also manages a wide range of third-party suppliers.

A lesser know fact about Chris is in a band, playing the folk fiddle and singing in pubs around Yorkshire. He also plays tennis in the over 45 category for Yorkshire!

[04:50] Who are Reed & Mackay? – Reed & Mackay are a global travel management and event management business. They help clients all the way from picking up the telephone and making bookings on their behalf, helping them source appropriate venues for their events and then managing the overall spend, the supply chain and ultimately reporting back to them on what they've been up to and how they can improve their processes and save money.

Reed & Mackay are highly regarded for their quality of services, especially within the professional services sector, and they proudly boast a number of large blue chip clients.

[05:50] What are some of the highlights in Reed & Mackay’s Sustainability and Responsible Business Report? When Chris came into his latest role, he looked to tackle two main points:

·      How can Reed & Mackay operate sustainably?

·      How can we articulate that to our clients?

As a result of the work Chris has done, Reed & Mackay have signed up to the United Nations Global Compact and have aligned themselves with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

They have also become an EcoVadis rated supplier and are undertaking their first Carbon Reduction Plan disclosure.

From a corporate responsibility point of view, they have made great strides to improve their gender pay gap. They are also ensuring the integrity of their charitable partnerships.

[08:00] What are some of the sustainability initiatives that Reed & Mackay have started? Reed & Mackay support a charity called 4Ocean, who are trying to remove as much plastic from our oceans as possible.

They selected this charity in particular due to it’s global reach, embodying the nature of Reed & Mackay’s global influence in 13 countries for the past 10 years. They recognised the need to support a sustainability based charity as corporate travel is highly polluting, so this is a form of taking responsibility and looking at where they can assist to reduce environmental damage.

4Oceans also allows their employees to get involved directly, should they choose to take some time out of the office to help with ocean clean-up.

[09:55] What ISO Standards are Reed & Mackay certified to? They are currently certified to:

·      ISO 27001 Information Security

·      ISO 14001 Environmental Management

·      ISO 22301 Business Continuity

·      ISO 9001 Quality Management

All of which they have been certified to for over 10 years now! They acted as a foundation for Chris to drive his sustainability agenda.

[11:10] How are these ISO Standards managed across the business? – Reed & Mackay have a dedicated Security and Trust team that manage all ISO certifications, in addition to their other responsibilities.

All of the ISO Standards are a part of their Integrated Management System, which sits alongside their policies and procedures for the business that are managed by a central team.

This has provided them with an invaluable foundation to ensure the delivery of quality services, client satisfaction and continual improvement.

[12:45] What is the demand for sustainability within the business travel sector? They are receiving more requirements and requests from clients in regard to their own operational CO2 footprint, which is needed for clients own reporting requirements as Reed & Mackay would count towards many clients Scope 3 emissions.

There is also a need for more transparency with carbon reporting, including the use of credible calculation methodology’s.

The verification of GHG emissions also gives clients more confidence that businesses are doing what they say they’re doing.

[14:15] What was the main driver behind Reed & Mackay gaining ISO 14064 verification?: While they felt confident in their sustainability efforts up to a certain point, they wanted someone to come in and mark their homework to make sure they were doing the right thing.

With the increase in client demand for credible sustainability reporting, it was vital to pursue various CPD disclosures such as EcoVadis and prepare for upcoming legislation like CSRD.

To ensure they were in the best possible shape to give the information requested by clients and other stakeholders, they needed am accurate and reliable method of verification, which is what ISO 14064 could provide.

[15:40] What were the main challenges in obtaining ISO 14064 verification?: Just getting a hold of the raw data was the most difficult part, although they found it to be a very enlightening experience too.

Having to dig to find the right information helped Chris to understand the business better, giving him a greater visibility on where their carbon emissions are coming from and where there are opportunities to reduce those.

You have to be very tenacious to get all the necessary data. Chris highlights purchased goods and services data as particularly challenging to obtain due to its granular nature.

Now they have been through this process once, they’ve got a system in place to make data collection a lot easier in future.

[18:55] What impact has ISO 14064 verification had on Reed & Mackay?: It’s helped from an internal perspective as people now have a greater visibility and understanding of the impact that have on an individual basis. This in turn creates a strong launchpad for their Net Zero strategy.

From an external perspective, it’s given Reed & Mackay a lot more confidence in their own processes and their ability to work with their clients towards sustainability goals.

[20:00] What were the main benefits of getting ISO 14064 verified?:

Giving clients, stakeholder and employees confidence: The verification calculation is reliable, and so they can be confident in relaying the facts and figures to interested parties.

A great insight: The data has provided huge insights into how the business operates and where it’s biggest emissions sources lie. This is vital to know before you take steps to try and reduce your current impact.

Ability to create an accurate Carbon Reduction Plan: Once again, with confidence in having the correct data to hand, they are able to formulate an accurate Carbon Reduction Plan which can be realistically achieved.

Anti Green-washing: Consumers are crying out for a reliable sign of credibility. Simply having an environmental policy statement may have been enough 10 years ago, but that’s not the case now. People expect evidence of your sustainability claims.

[21:50] Chris’s top tip for anyone considering ISO 14064 verification: Just get started and don’t be scared by the process.

Though it may seem daunting to start, you will actually be in a much better position than when you started. Having verified data and awareness of where that data comes from and what it means on a larger scale will be vital to looking for opportunities for improvement.

So, if you want to improve your sustainability, you just need to get cracking!

[23:20] How are Reed & Mackay helping organisations improve the sustainability of their travel?: Reed & Mackay’s ambition is to make sure that clients understand the impact of their choices at every single step of their journey.

To help, they provide the carbon footprint of every booking they make, whether that be through their site or with a consultant.

They also have approval processes built into their systems, which can be based on carbon. For example, if a client doesn’t want to take the lowest carbon option on a particular journey, they can add required approval from an additional person within that client’s organisation. So it adds a level of accountability over the choices people make.

They also provide full reporting on business travel activity and where potential savings have been missed. This is a valuable tool if they need to provide travel data to carbon consultants for example, they’ll already have all of those granular reports prepared.

These reports will highlight where clients haven’t taken the lowest carbon option, i.e. where they could travel in a group instead of individually. Reed & Mackay’s intention is to make sure people have visibility of carbon alongside cost so clients can make a fair and balanced decision.

Additional services include:

·      Able to set carbon budgets across a business

·      Ability to purchase carbon credits for offsetting purposes

·      Opportunities to mitigate carbon emissions through offsetting, or decarbonise through Carbon Reduction Plans over a period of time

[28:50] Chris’s book recommendation: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

[29:15] Chris’s favourite quote: You can't measure success if you have never failed – Steffi Graf

If you would like to learn more about Reed & Mackay, and their sustainability initiatives, visit their website.

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Purchasing goods and services is a necessity for any business, whether that’s simply stocking up on office supplies, or looking for someone to manage your IT environment.

Procurement has a key role to play in keeping things running smoothly, along with facilitating the core values of businesses as priorities change, such as a commitment to ESG compliance.  

In this episode, Ian is joined by Philip Ideson, Founder & Managing Director of Art of Procurement, to discuss procurement’s role in ESG compliance, the challenges procurement faces with ESG, and learn about their mission to 10X the impact of procurement.

You’ll learn

·      Who is Philip Ideson and the Art of Procurement?

·      What are the current trends in procurement?

·      What is procurement’s role in relation to ESG?

·      How do ESG deliverables fit in with the other results procurement is expected to deliver?

·      What are the greatest challenges procurement currently faces with ESG?

·      What is Art of Procurement’s mission to 10X the impact of procurement?

·      What are the 6 principles of this mission?

Resources

·      Art of Procurement

·      Art of Procurement Podcast

·      The Art of Procurement philosophy

·      ESG Compliance

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Episode Summary – We welcome today’s guest, Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of the Art of Procurement, to discuss the role procurement has in ESG compliance. Additionally we will dive into Philip’s mission to increase the impact of procurement.

[03:00] Who is Philip?: Philip has been in the procurement space for almost 25 years now!

He started at Ford Motor company, in direct Procurement where he was purchasing parts for car manufacture. He later moved into indirect Procurement, which is essentially everything you need to operate on a day-to-day basis i.e. office supplies, childcare facilities ect.

Philip has worked in the UK, Europe, India and has been based in the US for the past 19 years.

To get a perspective on the other side, he joined a Service Provider who provided outsourced procurement, that company later got bought out by Accenture, which was when Philip decided to go out on his own and started ‘Art of Procurement.

His podcast has been running for 9 years, and has the aim to share inspiring stories of companies who think differently about procurement.

[06:05] Hard Truth: Inside the Football Industry Podcast – Philip also co-hosts another podcast in his spare time, which was awarded the EFL podcast of the year in 2023!

Hard Truth delves into the behind the scenes aspects of football, co-hosted by the owner and Chairman of Peterborough United, it also gives an owner perspective of the football season.

[07:05] What are some of the top trends and priorities in procurement currently?

Digitisation: Procurement was an area where technological change happened relatively slowly, at least up until around 5 years ago there weren’t many tech solutions built specifically for procurement. However, a lot of money has been poured into the space, so now there’s the challenge of ‘How can we digitise?’

The problem with a lot of technology solutions is that they often become obsolete quickly, and with the rise of AI it’s trickly to keep up, let alone get ahead.  

[08:10] What is something about procurement that might surprise people who don’t work in the field? Procurement gets a bad rep for trying to save every last penny at the cost of bullying suppliers. However, they are a lot more passionate around the role that suppliers can play in the growth of a business.

It’s all about marrying together the capabilities of supply chains with the needs of a business, rather than trying to squeeze every last penny’s worth out of suppliers.

[09:15] Procurement put into a box: In a lot of businesses, procurement kind of professionalised the profession based on an ROI which was tied to cost savings, because procurement sold that value proposition to get the investment, it means that that's the only thing businesses think they can do.

Procurement gets put in this box within a business of when I need to save money, you know break the glass, bring out procurement and they can do that.

Where you actually get a much better result by working more collaboratively with your procurement team. There’s a lot more tied to business objectives than with procurement objectives, instead of focusing on what procurement can do to save you money, look at what other objectives they can help you achieve.

[10:35] What is procurement’s role with regard to ESG? – Philip was involved in a  research study that was done by The Economist, where they surveyed approximately 2300 C-Suite executives, procurement and non-procurement individuals. It was revealed that ESG was the number 2 priority right now, specifically where sustainability was concerned.

Modern slavery is also becoming more of a concern.

[12:00] A fad or long term change? Priorities like this for any business are subject to the politics of the day. They are important now as that’s where a lot of focus in from many different sources, but they are likely temporary and will be dependent on geographical location and available investment.

However, the impact of emissions reporting as a result of ESG will have a longer term affect as scope 3 emissions include supply chains. More businesses will be expecting their supply chains to meet their emissions reporting requirements going forward.

[13:20] How long has procurement been doing ESG/CSR type work?: Back 14 years ago, when they had to report back on supplier diversity spend, they had very little data. It involved a lot of extrapolating data so that you have something to report back with.

More accurate data reporting has picked up in the last 6 years, and is more on an organisation by organisation basis.

The key driver for procurement involvement in any aspect of sustainability is due to regulatory requirements.

[15:00] Innovation for a better future: The digitisation and other technological advancements will allow for better ESG support, with more accurate data and reporting capabilities.

Back in the day, it may have been a case of sampling some 100 suppliers out of a pool of 10,000 listed on a simple spreadsheet, and then googling them to see which ones would be considered diverse suppliers. It short, it used to involve a lot of manual data gathering, which is rapidly getting replaced by new tech tools.

[26:20] What are the greatest challenges procurement currently faces with ESG? One of the challenges is internal. When ESG is brought to the table, decisions have to be made about selecting suppliers who would align with their ESG requirements, which is a decision that is ultimately made by the budget holder.

Procurement can do everything they can to mitigate any additional cost, but they do not decide who spends the money with who.

A lot of the role procurement can play in supporting ESG is dependent on the organisational focus on those initiatives and how well everything is communicated to all involved.

[17:20] Looking to the future of procurement: Procurement was once seen as a cost management function, now professionals like Philip are looking at how they can demonstrate the additional value they can bring to an organisation, including supporting ESG compliance.

Procurement has shifted more towards risk management, with a greater focus on risk factors such as cost and sustainability.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty around what the next 10 years will look like. Philip predicts that procurement will become a smaller, yet more impactful area than it is today.

The operating model will likely shift to a more service-based approach with a more nuanced approach to supporting businesses. Philip can see a world where sustainability and supply chains merge as third-party suppliers will have an increased effect on an organisations ability to meet its sustainability goals.

[20:30] What is Art of Procurements’ mission to 10X the impact of procurement?: Philip aims to change the mindset of procurement leaders, and get them to think outside of the box.

Procurement can have a significant impact on organisations, in the form of additional support like ESG, but also because they have a much wider field of view regarding potential suppliers.

It’s about going back to basics, asking:

·      What is procurement?

·      How should it operate?

·      How can procurement best support businesses?

Their mission aims to rethink how procurement works, and refining how to best work with organisations to achieve their goals.

[22:25] What are the principles of this mission?: Philip highlights a few that he’s passionate about, including:

Focus on driving business outcomes: How can procurement build their capabilities around what the business truly needs? There can be conflict between an organisation and its procurement, whether that be with stakeholders or selecting suppliers. So, it’s about finding a balance between doing what can be done to further an organisations goals while also saving them money.

Procurement facilitating differentiated decision making: Procurement can offer some crucial insight into potential suppliers for organisations, but they can only do so if they have the correct data to help make those decisions. When it comes to measurable data, like many aspects of how sustainable a supplier may be, this is where procurement can help businesses make smarter decisions.

Overseeing not managing spend: Procurement should not necessarily have complete control over the spend of an organisations, but using technology they should be able to understand what is being spent and with who. It’s keeping an eye on potential risk factors with suppliers and helping organisations decide who to continue to work with.

[28:00] How are the Art of Procurement philosophically different? They see procurement as a journey, where many organisations are on a different part of the maturity curve and may need help bridging those gaps to keep moving forward.

Art of Procurement seek to accelerate that speed of maturity by working smarter with new technology, and in alignment with an organisations goals.

Procurement is facing a battle currently, where if they don’t adapt, they run the risk of losing out to purely AI driven tools. This is of course, not a concern unique to the world of procurement, it’s actively affecting HR, IT support and the creative industry in a huge way.

[30:40] Connect over common goals: Procurement professionals often want to be more collaborative than people may think. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your procurement team to see what common goals you can try to achieve.

They are there to work with you, not against you.

[32:45] Procurement and ISO: Philip has seen a lot of instances where an internal audit finding will lead to procurement success. In some cases, this may be from an identification of a need for investment in procurement, it’s seen as necessary tool for the organisation and so they approach it with that mindset in mind.

Internal Audits, a staple in the world of ISO, offer the opportunity to highlight where improvements can be made. They also compile credible evidence to put a case forward to relevant individuals, who may have not listened to previous grievances.

If you would like to learn more about the Art of Procurement, check out their podcast available on their website.

If you’d like to hear more from Philip, he also co-hosts the hard truth - inside the Football Industry podcast.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Sustainability is an area that affects all businesses, no matter the sector. We are all currently contributing to the climate crisis, from travel and hospitality to manufacturing to those working in an office or from home.

You may be surprised to hear that the legal sector is currently one of the leaders in championing sustainability, not just in enforcing new environmental legislation, but also leading by example in the race to net zero.

One such stand out leader is today’s guest – Clyde & Co, a global law firm that have made great strides in their sustainability journey.

In this episode, Mel is joined by Paddy Linighan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clyde & Co, to discuss their ambitious net zero targets, sustainability initiatives and their journey towards ISO 14064 Carbon Verification.

You’ll learn

• What is Paddy Linighan’s role as CSO?
• Who are Clyde & Co?
• What are their net zero targets according to their responsible Business report?
• What sustainability initiatives have Clyde & Co introduced?
• Why get ISO 14064 verified?
• What were the challenges with obtaining ISO 14064 verification?
• What are the benefits of obtaining ISO 14064 Verification?

Resources

• Clyde & Co
• Clyde & Co Responsible Business report
• Carbonology

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Episode Summary – We welcome today’s guest, Paddy Linighan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clyde & Co, to dive into their responsible business report, discuss their net zero ambitions and journey towards ISO 14064 Carbon Verification.

[01:40] Introduction to Paddy: Paddy has 30 years experience in the legal sector, and was formerly the Chief Operating Officer for Clyde & Co before transitioning to the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. Paddy is also a Director at the Legal Sustainability Alliance, which is an association committed to supporting the legal sector to measure and manage their carbon emissions to achieve net zero.

One lesser-known fact is that Paddy was a Latin and ballroom dancer!

[02:30] Who are Clyde & Co? – They are a global law firm with 500 partners, 2700 lawyers and 3216 legal professionals across the world and operating out of 70 offices. They set out to help organisations successfully navigate risk and maximise the opportunity in the sectors that underpin global trade, namely insurance, aviation, marine construction, energy, trade and natural resources.

They offer a comprehensive range of contentious and non-contentious legal services and commercially minded legal advice to businesses operating across the world in seamless fashion.

Clyde & Co are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and the clients it serves, and provides an environment in which hopefully everyone can realise their potential. They use their legal and professional skills to support communities through pro bono work, volunteering charitable partnerships, and minimisation of environmental impact through the pursuit of sustainability standards.

[04:25] What are some of the Net Zero targets highlighted in Clyde & Co’s responsible business report?

• Near term target: Reduce their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 80% by 2030 and scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030.
• Long term target: Have a 90% reduction in emissions by 2038
•  Focused on decarbonizing their operations across the globe.

[06:25] What are some of the sustainability initiatives that Clyde & Co have started? All their initiatives can be broadly groups into 3 categories, but ultimately they seek to decarbonize their operations, address resource consumption and offset emissions where possible.

They found that 95% of their emissions reside in their scope 3, which is due to their supply chain. A few of their initiatives include rationalizing their supply chain to reduce the impact of purchasing goods and services.

They are also supporting their supply chain to measure and reduce their own emissions. Clyde & Co have also incorporated their sustainability requirements into their Procurement Process and Due Diligence Process.

One challenging area for a professional services business like Clydo & Co is sustainable business travel. They have adopted a global note on sustainable travel, which trickles down into regional travel policies. Working with travel management companies, they will implement those new policies, in addition to improving the quality of travel data collection and prioritisation of sustainability over cost.

Clyde & Co are also making the move to switch direct and in-direct consumption of fossil fuels to renewable energy in the heating and cooling of their buildings.

As of summer 2023, all UK offices were on 100% renewable energy! They aim to roll this out on a global scale, but understand that there are significant challenges with doing so.

[09:30] How did Clyde & Co celebrate Earth Day? They introduced climate change awareness training on Earth Day. It wasn’t mandatory in any way, and included the rolling out of several blogs and videos which were produced by AXA Climate School in Paris.

They ran these through Earth Day (April 22nd) to World Environment Day (5th June). Covering topics such as:

• Financial disclosures
• Plastic pollution
• Saving water
• Beekeeping
• Composting

This led to a campaign called ‘Zero as One’ which helped to create of a network of sustainable champions across their organisation, who help to further raise awareness and where there may be regional issues with reducing resource consumption and energy use.

This campaign has continued and is beginning to facilitate a structured, bespoke training programme for all Clyde & Co staff which covers climate awareness to climate competency. It will encourage people to think ‘How can I, as an individual, make a difference?’

[15:30] The Clyde & Co Community Forest – A 6.2 hectare plot of land is shared with 2 other community groups, and is not only being used for reforestation but also biodiversity, focusing on red squirrels in particular.

Getting this project set up included:

1. Gauging the appetite of colleagues: They offered increased level of refforestation for every response they had to their annual ‘Have your Say’ survey. For every response received, they would add 2 square metres of forest. So, 5000 people would give them a hectare.
2. It was a knowledge gathering exercise and experience of what a carbon offset project would look like.

They know that they’ll never be able to 100% decarbonise their operations, but they hope to get it down to 10% remaining emissions which can be offset with more projects like the community forest.

[19:35] What does Paddy think of the sustainability reporting regulatory requirements affecting the legal sector? Not only do lawyers have a key part to play in supporting and advising clients in relation to how they navigate towards a low carbon economy, but they are also a part of many businesses supply chain – meaning they would be included in scope 3 emissions for others.

Putting in the work at their end enables them to proactively help and assist clients with their emissions reduction and reporting.

The drive in this sector is mostly due to client demand.

[21:10] The increase in sustainability targets in North American companies: Paddy highlights that a recent report issued by Climate Impact Partners found that 79% of North American companies now have climate targets, which is up 6% on Asian companies and just shy of European companies.

61% of those North American companies report under ISO 14064.

[23:00] What were the drivers behind Clyde & Co getting ISO 14064 verified?:

High Transparency: They wanted to ensure that any disclosed information was reliable and that they’d had third-party verification to back that up, making them much more comfortable putting that information out into the public.

Financial Benefits: Sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction was a part of their main KPI’s to tackle, the main reason being to save money through not only the reduction in energy use but also reduced interest rates as a result of their sustainability efforts.

[25:20] What were the main challenges in obtaining ISO 14064 verification?: Clyde & Co are a large organisation, so gathering and quantifying the necessary emissions information was like getting blood from a stone!

Nearly 65 – 70 sites only have a small team of 5 people, and getting data from each can be time consuming.

Also, the quality of data can vary a great degree with that many sites, especially on a global scale as you need to consider the conversion factors when collating all the data into something verifiable.

[26:50] What impact has ISO 14064 verification had on Clyde & Co’s sustainability credentials?: Very simply, it validates Clyde & Co’s claims.

With the third-party assessment, it shows that they are actually doing what they say they’re doing, and not simply paying lip service.

[27:45] What were the main benefits of getting ISO 14064 verified?:

Helping to secure financial benefits: ISO 14064 verification is proof enough for banks to issue discounts on interest rates

Ease of process: The audit process introduced for ISO 14064 can be repeated as needed. As a result of getting verified, Clyde & Co found the exercise a good stress test for existing auditing procedures, and found a way to simplify them further.

Credibility: Third-party verification adds a level of credibility which is lacking from internal calculation alone.

[29:00] Paddy’s top tip for anyone considering ISO 14064 verification: Do not let perfection get in the way of progress.

They found that people can become a bit defensive in audits, trying to avoid errors being picked up, however, audits are meant to be constructive. They are opportunities to pick up on areas for improvement.

[30:40] Paddy’s book recommendation: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

[32:10] Paddy’s favourite quote: The greatest threat to our planet, is the belief that someone else will save it – Robert Swan OBE

If you would like to learn more about Clyde & Co, and their sustainability initiatives, visit their website.

To find out more about verification visit www.carbonologyhub.com

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• Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
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Did you know that only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the country’s 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans?

As a result, we can expect to see more mandatory and voluntary regulations that require carbon emissions reporting to verify your ESG and net zero claims.

In this episode, Mel closes out the ESG Reporting Disclosures series by explaining what Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is, it’s key emissions reporting requirements, the verification requirements and who qualifies for CSDDD.

You’ll learn

·      What is CSRD?

·      Key requirements of CSDDD

·      Key emissions reporting requirements

·      the emissions verification requirements for CSRD?

·      Who qualifies for CSDDD?

·      The likely impact of CSDDD

Resources

·      Carbonology

·      Carbonology LinkedIn

·       Carbonology Instagram

·       CSDDD

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:10] Episode summary: Mel closes out the series on ESG reporting requirements by diving into CSDDD.

[03:10] What is CSDDD? – The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is a new EU directive that promotes sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour in companies’ operations and across their global value chains.

Purpose: It aims to promote sustainable business practices, protect human rights, and address environmental challenges.

The CSDDD was adopted by the European Commission on the 23rd of February 2022 and approved by the Council of the European Union on the 24th of May 2024. The new rules ensure that companies in scope identify and address adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their actions inside and outside Europe. The CSDDD is expected to start affecting companies from 2027 at the earliest once the directive has been transposed into national legislation.

[05:10] What are the key requirements of CSDDD?:

·      Human rights due diligence: Companies must identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse human rights impacts within their value chains.

·      Environmental due diligence: They must assess and manage risks related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

·      Disclosure obligations: Companies must disclose their due diligence processes, findings, and any remedial actions taken.

[06:20] What are the Emissions Reporting Requirements? Under the CSDDDD, companies are required to report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within a climate transition plan.

This includes considerations for Scope 1, 2 and 3. These were explained in more detail in a previous episode on CSRD, so go check that out if you want to learn more about the individual scope requirements.

What if you fit the requirements of both CSRD and CSDDD, do you have to double report on emissions? In short – No!

The climate transition plan required by the CSDDD will be reported within CSRD reporting, as organisations just need to adhere to the CSDDD’s implementation requirements for the transition plan.

[10:10] What are the Emissions Verification Requirements? More definitive guidance on verification requirements is expected closer to 2027. Companies will more than likely need to verify the emissions data reported through CSDDD, as the directive mandates a climate change transition plan that aligns with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which does require companies to verify their emissions data.

[09:55] Who qualifies for CSDDD? The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) applies to both EU and non-EU companies depending on their workforce size and revenue:

EU and non-EU companies (or the ultimate parent company of a group):

·      With more than 1,000 employees and a global net turnover of at least €450 million in the last fiscal year; or

·      Which have franchising or licensing agreements in the EU in return for royalties with more than €22.5 million generated by royalties in the EU and have a net worldwide turnover of over €80 million in the last financial year.

[11:10] What is the possible impact of this new directive? Similar to the other ESG disclosures I’ve covered over the past few weeks in this series on reporting disclosures, the impact of the CSDDD will result in 3 key impacts:-

·      Increased transparency: This directive will provide stakeholders with a clearer picture of companies' sustainability efforts, to combat greenwashing.

·      Enhanced accountability: Companies will be held accountable for their environmental and social performance.

·      Stimulation of sustainable business practices: The directive will encourage companies to adopt more sustainable practices, including regular reporting.

If you would like to learn more about CSDDD or inquire about the related course, please get in touch with Carbonology.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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2030 is fast approaching and we’re already falling behind on our Net Zero targets, which will take a coordinated collective effort to get back on track.

As a result, businesses are coming under increasing pressure to monitor, report and reduce their energy use and carbon emissions to meet net zero targets.

This has led to an increase in both mandatory and voluntary regulations that require carbon emissions reporting to verify your net zero claims.

In this episode, Mel continues the ESG Reporting Disclosures series by explaining what the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is, how it affects your emissions reporting, the verification requirements and who qualifies for CSRD.

You’ll learn

·      What is CSRD?

·      How will the CSRD affect your Emissions Reporting?

·      What are the emissions verification requirements for CSRD?

·      Who qualifies for ISSB S2?

Resources

·      Carbonology

·      Carbonology LinkedIn

·      Carbonology Instagram

·      CSRD

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:10] Episode summary: Over the course of September, Mel will be exploring the latest climate change regulations that may affect your organisation. In this episode she dives into Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

[02:55] What is CSRD? – The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a new EU directive that modernises and strengthens the rules concerning the social and environmental information that companies have to report. It revises the 2014 Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), extends the scope of covered companies, and strengthens the reporting requirements.

The CSRD was formally adopted by the European Council on 28 November 2022.

The directive is transforming ESG reporting and will start affecting almost 50,000 companies from 2024 by expanding the scope to include all large companies, all companies listed on regulated markets, and non-EU companies with substantial activities in the EU. This includes non-EU companies with subsidiaries operating within the EU or those listed on EU regulated markets.

Many companies located both within and outside the EU will be affected during the CSRD’s phase-in period beginning in fiscal year 2024.

[05:10] How will the CSRD affect your Emissions Reporting?: Under the CSRD, companies are required to report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This includes:

·      Scope 1 Emissions: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. For example, emissions from combustion in owned or controlled boilers, furnaces, vehicles, etc.

·      Scope 2 Emissions: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. This includes emissions from the production of electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the company.

·      Significant Scope 3 Emissions: Other indirect emissions that occur in a company’s value chain. Companies are required to report on significant Scope 3 sources. This could include emissions from business travel, employee commuting, waste disposal, etc.

[07:10] What are the Emissions Verification Requirements? Under the CSRD, companies are required to have their reported GHG emissions data verified by an independent third party. The verification process ensures the accuracy and reliability of the reported information.

Verification options for CSRD include:

·      Independent Verification: Companies must engage an accredited third-party verifier to audit and confirm the accuracy of their GHG emissions reports.

·      Verification Standards: The verification must be conducted in accordance with recognised international standards, such as ISO 14064-3.

·      Assurance Levels: The verification should provide a reasonable level of assurance that the emissions data is accurate and complete.

·      Frequency of Verification: Verification is required on an annual basis to ensure ongoing accuracy and compliance with the CSRD.

[10:10] Who qualifies for CSRD? The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) applies to a broad range of companies based on the following criteria:

1)    Companies listed on regulated markets in the EU (excluding listed micro-enterprises).

2)    Large companies, classified as those meeting at least two of the following three conditions:

·      More than 250 employees.

·      A turnover of over €40 million.

·      Over €20 million in total assets.

3)    Listed Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), although there will be a transitional period when SMEs can opt out until 2028.

4)    Non-EU companies with a net turnover of €150 million in the EU, and with at least one subsidiary or branch in the union.

If you would like to learn more about CSRD or inquire about the related course, please get in touch with Carbonology.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Businesses are coming under increasing pressure to monitor, report and reduce their energy use and carbon emissions to meet net zero targets.

As a result, we’re seeing an increase in both mandatory and voluntary regulations that require carbon emissions reporting to verify your net zero claims.

In this episode, Mel continues the ESG Reporting Disclosures series by explaining what The International Sustainability Standards Board Climate-related Disclosures (ISSB S2) are, the emissions reporting and verification requirements and who qualifies for ISSB S2.

You’ll learn

·      What is ISSB S2?

·      What is the scope of ISSB S2

·      What are the emissions reporting requirements for ISSB S2?

·      Emissions verification requirements

·      Who qualifies for ISSB S2?

Resources

·      Carbonology

·      ISSB S2

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:10] Episode summary: Over the course of September, Mel will be exploring the latest climate change regulations that may affect your organisation. In this episode she dives into The International Sustainability Standards Board Climate-related Disclosures (ISSB S2).

[03:20] What is ISSB S2? – The International Sustainability Standards Board Climate-related Disclosures (ISSB S2) is a new global standard that mandates entities to provide comprehensive information about climate-related risks and opportunities.

The ISSB S2 was issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board on the 26th of June 2023 and is effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after the 1st January 2024. The new standard ensures that companies disclose physical and transition risks and their potential impact on the move towards a low carbon economy.

[04:20] Further learning with Carbonology: Carbonology have created a half-day course which walks you through all of the various carbon reporting disclosures and sustainability disclosure reporting requirements.

If you would like to learn more, get in touch with Carbonology.

[07:00] What does ‘Acute and Chronic Physical risks’ mean in the context of ISSB S2? Climate related physical risks are risks resulting from climate change that could be event driven, so an example of an acute physical risk could arise from weather related events like storms, floods and heatwaves, which are increasing in frequency.

These could have a knock-on effect to businesses, taking a heat wave as the example, you will need to consider:

·      Can your IT systems and datacentres cope with it?

·      Have you got resilience built in to your operations to be able to deal with that sort of disruption to your organisation?

Chronic physical risks arise from longer term shifts in climatic patterns, including changes in precipitation and temperature, which could lead to sea level rises and reduced water availability and changes in soil productivity.

These risks could carry a weighty financial burden either through direct damage to assets, or indirectly through supply chain disruption.

[09:35] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[11:43] What does ‘Transition risk’ mean in the context of ISSB S2? This is looking for a climate related transition plan, which should include targets, actions and resources for the transition towards a lower carbon economy.

This would include actions such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

[12:30] What is the scope of ISSB S2? This Standard applies to:

·      climate-related risks to which the organisation is exposed, which are:

·      climate-related physical risks; and (ii) climate-related transition risks; and

·      climate-related opportunities available to the entity.

Climate-related risks and opportunities that could not reasonably be expected to affect an organisation’s prospects are outside the scope of this Standard.

·      The Standard covers:-

·      Governance

·      Strategy

·      Climate related risks and opportunities

·      Business Model and Value Chain

·      Financial position, financial performance and cash flows

·      Climate resilience

·      Risk Management

[14:10] What are the emissions reporting requirements for ISSB S2? -  Under ISSB S2, companies are required to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across three scopes:

·      Scope 1 Emissions: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. For example, emissions from combustion in owned or controlled boilers, furnaces, vehicles, etc.

·      Scope 2 Emissions: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. This includes emissions from the production of electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the company.

·      Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions: Indirect greenhouse gas emissions (not included in Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions) that occur in the value chain of an entity, including both upstream and downstream emissions. Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions include the Scope 3 categories in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard (2011).

[16:20] Emissions verification requirements -  Under ISSB S2, companies are required to have their reported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data verified.

Verification can provide users of financial reports confidence that the information is complete, neutral and accurate.

Disclosure of inputs to Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions needs to disclose information about the measurement approach, inputs and assumptions it uses.

[18:30] Who qualifies for ISSB S2? - ISSB S2 applies to all entities that are required by law, regulation, or administrative provision to prepare financial statements. This includes, but is not limited to:

·      Publicly listed companies

·      Large private companies

·      Financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies

·      State-owned enterprises

Entities are encouraged to adopt the ISSB S2 voluntarily, even if they are not mandated by law or regulation. Early adoption is permitted and encouraged to enhance transparency and accountability in climate-related disclosures.

If you would like some help with your carbon emissions reporting, please get in touch with Carbonology.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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As the urgency to address the climate emergency heightens, businesses are coming under increasing pressure to monitor, report and reduce their energy use and carbon emissions to meet net zero targets.

As a result, there is an increase in regulations to ensure that companies are taking the climate emergency seriously and not pay lip service to climate action.

During September, we’ll be taking a look at a few of the latest regulations that may affect your organisation, including:

·      SECR – Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting

·      ISSB S2 - International Sustainability Standards Board Climate related disclosures

·      CSRD - Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

·      CSDDD - Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

In this episode, Mel Blackmore breaks down what Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is, its reporting requirements, it’s qualifiers and how it can work in tandem with other carbon management initiatives.

You’ll learn

·      How do these regulations relate to ESG reporting?

·      What is Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting?

·      What are the SECR Emissions Reporting Requirements?

·      Who qualifies for SECR?

·      How can SECR work with other carbon management initiatives?

Resources

·      Carbonology

·      SECR

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:10] Episode summary: Over the course of September, Mel will be exploring the latest climate change regulations that may affect your organisation. In this episode she dives into Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR).

[03:20] How do these regulations relate to ESG reporting? – ESG requirements include a commitment to sustainability, and reducing your overall impact. All of these regulations contribute towards an organisations ESG reporting requirements, as they require tangible proof to back up your ESG claims.

They will require you to provide comprehensive emissions reporting, the level of detail of which will depend on the specific applicable regulation.

[04:05] Future content to look forward to: During September Mel will look at involuntary emissions reporting schemes, but in October she will be looking into the voluntary schemes that many are already adopting as part of their Stakeholder requirements.

This will include:

·      CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)

·      EcoVardis

[05:50] What are the SECR Emissions Reporting Requirements?: SECR has been around since April 2019, and was originally introduced to replace the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme.

This is a mandatory scheme, so it is a legal requirement for those that meet it’s criteria. For those that are familiar with ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme), it functions in a very similar way.

This scheme isn’t solely focused on reporting energy usage and carbon emissions, it’s also looking for organisations to report on efficiency measures that are undertaken on an annual basis. Which is reflected in the financial reporting that you will also have to submit.

It’s important to note that SECR has specific requirements for the disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption. Emission reporting requirements vary slightly between quoted companies and large unquoted companies and LLPs.

For quoted Companies:

·      Global Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions must be reported. Scope 3 emissions reporting is strongly recommended but voluntary.

For large unquoted companies and LLPs:

·      UK based Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and associated energy consumption. Scope 3 emissions from the combustion of fuel in vehicles or equipment not owned by the company.

[10:10] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[12:05] Who qualifies for SECR?:  All UK Quoted Companies: Any company that has shares listed on the UK Stock Exchange is required to comply with SECR.

Large Unquoted Companies and Large LLPs: These are companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) that are not listed on the UK Stock Exchange but meet two or more of the following criteria:

·      Turnover: More than £36 million per annum.

·      Balance Sheet Total: More than £18 million.

·      Number of Employees: 250 or more employees.

These criteria ensure that SECR framework targets large organisations that have a significant impact on the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. By complying with SECR, these organisations can contribute significantly to the UK’s sustainability goals.

[14:10] When is the SECR disclosure made? SECR reporting must occur alongside financial reporting, being included within annual reports and Directors’ Reports, which are then filed with Companies House.

[14:30] The importance of Accurate SECR Reporting and Carbon Reduction -  The reporting process can unlock valuable insights and opportunities for operational improvements, leading to enhanced energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions over time.

Demonstrating your organisation’s commitment to energy efficiency and carbon reduction can enhance brand perception and foster positive relationships with stakeholders, including investors, clients, and regulators.

[16:05] Integrating SECR Reporting with Other Carbon Management Initiatives -  You are missing a trick if you’re keeping your SECR reporting separate from the rest of your business activities. It should be included as a part of your sustainability umbrella, and can be invaluable if you’re going for other reporting requirements such as EcoVardis and CSRD.

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if you already have something like an Environmental Management System in place, simply weave the additional requirements in with your usual annual maintenance. Established systems will already be adhered to across the business, meaning any new requirements will soon become business as usual.

You could incorporate this as part of your Net Zero strategy, or Carbon Reduction Plan if PPN 06/21 is one of your reporting requirements. You could also incorporate this into your supply chain emissions reporting.

If you would like some help with SECR, please get in touch with Carbonology.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

There have been a reported 9,478 publicly disclosed data incidents in 2024 alone, with that amounting to over 35 million known records breached.

It has become clear in recent years that information security isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s a necessity to ensure you and your client’s data are protected. Which is especially the case for those processing personal and financial data, such as today’s guest, Mintago.

In this episode, Tom Catnach, Head of Product and Information Security Officer for Mintago, explains their journey towards ISO 27001, the challenges faced and benefits felt from certification to the leading Information Security Standard.

You’ll learn

·      Who are Mintago?

·      Who is Tom Catnach?

·      What was the main driver behind achieving ISO 27001?

·      What was the biggest ‘gap’ identified in the Gap Analysis?

·      What have they learned from the experience?

·      What are the benefits of certification to ISO 27001?

·      What does the threat horizon for information security look like?

Resources

·      Mintago

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:15] Episode summary: Today we welcome guest Tom Catnach from Mintago to discuss their journey towards ISO 27001 certification.

[02:20] Who are Mintago? – Mintago are an employee benefits company, who work with companies to help their employees be financially better off. They do this in a number of ways, including:

·      Finding lost pension pots

·      Help to save money through finding discounts

·      Retirement planning

·      Offering various salary sacrifice products

·      Helping companies to be more financially efficient with pension salary sacrifice or other national insurance savings

·      Helping people to be more financially literate

[05:10] Who is Tom Catnach?: Tom has a split role at Mintago, his primary role being Head of Product and secondary being Information Security Officer.

Through both roles he looks after all the products and offerings as well as the information security across the business, he was also the driving force behind achieving ISO 27001.

Outside of work, Tom likes to travel via motorbike, preferring to stay away from the screens and enjoying the sights.

[06:30] What was Mintago’s main driver to Implement ISO 27001?: Mintago, and most other businesses by their nature, are required to hold a lot of sensitive data and so have a responsibility to their clients and employees to ensure it’s security.

Mintago were looking for a robust framework to base their Information Security around, and what better option that the leading Information Security Standard, ISO 27001.

ISO 27001 also offers the assessment of general business practice, and allows for growth and scaling. As a start-up, they wanted to have a solid base for policies, training ect to roll out to new hires as they expand.

[08:30] Aligning Standards with core values: Trust is one of Mintago’s core values and they want to give their clients the assurance that they can be trusted to protect their data.

ISO 27001 can be compared to the likes of Bcorp as it’s an on-going process. It doesn’t just stop at getting the certificate, you have annual surveillance to ensure you are still compliant year on year.

[10:15] What was the scope of Mintago’s certification?: For the initial implementation, Mintago opted to just scope in Product and Customer Service.

This was because all of the sensitive data is handled in those departments and they don’t allow access to any other teams, so it made sense to start there with a view to expand the scope after certification.

That being said, they still rolled out Information Security training to all staff, and everything has been set-up to allow for an easy business wide roll-out when they’re ready.

[11:50] How long was Mintago’s certification journey?: They started their journey in September 2023, in fact it was Tom’s first project with Mintago!

Mintago enlisted Blackmores help to implement ISO 27001, and after nine months they have been successfully certified.

Tom attributes their ease of implementation to the fact that they are currently a small business, citing that it’s an advantage to implement ISO Standards early while your agile so that your management system grows with you.  

[14:25] What was the biggest ‘gap’ identified at the Gap Analysis?  Mintago are lucky in the fact that they are a new business so are using modern tech, and don’t have the burden a larger site or other physical elements such as rack mounted servers.

However, policy, procedure and evidence to ensure they were doing the right thing were lacking at the start of their journey. They did have a good 70% in place and that last 30% was mostly down to having the ability to evidence their compliance.

There was also some additional work to do to improve existing policies and procedures. One example of this was having a solid Business Continuity Plan in place.

[16:35] Did Mintago experience any significant barriers in addressing identified gaps?  Being a smaller business, they were able to adapt a lot quicker than a larger organisation may have been able to.

One of the biggest struggles for Tom was getting the necessary technology to aid with Information Security. They needed to show that they had a competent Mobile Device Management Solution (MDM), antivirus and anti-phishing in place.

When trying to buy some software solutions, Tom encountered a lot of companies simply not replying to his requests due to Mintago’s size. Many organisations sadly prioritize bigger potential clients, and so it took a while to finally get all the required software.

[18:45] Engagement is key -  Getting everyone involved with the management system is critically important. Especially with information security as the people most often targeted are frontline workers, so they need to be actively engaged in security.

Mintago also has the advantage of being a smaller business, so getting communication out isn’t a hardship and resulted in high engagement. This was benefitted from a top-down initiative via their ‘C-Suite’.

Tom also states that you can make any necessary training more lighthearted, team based or interactive, as that’s something that people would want to engage in.  

It’s also important to stress that any information security training can be beneficial for personal use too to avoid being a victim of fraud or a scam. It can be something people take away to their family members to ensure they stay safe online.

[23:10] Did the adoption of ISO 27001 highlight any issues not already considered by Mintago? -  The biggest thing was how their internal process could be improved. For example, looking at the scenario of ‘what if our back-ups don’t work?’, ISO 27001 drilled down to ask specifics such as:

·      How do we recover from that scenario?

·      Are we 100% confident in our back-ups?

·      Will they work near instantaneously?

·      What’s Mintago’s availability like in that scenario?

·      How do we prevent disruption to our clients during that scenario?

So, while they did have back-ups they weren’t necessarily considering the whole scenario, especially if those back-ups were to fail. ISO 27001 ultimately helped to flesh out existing plans to make a much more robust system.

In regards to threat horizons, Mintago do practice OWASP and keep the team informed via e-mail, newsletters and GitHub repositories.

[25:00] Internal Auditing – A beneficial tool -  Tom found the internal auditing process to be very beneficial for Mintago, currently they do a few monthly on average.

Blackmores assisted with the audits during implementation to ensure they were in the right place for assessment. Of course, the Certification Body audits were a bit more nerve wracking for Stage 1 and 2 as they would determine if they would be certified.

Mintago passed their Stage 1 (documentary review) with flying colours, their Stage 2 (evidence checking) highlighted a few non-conformities that were quickly addressed. Following the Stage 2, they were recommended for ISO 27001 certification.

[27:20] Minor Non-conformities aren’t the end of the line – There’s a common misconception that getting a certain number of minor non-conformities during a Stage 2 assessment means you can’t be certified, but that’s simply not true!

If an Assessor is comfortable that you are in a good position for certification, they will recommend you.

ISO Standards are all about continual Improvement, which is something Mintago are embracing as they continue to address issues raised at audits.

[29:00] Benefits of ISO 27001 certification – Benefits Mintago are already experiencing include:

Internal Stakeholders – The Team worked hard to achieve the Standard and have embraced it’s core qualities to the benefit of their own Information Security practices.

Positive Market Response – Much larger clients who are also ISO 27001 certified now have a mutual understanding of each other’s commitment to information security.

Gaining certification early – As a start-up, Mintago are agile and will be able to develop and mature their ISMS (Information Security Management System) as they grow.

[31:10] Any concerns on the threat horizon?:  As the Information Security Officer, Tom is concerned about new emerging trends in AI led scams. They’re going to be a lot more sophisticated and harder to spot and deal with.

Thankfully, even if they are impacted, it will be rather isolated. Tom raises concerns for vital services such as Air Traffic Control which could have dire consequences if they were to be affected by a data incident.

However, with ISO 27001 Mintago are in a good place to keep on-top of their threat horizon and have the processes in place to mitigate potential incidents and continually improve their own security.

[34:30] In Summary: Mintago are a shining example of gaining certification for the right reasons. It’s not just about getting a badge, they have truly embraced a culture of continual improvement and are utilising ISO 27001 to ensure they have a robust information security management system in place.

If you would like to learn more about Mintago and their financial services, check out their website.  

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

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Greenhouse Gas (GHG) accounting has become increasingly important in recent years due to the demand for more environmental accountability.

Whether by choice or due to legislation or mandatory Government led schemes, organisations need to able to effectively calculate their current impact before they can the right steps to reduce and offset the remaining emissions.

There are a lot of different routes to take, and some may look so similar that you have to squint to see a difference.

In this episode, Mel Blackmore breaks down the similarities and differences between the leading GHG emission reporting frameworks, ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

You’ll learn

·      What are the 2 leading GHG accounting frameworks?

·      What are the similarities between the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064?

·      What are the differences between the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064?

·      Reporting on indirect emissions

·      Choosing the right framework

·      How can the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 complement each other?

Resources

·      Carbonology

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:30] Episode summary: Mel will look at the similarities and differences between the 2 leading GHG emissions reporting frameworks, the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064-1:2018.

[02:20] What are the 2 leading GHG accounting frameworks? – Greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting has become increasingly important for organisations seeking to manage their environmental impact and contribute to climate change mitigation efforts. Two prominent frameworks guide this process: ISO 14064-1:2018 and the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

Climate change concerns necessitate robust methodologies for quantifying and reporting organisational GHG emissions. Standardised frameworks offer a transparent and reliable approach for organisations to measure their impact and contribute to environmental sustainability goals. This article examines two leading frameworks: ISO 14064-1:2018 and the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

[06:10] What are the similarities between the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064? – GHG Scope Definition: Both frameworks categorise emissions into three scopes: Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or steam), and Scope 3 (other indirect emissions throughout the value chain).

In general, the GHG Emissions covered in the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard conform to ISO 14064-1 if significant Sope 3 GHG emissions and GHG removals are both considered.

Quantification Principles: Both emphasize the importance of accuracy, completeness, consistency, transparency, and relevance when quantifying emissions.

GHG Reporting Boundaries: Both require clear definition of the organisational boundaries for which emissions are quantified.

GHG Inventory: Both frameworks guide the development of a GHG inventory, a comprehensive record of all organisational emissions.

[09:15] What are the differences between the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064? – Focus: ISO 14064-1 is a more procedural framework, outlining the steps for quantifying, reporting, and verifying GHG emissions. The GHG Protocol, on the other hand, offers detailed guidance on calculating emissions for various activities and sectors but lacks formal verification requirements.

Level of Detail: The GHG Protocol provides a more comprehensive and detailed approach, including calculation methods, guidance on emission factors, and best practices. ISO 14064-1 offers a less prescriptive approach, allowing organisations to choose calculation methodologies based on their specific needs.

Avoided GHG Emissions: The concept of avoided GHG emissions is not addressed in ISO 14064-1.  However, the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard addresses the quantification of avoided emissions, which are required to be reported separately.

Verification: Verification by a third-party verifier is optional under the GHG Protocol but mandatory for organisations seeking public disclosure or certification under ISO 14064-1. Verification enhances the credibility and reliability of reported emissions data, this could be to schemes like EcoVadis.

Value Chain Emissions: While both frameworks acknowledge Scope 3 emissions, the GHG Protocol offers a dedicated standard - the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard - providing specific guidance on quantifying these emissions.

Addressing GHG Emissions and Removals: ISO 14064-1 clearly address GHG emissions and removals for each  category and removals are therefore an inherent part of the GHG quantification. The guidance in the GHG protocol is not as clear but allows for the reporting of removals separately from GHG Emissions.

[13:30] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[17:05] Reporting on indirect emissions:  The main challenge for organisations is the reporting of indirect emissions (Scope 3), often leading to confusion based on a lack of clarity and understanding of how granular the data needs to be, combined with challenges extracting data from third-parties. 

ISO 14064-1 is very clear regarding which Scope 3 emissions are to be included, whereas the GHG Protocol standard maybe viewed as more open to interpretation.

In contrast, GHG Protocol standards require the inclusion of Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy); the inclusion of other indirect GHG Emissions under scope 3 is optional.

The GHG Protocol standard is referred to in various GHG reporting and disclosure initiatives whose requirements for the reporting of the Scope 3 emissions vary.  Whereas ISO 14064-1 has been created and approved by representatives from 61 nations to determine a specification for Scope 3 emissions reporting.

[20:30] Choosing the right Framework: The choice between ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol depends on an organisation's specific needs and goals. Here are some considerations:

·      Is there a need for Verification? i.e. is it a mandatory requirement

·      What level of detail is required? If a detailed approach with extensive calculation guidance is preferred, the GHG Protocol might be more suitable.

·      Resource availability – Do you have the resource to do this yourself or will you need a helping hand?

·      Disclosure reporting requirements – check what you need to comply with as this could determine which framework you use.

[23:30] How can the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064 complement each other? -  This podcast may have you thinking that it has to be one or the other, but in actuality the two frameworks can be used together effectively. Organisations can utilise the GHG Protocol's detailed guidance to develop their GHG inventory and then follow ISO 14064-1's process for verification and reporting.

If you would like some help with GHG reporting or Verification, please get in touch with Carbonology.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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ESG is a very broad topic to try and address for any organisation, leaving many scratching their heads on where to start with ESG reporting.

Currently, there is no official certification for ESG, however there are a number of schemes that will give you either a score or rating for your level of compliance against their requirements.

For those currently working towards one of these schemes, you may already have a solid foundation in place if you’re certified to one or many ISO Standards.

In this episode, Ian Battersby and Ali Henshaw discuss ESG compliance and how elements of an ISO Management system can help with ESG reporting.  

You’ll learn

·      What is ESG?

·      Is ESG reporting required?

·      Is ESG a nice to have or good solid business practice? 

·      Is ESG certifiable?

·      How can ISO Standards help to address the 3 pillars of ESG?

·      How ESG compliance helps to combat Greenwashing

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·      ESG Audit

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:00] Episode summary: Ian and Ali will be discussing how ISO Standards can help with ESG reporting.  

[02:20] What is ESG? – ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Analysis and evaluation against these three elements help organisations to consider different areas within their overall sustainability profile.

The Environmental section looks at issues surrounding climate change and actions to address an organisation’s environmental responsibility. This includes monitoring and management of your energy consumption, waste management and pollution. It also seeks to tackle how organisations can address, reduce and mitigate their overall environmental impact.

The Social aspect is based around the relationships an organisation has with its stakeholders. This is focused on employees and looks at a broad range of topics including employee wellbeing, fair and competitive pay, benefits and human resource related policies. Considerations can also include wider business relationships such as supplier relations, local community and government work.

[05:00] The pillars of ESG aren’t silos – You shouldn’t approach each pillar of ESG in isolation, as they cross over in a lot of areas.

For example, in environmental management you may manage hazardous substances, you’ll have a duty to ensure those substances don’t pollute the surrounding area or bodies of water. However, you will also need to consider the health and safety aspect of storing and working with that material. So already you have 1 issue that crosses both the Environmental and Social pillar of ESG.

 [05:50] What does the Governance pillar cover? – Governance criteria focuses on creating a business environment that is fair, transparent, and accountable. Considerations in this area include board composition, fairness in pay structures and executive compensation, business ethics and risk management.

[07:05] What types of ESG reporting are required?  – For small organisations, there is currently no set requirement as it stands, but you many encounter stakeholder or customer requirements that encourage ESG reporting on some level.

For larger organisations at certain sizes there are mandatory reporting frameworks that you will be required to fulfill. At the moment it’s quite sector specific but this is a trend that will only increase over time.

Like with anything new, this is likely to trickle down to smaller organisations over time, however there will likely be funding and grants available to assist when that time comes.

[08:25] Is ESG a nice to have or good solid business practice?  If you want to be a sustainable business, with good legacy that has the ability to grow and develop, ESG is a fantastic tool.

Investors are now looking for sustainable businesses, it’s become a market trend for an ever increasingly environmentally conscious consumer base. You either need to move with the times of get left behind, and sustainability is one key factor that will determine which of those categories you fall into.

[09:50] Which ISO Standards can support ESG?: From a holistic point of view, the structure of ISO standards, the plan do check Act (PDCA) cycle, the need for monitoring and measurement and the need for improvement supports the principles of ESG in terms of quantifiable results.

The additional aspect of having set objectives and proof of tangible improvement actions was something that fulfilled CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), which in turn has been superseded by ESG.

ISO Standards high-level structure and life cycle approach lend themselves to support various aspects of ESG, depending on the Standard you implement.

ISO 14001 for example, would support the environmental pillar, as it looks at your significant aspects and impacts in addition to that of your supply chain. You’ll need to factor these into your objectives and overall business strategy.

ISO 45001 would tackle elements of the social pillar as it directly addresses the well-being of your employees. It also includes a clause for the consultation and participation of workers, so work directly with employees to identify and address risks that may be missed by management.

[13:40] Is there a certifiable Standard for ESG?: Not currently, but an ISO guidance document is in the works.

Standards that address core elements of ESG include ISO 26000 (Social Accountability) and ISO 20400 (Sustainable Procurement). Again, these aren’t certifiable, but provide invaluable guidance.

Guidance documents have the advantage of being selective in what elements you decide to adopt. The ESG one in development is a good example, ESG as a topic is huge, a smaller organisation may not realistically be able to implement all of the advice.

But, it can be used as a starting point for a materiality assessment that will allow you to be selective of the core subjects you apply to your business.

The idea of guidance documents is not to be a bolt on, as those quickly get forgotten. It’s all about embedding their elements into existing processes.

[17:10] Utilising elements of ISO Implementation for ESG reporting:  If you’ve already got an ISO Management System in place, i.e. ISO 14001 or ISO 45001, then you’ll already have objectives, processes  and monitoring & measurement in place to address those elements.

ISO 26000 is another good example as it covers a wide range of topics, including human rights, labour practices, the environment, community involvement and development, consumer issues and fair operating practices. Some may not be applicable to you, but as mentioned, it’s a guidance document so you have the freedom to be selective about the aspects you incorporate into your management system.

You need to decide what really applies to you. It’s better to prioritise and take 10 steps on one subject vs 1 on 10 subjects.

[20:25] ESG isn’t a once a year activity:  There’s no tick box exercise that you can do once a year and claim compliance, ESG is an on-going endeavor for as long as your business is running. It’s a way of operating, much like ISO Standards. It will develop and grow with your business.

[21:30] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[23:36] Will elements of ESG become certifiable down the line? We’ll never say never! It’s still very much a developing field. There is currently a framework being developed by the International Standards Organisation, it’s currently in draft form.

Ali herself is on the commenting committee for it’s development, and can confirm that the framework is looking at the links between certifiable Standards and the tangible application.

ISO Standards require third-party verification of your claims before getting certified. In that aspect, they’re the perfect tool to provide tangible proof that you are doing what you say you’re doing, but only in select aspects.

ESG is broad, almost too broad to certify. It’s not really feasible for one person to come in and assess a whole business like they would do for an ISO Assessment, there’s simply too much to cover!

[25:00] The trouble with ESG verification: Currently, a lot of voluntary schemes require you to report against and fulfill, but they are very sector specific because a general one would be too broad and likely will not cover every aspect appliable to every business.

Schemes out there are doing something to battle greenwashing, as the environmental aspects are easier to verify, however social aspects are a lot more tricky and can get even more complicated outside of the UK where there is no HSE annual reporting available.

[26:20] How can you support the Social aspect of ESG?: Measuring your social value can difficult, many think of education as the solution. Here are some ideas to consider:

·      Working with local schools – Improvement projects driven by Student run business studies

·      Work experience

·      Charitable work – allow staff to have a charity day as part of a benefits package

[28:10] How can we prevent the greenwashing of ESG compliance?: Government Bodies are working to tackle this. It’s being built into legislation to prevent greenwashing in future where self-policing hasn’t gone far enough.

Trade Associations are also pushing their members towards more legitimate frameworks to ensure they do remain accountable and transparent about their activities in relation to ESG compliance.

[30:00] What resources do Blackmores have to help? We’ve developed an ESG Gap Analysis, based on the guidance provided in ISO 26000 Social Accountability.

This ESG Gap Analysis will highlight where you’re already compliant and where there is work to be done.

You may be surprised to see that you’re more compliant that you think! Especially if you’re certified to one or many ISO Standards.

We also have a Materiality Assessment, which will help you to determine which topics are of importance to your business and your stakeholders.

You can take the findings from both to help develop your ESG Strategy. If you’re not mandated to do any reporting, you can leave it at that. However, you may want to consider sector specific frameworks to get ahead of the curve for when elements of ESG do become mandated down the line.

[36:00] Where should you start with tackling ESG using ISO Standards? If you’re certified to one or many ISO Standards, then you will have processes in place that can support an ESG initiative program strategy, and you can make it as big or as small as you want.

Start by looking at your environmental, social and governments impacts and work to embed ESG into your existing ISO Management System before they become mandated by stakeholders and legislation – being ahead also feeds into the principles behind social responsibility.

You're embedding a culture, and it becomes a norm which can be developed further. Then, when legislation or customer requirements come in, you’re already prepared to answer.

Also, with ESG there is a focus on people and you can't have a successful business without good people. ESG isn’t only attractive to your customers, but also to potential employees who will want to work for ethical, sustainable businesses. If you aren’t keeping up and fulfilling that, you will struggle to find new talent.

It also goes without saying that being ESG compliant will attract consumers. Greenwashing, as frustrating as it is, exists for a reason - because people want businesses to be sustainable. People wouldn't lie about it if it wasn't important to someone, so stand out by beating the greenwashing allegations and take the right steps towards tacking ESG.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, or would like help with an ESG Gap Analysis, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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In July 2024, A logic error in an update for CrowdStrike’s Falcon software caused 8.5 million windows computers to crash. While a fix was pushed out shortly after, the nature of the error meant that a full recovery of all effected machines took weeks to complete.

Many businesses were caught up in the disruption, regardless of if this affected them directly or by proxy due to affected suppliers. So, what can businesses learn from this?

Today, Ian Battersby and Steve Mason discuss the aftermath of the CrowdStrike crash, the importance of good business continuity and what actions all businesses should take to ensure they are prepared in the event of an IT incident.

You’ll learn

·      What happened following the CrowdStrike crash?

·      How long did it take businesses to recover?

·      Which ISO management system standards would this impact?

·      How can you use your Management System to address the affects of an IT incident?

·      How would this change your understanding of the needs and expectations of interested parties?

·      How do risk assessments factor in where IT incidents are concerned?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·      ISO 22301 Business Continuity

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian Battersby is joined by Steve Mason to discuss the recent CrowdStrike crash, the implications on your Management system and business continuity lessons learned that you can apply ahead of any potential future incidents.  

[03:00] What happened following the CrowdStrike crash?– In short, An update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon software brought down computer systems globally.

8.5 million windows systems, which in reality is less than 1% of windows systems, were affected as a result of this error.

Even still, the damage could still be felt from key pillars of our societal infrastructure, with a lot of hospitals and transportation like trains and airlines being the worst affected.

[04:45] How long did it take CrowdStrike to issue a fix? – CrowdStrike fixed the issue in about 30 minutes, but this didn’t mean that computers affected would be automatically fixed.

In many cases applying the fix meant that engineers had to go on site to many different locations which is both time consuming and costly. In some cases Microsoft said that some computers might need as many as 15 reboots to clear the problem.

So, a fix that many were hoping would solve the issue ended up taking a few weeks to fully resolve as not everyone has IT or tech support in the field to issue a manual reboot.

A lot of businesses were caught out as they don’t factor this into their recovery time, some assuming that an issue like this is guaranteed to be fixed within 48 hours, which is not something you can promise. You need to be realistic when filling out a Business Impact Assessment (BIA).

[07:55] How do you know in advance if an outage will need physical intervention to resolve? – There is a lesson to be learnt from this most recent issue. You need to take a look at your current business continuity plans and ask yourself:

·      What systems to you use?

·      How reliable are the third-party applications that you use?

·      If an issue like this to reoccur, how would it affect us?

·      Do we have the necessary resource to fix it? i.e. staff on site if needed?

Third-parties will have a lot of clients, some may even prioritise those that pay a more premium package, so you can’t always count on them for a quick fix.

[09:10] How does this impact out businesses in terms of our management standards? – When we begin to analyse how this has impacted our management systems, we can’t afford to say ‘We don’t use CrowdStrike therefore it did not impact us’ – it may have impacted your suppliers or your customers. Even if there was zero impact, lessons can be learned from this event for all companies.

Standards that were directly affected by the outage were:

·      ISO 22301 – Business Continuity: Recovery times RPO and RTO; BIA; Risk Assessments

·      ISO 27001 – Information Security: Risk Assessment; Likelihood; Severity; BCP; ICT readiness

·      ISO 20000-1 – IT Service Management; Risk Assessment of service delivery; Service continuity; Service Availability

Remember, our management systems should reflect reality and not aspiration

[11:30] How do we use our Management Systems to navigate a path of corrective action and continual improvement? – First and foremost an event like this must be raised as an Incident – in this case it would no doubt have been a Major Incident for some companies. This incident will typically be recorded in the company’s system for capturing non-conformities or continual improvement.

You could liken this to how ISO 45001 requires you to report accidents and incidents.

From the Incident a plan can be created which should include changes to be considered or made to the management system.

The Incident should lead us to conducting a lessons learned activity to determine where changes and improvements need to be made.

We are directed in all standards to Understanding the Organisation and its context

The key requirement here is to determine the internal and external issues that can impact your management system, and prevent it from being effective. Whatever method a company uses for this, perhaps a SWOT and PESTLE; the CrowdStrike/Microsoft Outage should be included in this analysis as a threat and/or Technical issue.

[15:15] What are the lessons learned from our supply chain? – In many ISO Standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, there is a requirement to review your suppliers and the effectiveness of the service they’re delivering.

So you could send them an e-mail to ask how they have dealt with the issue, what actions did they take and how long did it take to fully restore services.

This is a collaborative process that you can factor into your own risk assessments, as you can make a better judgement on future risk level if you are privy to their recovery plans.

Many people still think of that requirement only in relation to goods and products. i.e. has my order been delivered ect. However, it relates to services such as IT infrastructure as well. You rely on that service, so evaluate how well it’s being delivered.

[17:35] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[19:50] Once you have established lessons learnt, what’s next?  – The Standards provide a logical path to work through.

One of the first steps is to conduct a SWOT and PESTLE, and doing so after a major incident is recommended, as your threats and weaknesses may have changed as a result.

Do not simply put the sole blame on a third-party who an incident may of originated from. This is about your response and recovery, your plans coming into effect to deal with the situation, not about who is at fault.

One such finding may be your lack of business continuity plans, in which case, looking at implementing aspects of ISO 22301 may be an action to consider.

It’s also important to note down any positives from the incident too. You may have dealt with something very fast, communicated the issue effectively and worked with clients to ensure that their level of service was minimally impacted.

If a team dealt with a situation particularly well, they should be recognised for that, as it really does go a long way.

[23:55] The importance of revisiting your SWOT and PESTLE: These exercises shouldn’t just be a one time thing. You should be addressing these after incidents and any major changes within the business.

Ideally, you should be looking at these in all your meetings, as many actions may need to be escalated to a strategic level.

If you’d like to learn about how one of our clients embraced SWOT and PESTLE, and used it to their advantage, check out episode 53.

[25:20] How has our understanding of the needs and expectations of Interested Parties been changed? - How has the Outage impacted the needs and expectations of interested parties? Understanding this might lead companies to ask questions about the robustness and effectiveness of different parts of the management system:

·      Risk Assessment

·      BIA for BCP

·      Recovery Plans

·      DR plans

·      Service Continuity

[27:50] What should you be considering with your risks assessments? - Risk Assessments, if they follow the traditional methodology, with have Likelihood and Impact/Severity scores an in the light of this outage, and any event, the likelihood and Impact scores should be updated.

If a company has set the likelihood as ‘once every 5 years’ it should seriously consider changing this to ‘once every 6 months’ or 'once every year’ to understand if this poses any new risks to the business. The likelihood score would of course be updated every year until it has recovered to ‘once every 5 years’.

The impact is important to look at. If a company has been impacted by this outage, what has it cost the company to recover – talk to finance and other departments to understand the cost and change the scoring accordingly.

[33:20] Why should a business carry out a risks assessment as part of lessons learnt? - Our risk assessments are not a one-off, but should be living documents that reflect the status of threats to the business. In ISO 27001 there is a statement to identify the ‘Consequences of  unintended changes,’ and it could be argued that an Outage on the level of the CrowdStrike/Microsoft outage was an ‘unintended change that led to consequences in many businesses.

So, use your risk assessments as live tools to report on the reality facing the organisation.

Similarly, BIA assessments for BCP should be reviewed to determine if the assumed impact reflects the real impact; also look at the recovery plans to see if they are effective.

If a recovery plan has stated that this type of incident could be recovered in 48 hours, and in reality it has taken 2 weeks, it means that recovery times in terms of RPO and RTO should be reviewed.

Remember - your management system should reflect reality and not aspiration.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

Continual Improvement is at the heart of every ISO Standard. 

The cyclical nature of ISO Standards lends itself to regular review and update of your Management System, to ensure it’s working efficiently and to address any issues or opportunities that inevitably crop up.

However, Integrating these improvements can be challenging, even for mature systems.

Today Ian Battersby explains the concept of Improvement as defined in ISO Standards, how to find root cause for non-conformities and integrating improvement actions from multiple sources.  

You’ll learn

·      What is meant by ‘Improvement’ in ISO Standards?

·      Common misconceptions about Improvement in ISO Standards

·      How to address non-conformities in your Management System

·      Finding the root cause of a non-conformity

·      Integrating Improvement actions

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian Battersby will be explaining what Improvement means in relation to ISO Standards, how to address non-conformities and integrating the required Improvement actions.

[02:30] What is meant by ‘Improvement’ in ISO Standards? – One of the requirements of all Management System standards is to determine and select opportunities for improvement (Clause 10). This is the fundamental aim of Management Systems: to make things better

In the words of the standards, it is so that an organisation can:

“Implement any necessary actions to meet customer requirements and enhance customer satisfaction

These shall include:

a) improving products and services to meet requirements as well as to address future needs and expectations;

b) correcting, preventing or reducing undesired effects;

c) improving the performance and effectiveness of the management system.”

An organisation going through certification for the first time may never have had in place a system for planning improvements.  Some organisations are dealing with improvements, but not necessarily through a single, consistent route.

While you can meet the requirements of the standards without a single route, the standard is not prescriptive in how you go about this.

[04:45] Common misconceptions about non-conformities – the standard does go on to cover nonconformity and corrective action (10.2); is it suggesting these as the main source of non-conformities (NC).  It isn’t really explicit about other sources, other than specifically including customer complaints as a form of NC.

However, there’s a strong argument for consolidating data from different sources, so it’s worth considering how complaints data is handled. Other sources of non-conformities can include your Internal Audit findings, addressing where you may not be meeting client expectations, addressing failure to meet legal obligations ect.

As a reminder, ISO 9000 (Fundamentals and vocabulary) includes the definition of nonconformity: non-fulfilment of a requirement: need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory i.e. Legal / client expectation.

[10:00] Addressing non-conformities – You need to evaluate the need for action to eliminate the cause of the nonconformity, to ensure that the issues doesn’t recur, or pop-up elsewhere.

When a non-conformity does occur, you need to:

·      Determine the causes

·      Determining if similar nonconformities exist, or could potentially occur;

Any corrective actions should be appropriate to the effects of the nonconformities encountered.

So, you don’t need to commit a huge amount of resource to minor issues.

[11:40] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[13:40] Finding the cause of non-conformities  – Without removing the cause, repetition may occur, and this is where integrating improvement data from multiple sources comes into its own.

The idea of Common cause is - a single cause may manifest itself in very different outcomes. For example, a lack of competence could lead to a process being delivered wrongly, leading to reducing level of quality in service or product, which would be picked up as an NC.

Competence is an area which can also lead to NC’s, through the result of a helath & safety incident or environmental incident if people aren’t trained to use equipment or follow set procedures.  

It can also lead to a customer complaint where the failed process is apparent to a customer.

If a product NC isn’t spotted until after the product delivered/in service it could lead to a warranty claim

Or even a claim for damages should it lead to harm/loss to the customer

It could lead to regulatory breach or even enforcement or legal action

Some of these outcomes may not be apparent until they have impacted upon a customer or other interested party, so would not be recorded internally through a nonconformity system.

All this to say, finding the root cause will require looking in a lot of different places. Having a common methodology in place to address non-conformities, including considerations for different types of issues, makes life a lot easier.

[15:55] Integrating Improvements from multiple sources: There are many sources which can highlight opportunities for Improvement, including:

Internal Audit – This is a conformity assessment, so any gaps or issues identified will be NC’s that need addressing.

Surveillance Audit / Certification Audit – Your Certification Body will also be conducting a third-party conformity assessment, which may highlight something you’ve missed in your own internal audits.

Supply Chain Audit – Auditing your supply chain can also highlight NC’s that you can encourage them to address, both for your benefit and theirs.

Client Audit – You may be audited by clients, especially where there may be specific technical industry related issues.

Management Review – This is the perfect platform to identify Opportunities for Improvement. You can highlight NC trends from Internal Audits here and define if they need to be addressed separately. You will often have members of senior management present at a Management Review, so there is a greater chance for you to plan tangible actions to address issues, especially if they are business critical.

SWOT / PESTLE – This usually happens early on in the Implementation phase, but there’s no reason why you can’t repeat the exercise on an annual basis. This exercise directly identifies your risks and opportunities, both from internal and external sources. Getting input from all levels of staff as they may also shed light on potential NC’s and opportunities other departments may not even be aware of.

Accident reporting / Safety observations – Any incident should be viewed as an opportunity to improve. Some accidents are unavoidable, but many are a result of someone not following instructions, equipment being left unattended or in the wrongs location ect. Addressing these will help you to ensure a safer environment.

Site inspections – Just walking around your site can yield new insights. Ask other departments that may not visit your area to do a sweep and report any findings. Sometimes all you need is a fresh pair of eyes to highlight issues you’ve missed.  

Complaint / Other customer feedback – Allow clients and stakeholders to have input.

Regulatory requirements – You may discover you are breaching a regulation, which needs to be addressed ASAP. Consider a legal register to keep track of all your legal and regulatory requirements.

Enforcement (HSE, EA, professional body) – You may have opportunities for improvement enforced by professional bodies such as the HSE or Environment Agency.

Management Action – Any management meetings should take opportunity suggestions from both management and the general workforce.

Product NC’s – If you’re in the manufacturing industry, you likely already have a system in place for monitoring any product related non-conformities. This process can be applied on a broader scale, as it embodies the same principles: Identify the problem, find the root cause, address the root cause, put preventative measures in place to stop recurrence. 

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

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●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

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In the workplace, everyone is responsible for safety. 

It’s not just for managers or senior management to worry about where legislation is concerned, everyone from the top to the bottom needs to be actively ensuring the safety of others.

ISO 45001 highlights the importance of this in its most recent iteration, which includes a specific requirement for the consultation and participation of workers. But, how does this work in practice?

Today Ian Battersby explains what consultation and participation of workers in ISO 45001 is, and how you can incorporate elements of reactive and proactive hazard reporting to meet that requirement.

You’ll learn

·      What is consultation and participation of workers in ISO 45001?

·      What is the identification of hazards?

·      What’s the difference between reactive and proactive hazard reporting?

·      Common approaches to reactive and proactive hazard reporting

·      Proactive hazard reporting in action

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian Battersby will be explaining reactive and proactive hazard reporting, and how this relates to the consultation and participation of workers (clause 5.4) requirement in ISO 45001.

[02:30] What is ‘Consultation and Participation of workers? – ISO 45001’s clause 5.4 states:

“The organization must have a process for consultation and participation of workers at all levels and functions, and their representatives in the development, planning, implementation, performance evaluation and actions for improvement of the OH&S management system.”

ISO 45001 expects occupational health and safety aspects to be fully embodied within the organisation structure. All workers should be aware of their responsibilities, and work together to meet the organisation’s health and safety goals.

Everyone is responsible for safety.

Consultation implies two-way communication, so workers can provide feedback to be considered by the organisation before taking a decision.  This is important; the organisation has to consider workers’ feedback before making decisions

Participation implies the contribution of workers, including non-managerial workers, to decision-making related to OH&S performance and to proposed changes.

[05:50] Hazard Identification – A specific issue which must be considered is the identification of hazards:

·      Identifying hazards and assessing risks and opportunities (Clauses 6.1.1 and 6.1.2);

·      Determining actions to eliminate hazards and reduce OH&S risks

There are numerous sources for consideration when it comes to hazards

·      How work is organised

·      Routine/non-routine activities

·      Past incidents

·      Emergency situations

·      People

·      Processes

·      Workplace design

·      Equipment

·      Change

 [07:35] What’s the difference between proactive and reactive hazard reporting? – Proactive is about spotting hazards in advance and putting in place measures to minimise the chances of them materialising and causing harm (eg, through an accident)

Reactive is in response to an event which has already occurred, such as an accident; a hazard existed without being spotted already and dealt with.

[08:20] A common approach to proactive hazard reporting  – Risk Assessment.  Consider hazard sources (i.e. people, processes, equipment, workplace etc) and consider what may happen; what could go wrong.  Then consider what controls could be put in place to try and prevent that happening.

Risk assessment can help you to demonstrate worker consultation and participation by including those affected:

·      Involved in or affected by an activity

·      Those delivering a process

·      Using equipment

·      Occupying a workplace

Those people have valuable knowledge and understanding, sometimes moreso than someone in a supervisory / managerial role.

And an absolute must: recording that all employees have read, understand and are committed to the controls included in Risk Assessments; that process may also give rise to workers’ further involvement – through querying, suggesting change etc

This also helps the culture of hazard spotting and promotes engagement among the workforce, both of which are vital in driving a proactive approach

[11:10] A common approach to reactive hazard reporting: Accident reporting systems is the obvious choice. However, there are ways you can make this more proactive.

There are various levels to accident reporting. Traditional systems wait until an accident occurs before recording and acting upon it.

Some organisations also record near misses: where an event has occurred, but no harm has been caused.

This approach in itself can be very valuable; and it provides an opportunity to act before any harm has occurred.

However, we can go a step further and allow the workforce to observe what’s happening; their surroundings and listen to what they feel may present a hazard to them and their colleagues (remember, everyone is responsible for safety).

[13:00] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[15:30] Proactive hazard reporting in action: Ian recounts his experience in a previous company where their proactive hazard reporting led to meaningful change.

This took place in a large manufacturing plant, but there was also significant office-based activity as well.

Because of the nature of the work, many people would not have access to online systems so there was both online and paper systems; this is important; if everybody is responsible, everybody needs access and engagement is vital.

In addition to the traditional accident/near miss system, there was a safety observation card (all data ended up in the same database). It was simple to fill out, would have only taken about 5 minutes at most.

In an organisation of 500ish, we received 2200 observation cards per year by the time I left.

When combined with accidents/incidents, there’s a predictable cycle: more reports, poor quality, more accidents, better quality, improved actions, fewer accidents.

[17:30] Creating an observation card: It should be easy to understand and record what’s necessary, recommended content includes:

·      Date / Time

·      Who was involved – employee / contractor / visitor ect

·      Location of hazard / incident 

·      Description of hazard / incident (ideally in 10 words or less)

You could get more granular and include:

·      Identification of an unsafe condition or unsafe act

·      Type of hazard or incident: slip, trip or fall / exit obstructed / machinery being used unsafely / unsafe structure / not using PPE

You could also include an option for actions taken if you decide to inform a manager of the issue, if you’ve corrected someone on the use of equipment or PPE ect.

[21:15] The Importance of peer inspections:  Often they would have supervisors from one area, checking a different one. This fresh pair of eyes may offer new insight into something that you usually miss!

Note that you should also encourage any site visitors to do the same. The fact that you’d ask them to report any incident also displays that you take safety seriously, and are open to feedback to improve.  

[22:40] Hazard scoring:  In order to judge that quality, they went a step further and graded all observations from 1-3:

1.    Saw something but didn’t act

2.    Saw it, acted to put it safe there and then

3.    Saw it, acted to prevent it happening again

This allowed them to judge how effective hazard spotting is in removing cause and filters out points-scoring.

[22:45] The results speak for themselves:

Increasing number of observations

Increasing number of participants

Increasing quality of observations

Reducing number and severity of accidents.

Over five years, they increased the number of observations per employee ten-fold.

As a result, they reduced lost time accidents over 75%

This was a superb example of a personal safety campaign and a great demonstration of consultation and participation,

It’s not difficult to do, but it needs leadership commitment, constant and clear comms, user-friendly systems and effective analysis / reporting.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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ESG compliance has fast become a focus for many organisations looking to address their wider sustainability profile. 

However, its broad framework has left many scratching their heads on exactly where to start with evaluating and addressing various elements of Environmental, Social, and Governance compliance.

For those looking for some direction, you may already have a solid foundation in place if you’re certified to one or many ISO Standards.

Today Steph Churchman will explain what ESG is, how it can be scored and what role ISO Standards can play in ESG compliance.

You’ll learn

·      What is ESG?

·      What scoring systems are available for ESG?

·      How can ISO Standards support ESG compliance?

·      What ISO Standards can support each pillar of ESG?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Steph will be breaking down what ESG compliance means, how ISO Standards can support ESG compliance and give some examples of what ISO Standards can support each pillar of ESG.

[02:50] What is ESG? – ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. Analysis and evaluation against these three elements help organisations to consider different areas within their overall sustainability profile.

The Environmental section looks at issues surrounding climate change and actions to address an organisation’s environmental responsibility. This includes monitoring and management of your energy consumption, waste management and pollution. It also seeks to tackle how organisations can address, reduce and mitigate their overall environmental impact.

The Social aspect is based around the relationships an organisation has with its stakeholders. This is focused on employees and looks at a broad range of topics including employee wellbeing, fair and competitive pay, benefits and human resource related policies. Considerations can also include wider business relationships such as supplier relations, local community and government work.

Governance criteria focuses on creating a business environment that is fair, transparent, and accountable. Considerations in this area include board composition, fairness in pay structures and executive compensation, business ethics and risk management.

[04:15] An evolution of CSR – CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is very similar to ESG, but is less sustainability focused. It also lacked substance in the form of effective and accountable scoring systems that held businesses to account. This is where ESG differs, with many scoring systems, certifications and even mandatory requirements driving businesses to address their compliance.

 [04:45] ESG scoring – There are many schemes, scoring systems and certifications available for ESG, some of which are specific to industry sectors and company sizes. What one you pick will be up to you (note that some many be mandatory in select countries), however, here are a few examples:

The S&P Global ESG Score – This assesses a company's performance and management of ESG risks and opportunities using a combination of company disclosures, media analysis, and industry-specific questionnaires. A score of 0-100 is given based on their findings and are relative within a company’s industry sector.

Fitch Ratings ESG Relevance Scores - Fitch Ratings assigns ESG Relevance Scores alongside their traditional credit ratings. These scores assess how ESG factors could impact a company's creditworthiness. Their scores range from 1-5, with 5 indicating the highest ESG relevance to credit risk.

MSCI – They offer ESG ratings for a broad range of companies, it’s not really limited by sector or size. They use a letter grade system, going from AAA-CCC, to assess a company's relative ESG risks and opportunities compared to its peers. The scoring for this one assigns companies as either an ESG leader, average or laggard within their industry.

[06:10] How can ISO Standards support ESG Compliance  – It's important to clarify that there's no single ISO standard that guarantees ESG compliance because ESG is a broad framework. However, ISO standards provide a strong foundation for implementing many aspects of an ESG strategy.

[06:35] Supporting ESG – Structure and Framework: ISO standards offer a structured approach to managing environmental, social, and governance practices. This helps companies identify key areas for improvement and develop a systematic plan to address them.

[07:10] Supporting ESG – Improved Performance: By following ISO standards, companies can demonstrably improve their environmental performance, social responsibility, and governance structures by putting in frameworks that align with best practice standards

[07:30] Supporting ESG – Transparency and Credibility: Achieving certification to a relevant ISO standard involves a third-party audit, which verifies that a company's systems and processes meet the standard's requirements. This certification acts as a credible signal to stakeholders such as your investors, customers, regulators, that you’re committed to ESG principles.

[07:55] Supporting ESG – Risk Management:  Proactive management of ESG risks is a key component of any ESG strategy. Many ISO standards focus on risk identification and mitigation. For example, ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery Management Systems) helps identify and address bribery risks, which can have significant financial and reputational consequences. Or ISO 45001 health and safety management, which requires risk assessments to be carried out to ensure the safety and well being of your employees on site locations, which would fall under the social aspect of ESG.

[08:30] Supporting ESG – Competitive Advantage:  Strong ESG performance is increasingly sought after by investors and stakeholders. Implementing ISO standards can help companies demonstrate their ESG commitment and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. You’ll also feel the benefit of gaining multiple badges, through ISO certification and possibly an ESG score if you choose to go through one of the official scoring schemes.

[08:55] Think of ISO standards as building blocks. They provide the foundation and structure for a strong ESG strategy. By implementing relevant standards and achieving certification, you can demonstrate a dedicated commitment to ESG principles.

[09:50] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[11:55] What ISO Standards can support the Environmental aspect of ESG Compliance?:

·      ISO 14001: Environmental Management - This provides a framework for managing environmental impacts, reducing waste, and improving your resource efficiency.

·      ISO 50001: Energy Management – this helps companies monitor and  optimize their energy use with the aim to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

·      ISO 20400: Sustainable Procurement – This will help you to adopt sustainable procurement principles and practices within your organisation, by looking at how you can reduce waste, choose more sustainable options for required resources, how you can extend the life of resources available through remanufacturing and recovery of waste, and encourages the use of more innovative products and services.

·      ISO 20121: Sustainable Event Management – This Standard is mostly applicable to the events sector, and aims to help reduce the amount of waste produced during events, either through potential energy savings and the production and recycling of resources used during an event. It’s recently had an update, so check out our latest episode to find out what the changes are.

·      ISO 14064: Greenhouse Gas Verification – This provides a framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions. This is a crucial step if you’re working towards Net Zero, as you need to know what your baseline is before you can work on reducing and offsetting remaining emissions.

·      ISO 14068: A framework for helping businesses achieve Net Zero, this standard will replace PAS 2060 in November 2025, so anyone looking into PAS 2060 now may be better off going with ISO 14068 as it includes more guidance on purchasing credible carbon credits.

[14:15] What ISO Standards can support the Social aspect of ESG Compliance?:–

·      ISO 26000: Social Responsibility – which offers guidance on integrating social responsibility practices throughout your organization.

·      ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management - which helps companies create a safe and healthy work environment. It provides a robust set of requirements designed for improving workplace safety in organisations and supply chains, with the aim of reducing workplace injury and illness.

·      ISO 45003: Psychosocial Health & Safety Management aka Mental health in the workplace. For the last 4 years or so, work related stress, depression and anxiety has been the leading cause for work related ill-health cases and lost working days. That’s according to the annual HSE reports, which clearly highlights a big issue that many more need to consider and address. 

[14:15] What ISO Standards can support the Governance aspect of ESG Compliance?:–

·      ISO 9001: Quality Management – this is the leading global ‘quality mark’ for businesses and designed as a vital business improvement tool. It’s quite simply A blueprint for running your business successfully.

·      ISO 22301: Business Continuity Management - Which provides a basis for planning to ensure your long-term survivability following a disruptive event. This is a Standard that many align with, but don’t always certify to, and for good reason as it provides some invaluable guidance for establishing robust Business Continuity Plans.

·      ISO 27001: Information Security – This is a Standard that is common place for most sectors now, given how reliant we all are on tech. ISO 27001 will help you to implement an Information Security Management System (ISMS), which is a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information, ensuring it remains secure and available. It encompasses people, processes and IT systems.

·      ISO 37001: Anti-Bribery Management Systems - It’s the International Standard that allows organizations of all types to prevent, detect and address bribery by adopting an anti-bribery policy, appointing a person to oversee anti-bribery compliance, training and carry out risk assessments.

·      ISO 44001: Collaborative Business Management – This was originally  a British Standard that had been created to provide a framework for creating and managing collaborative business relationships between organisations. The standard promotes the best way for businesses to work together, thus effectively developing and managing their interactions with each other for maximum benefit to all.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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ISO 20121:2012, the Standard for Sustainable events management, was originally created and launched in coordination with the London 2012 olympics. 12 years on, it seems only fitting that its next revision would applied to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

10 Years on from it’s original release, the Standard has received a substantial update to not only bring it in-line with other ISO Standards, but to also address additional elements within event management, such as human rights and legacy.

Today Steph Churchman will explain the changes to ISO 20121:2024, what certified companies must do to transition and the consequences of not doing so before the deadline.

You’ll learn

·      What is ISO 20121?

·      What are the changes to ISO 20121:2024?

·      What steps should certified companies take to complete their transition?

·      What should you be updating?

·      What are the consequences for not completing your transition ahead of the deadline?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Steph will be discussing the changes to the Sustainable Event Management Standard, ISO 20121:2024, in addition to outlining what you should be updating ahead of your transition to the latest version of the Standard.

[02:30] What is ISO 20121? – . The Standard for Sustainable events management was originally created and launched in coordination with the London 2012 olympics.

When it came to planning the 2012 Olympic Games, they took a step back and considered the impact of required development and construction would have on biodiversity, as well as how they could reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions and general waste in the preparation and running of the event.

12 years on, it seems only fitting that it’s next revision would applied to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

ISO 20121 specifies the requirements for an Event Sustainability Management System to improve the sustainability of events. The standard applies to all types and sizes of organisations involved in the events industry – from caterers, lighting and sound engineers, security companies, stage builders and venues to independent event organisers and corporate and public sector event teams.

[04:45] A high-level overview of the changes to ISO 20121:2024 – One of the biggest and most welcomed changes is the fact that the Standard is now aligned with the familiar High Level Structure that many other ISO’s follow. This means it will be easier to integrate with other Standards like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Next, there is a bigger focus on climate change, legacy and human rights. These elements weren’t necessarily missing from the previous version, but they weren’t a key focus either.

 [05:10] Climate Change in ISO 20121:2024 – , ISO 20121:2024 now explicitly requires considering climate change and its impact on your event and stakeholders. So, this might involve carbon emission reduction strategies and adapting to potential climate-related disruptions. Biodiveristy may also fall under this, especially if your events require construction, or take place in an outside venue such as a park or field.

A quick reminder that 31 common ISO Standards also received a Climate Change Amendment, so if you haven’t addressed that yet, check out our podcast episode and workshop recording to learn about what you need to do.

What does this focus on climate change mean for certified companies?:

·      It provides an opportunity for event professionals and event organisers to demonstrate leadership in taking action around climate change

·      Certified organisations are required to ensure that any carbon offsetting completed via carbon credits are credible

·      ISO 20121:2024 Standard facilitates the process of taking credible action and aligns ISO 20121 with big changes relating to climate change

[06:55] Human Rights in ISO 20121:2024  – The new version also expands beyond environmental concerns to encompass human and child rights, social impact (including mental health and diversity), and digital responsibility. Your management system will need to address these aspects throughout the event lifecycle.

What does the increased focus on human rights in ISO 20121 mean for certified organisations?:

·      Certified organisations will need to demonstrate and adhere to UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

·      The revised standard also now references social impact in its definitions – primarily in the definition for Sustainable Development and Stewardship.

·      A new Annex has been added – Annex D: Guidance on Human and Child Rights.

·      Added guidance states that event organisers should consult with Human and Child Rights experts and conduct a Human Rights Assessment to identify potential risks to the people as a result of an event and its surrounding activities.

·      You should publish a Human Rights Policy to ensure that Human Rights consideration is embedded in the whole lifecycle of an event.

[08:40] Legacy in ISO 20121:2024 – An added focus on Legacy provides an opportunity to event organisers to focus, not only on the few days of event delivery, but also supports in creating enduring results for the hosting community.

For example, creating an economic impact for the local population, by providing the opportunity to acquire new skills, to share best practices on how to do events in a more sustainable way or by improving a public place close to the event.

[09:20] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[11:30] A strengthening of Stakeholder Engagement – The Standard now emphasizes demonstrating sustainability throughout your supply chain. This might involve you requesting proof of sustainability practices from vendors and incorporating ethical sourcing practices.

The definition of stakeholders has also now been expanded to include partners and sponsors. So, you’ll need to consider how their sustainability practices align with your event's goals.

The policy clause now requires reporting on your sustainability achievements and lessons learned. Building a system for tracking and reporting these aspects will be crucial, and will likely involve a lot more communication between your stakeholders to gather any necessary data for reporting purposes.

[12:35] alignment and flexibility – The updated standard aligns with other management system standards thanks to the high level structure update, making integration easier for organizations with existing systems.

The revised standard also caters to events of all sizes and complexities, allowing for adaptation to your specific needs.

There’s now alignment with Global Frameworks, like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and the Paris Agreement. If you’d like to learn more about the SDG’s, check out a few previous podcast episodes: 106, 107 & 108.

[13:30] Transition Deadline – What happens if you miss it? –  Anyone certified to the 2012 version of the Standard will have until the 31st March 2027 to transition to the 2024 version.

If you don’t, you’ll risk losing your certification, and you’ll have to go through the whole Stage 1 and 2 Assessment again to get that certificate back, which is obviously quite costly.

[14:15] What do you need to do to transition? – Here’s a very high-level of the steps you should take:

·      Review and conduct a Gap Analysis: This is to compare your existing system against the new standard's requirements to identify areas needing improvement.

·      Update your Policies and Procedures: specifically your event sustainability policy to reflect the broader range of sustainability issues and incorporate reporting requirements.

·      Develop a plan to engage with a wider range of stakeholders, including sponsors and partners, on sustainability initiatives.

·      Review your Supply Chain Management: This will involve establishing or updating procedures for assessing and integrating sustainability practices throughout your vendor network.

·      Training and Awareness: Any and all changes should be communicated. Educate your team on the new standard's requirements and integrate them into event planning and execution processes.

·      Carry out Internal Audits: Once you’ve implemented the changes, audit against the new Standard and ensure you’re compliant. Then you’ll need to prepare for your Certification Body Transition visit.

[15:30] What Specific actions can you take to update your ISO 20121 Management System?

Here are some suggested actions to address Human Rights and Children’s Rights:

·      Update your event sustainability policy to explicitly state your commitment to respecting human rights and children's rights throughout the event lifecycle.

·      Update your Risk Assessments as you’re going to need to identify potential human rights risks associated with your event, such as discrimination in hiring or unfair labour practices within the supply chain.

·      Review your Supplier Management as you’ll need to ensure your suppliers uphold human rights standards.

·      Engage with relevant stakeholders like human rights organizations or local communities to understand potential human rights concerns and incorporate their feedback into your planning.

A few other actions you could do include:

·      Partnering with organizations promoting fair labor practices and human rights.

·      Including human rights clauses in contracts with suppliers and partners.

·      Conduct training for staff on identifying and mitigating human rights risks.

·      Implementing a grievance process for reporting potential human rights violations.

[17:00] What further actions can you take to address Legacy?:

·      Integrate legacy planning into the early stages of event development. Consider aspects like infrastructure, also workforce development (for example training opportunities for local communities), and universal accessibility for people with disabilities.

·      Develop metrics to measure the positive legacy of your event. This could involve tracking the number of jobs created, increased accessibility measures implemented, or infrastructure donated to the community.

·      Consider the potential to partner with local organizations to ensure the event's legacy benefits the community in the long term. This might involve collaborating on infrastructure projects or workforce development initiatives.

·      You should also Conduct a post-event impact assessment to evaluate the event's legacy.

[18:00] Reporting on the social, economic and environmental impacts – The first step should be to develop a Reporting Framework: This framework should consider relevant metrics for social (e.g., job creation, diversity), economic (e.g., local business involvement), and environmental (e.g., carbon footprint, waste generation) impacts.

Next, you need to Implement a system for collecting and analyzing data related to your event's social, economic, and environmental performance.

And lastly, choose appropriate communication channels for your sustainability report, such as your website, annual reports, or dedicated sustainability reports.

You could look at specific reporting software or get help from a third-party such as Blackmores.  

We’d recommend purchasing a copy of the Standard so you can review the specific changes yourself, in addition to reviewing the updated guidance provided in the Annexes.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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ISO Standards provide a framework to help businesses manage various aspects of their activities. Whether that’s quality, risk, environmental or Information Security management, they provide invaluable guidance to establish an effective Management System.

One element that is key, no matter the Standard or subject area, is Leadership. Without this driving force, your Management System will not get the momentum it needs to truly benefit your way of working.

Today Ian Battersby will explain the integral role of leadership within the Implementation and maintenance of an ISO Management System, and how their active participation benefits the whole business.

You’ll learn

·      What is Leadership?

·      Where is Leadership referenced in ISO Standards?

·      How do Leadership get involved with the Implementation and Management of ISO Standards?

·      How does Leadership participation benefit the business?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian will be discussing the role of Leadership within ISO Management Systems and how their active participation can benefit the business as a whole.

[02:30] What is Leadership? – Leadership is central to success in achieving any goal in business. It involves motivating a group of people toward a common pursuit, and it certainly isn’t straightforward without leadership believing in what it’s doing.

Without showing that belief, why would the workforce sit up and take note: ‘If it’s not important to you, why should it be to me?’

[03:30] Why should Leadership get involved? – The need for leadership has been recognised by Standards bodies, hence why it’s been made central to all Management System Standards.

For many years, Management Systems were separate from the day-to-day activities of running a business, often boiled down to just a person in a room with manuals, getting through certifications and earning a nice shiny badge.But this had little to no impact on the bottom line (be honest)!

But, a well-run Management System can have huge impacts and benefits on all types of organisation, and updated ISO standards aim to deliver that impact more readily, so leadership gets its own clause (Clause 5 – Leadership)

 [05:25] Clause 5.1 Top management shall demonstrate leadership & commitment – This boils down to taking accountability for effectiveness of the system, but how do you do this?

Firstly, the system can only be effective if it is designed correctly, so leadership must ensure it fits with its context of the organisation, which is required in Clause 4.

There are ways of doing this, but we favour a SWOT and PESTLE. This is simply to ensure that those establishing context don’t do it in a vacuum, opening up the floor to get input from everyone effected by the Management System.

This is key because Senior Managers need active involvement to understand how the system works, its resource needs and its performance.

[07:25] Ensuring quality policy and objectives are established and compatible with context and strategic direction – The quality objectives must contribute to the business, so there's a role for senior managers to ensure that they are aligned and have a measurable contribution to the business.

What measures are included in your objectives which can demonstrably show that they affect the business in some way in a good way?

That's what senior management have to do to link quality objectives with strategic organisational business objectives.

[08:20] Ensuring integration into the organisation’s business processes – The quality objectives must contribute to the business, so there's a role for senior managers to ensure that they are aligned and have a measurable contribution to the business.

They must ensure integration into the organisations’ business processes, which in turn must be aligned with the context. They must also be relevant to the way the organisation runs and senior management needs to oversee a system which allows processes to do that.

[05:20] Promoting use of the process approach and risk-based thinking – This requires senior management to actually do some promotion – which is stipulated as ‘Shall Promote’. For those that don’t know, whenever the word ‘Shall’ is used in an ISO Standard, that essentially means you MUST do it.

In this instance, that means actually contributing the communications and raising of Management System Awareness.

Senior Management have to be involved in the process of describing to people what's important, why the standards are important and that risk and process are central to the organisations operations.

[09:35] Providing resources for the system – There’s a number of resources that Senior Management need to consider, including:

·      People - Need to be enlisted to run a system and to operate the system throughout the organisation.

·      Competence – You may need to invest in training if required.

·      Expertise in the standard – Do you have expertise in-house on the Standard you’re certifying to? If not, you will have to invest in training or additional help from a third-party.

·      Systems / Access and Documented Information – Do you have a place for hosting of documentation, workflows, forms? Further considerations are needed for required authorization and controlled access.

·      Time – Implementing and maintaining a Management System is a big task, whether done by an individual or a team, they will need time to complete necessary Management System activities.

[10:30] Communicating the importance of an effective system and conforming to its requirements – Everyone looks up to Senior Management in regard to what their priorities are. It’s up to them to effectively communicate the importance of the Management System, it’s processes, their role in relation to the Management System and how to confirm with it’s requirements.

Key points to get across:

·      How this system makes your workplace a better place.

·      How it contributes to success of the organisation – I.e. happier customers, safer working conditions, ect

·      How it can make their daily routine more fulfilling – i.e. having a complete picture of their place in the business, how they contribute to its success.

·      What could nonconformity bring if people choose to step outside a management system? – I.e. With ISO 45001, nonconformance could risk someone getting injured.

[13:50] Engaging/directing/supporting persons to contribute to effectiveness of the system – Team managers should be harnessing the people at all levels to be able to fulfil the requirements of the Management System.

They should do that by providing clear expectations, which can be done via so communications and objective setting.

[14:30] Promoting improvement – Continual Improvement is absolutely key to every management system.

When something does go wrong, senior management must provide the resources for actively asking why things may have underperformed, so you can get to the cause of why it’s underperforming and put it right.

It’s also an opportunity to highlight when things have improved and celebrate those that contributed to that success.

[15:30] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[17:40] Supporting other management to demonstrate leadership in their areas – Leadership drives top to bottom. Everybody can have a role in leadership.

Roles and responsibilities are assigned by senior management, and this offers the opportunity for individuals to provide their own leadership in their specific areas.  

[18:15] 5.2 Policy – The definition of Policy in ISO Standards is:

The overall intentions and direction of the organisation, expressed by senior management.  A policy exists to govern the behaviour of an organisation and its employees in order to provide the best outcomes.  It also provides the basis for the establishment of objectives.  It does not explain how the policy is to be delivered through individual tasks.  This may not be a detail for top management.

What’s the requirement?:

Top management must ensure its appropriate to the purpose and context of the organization and supports its strategic direction

It’s not simply just a piece of paper to sign once a year.

[19:25] 5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities – What does the Standard say:

 ‘Top management shall ensure that responsibilities and authorities for relevant roles are assigned, communicated and understood within the organization’

What does this actually mean?:

·      Ensuring the Management system conforms to your ISO Standard(s)

·      Ensuring processes deliver desired results

·      Performance reporting including opportunities for improvement

·      Promotion of customer focus

·      Ensuring integrity of the management system through change and continual improvement

[21:30] Leadership in practice – Ian recounts an experience where senior management did regular safety checks in an organisation he worked with previously.

Senior Management took an hour out each month to do a floor walk and actually talk to those on the ground floor to ask them about risk, equipment and just generally get a feel for how everything really worked.

In turn, they were challenged by their staff on safe working systems and this proper conversation led to better understanding on both parts. The staff got to see their Senior Management genuinely care about their work and well-being, and Senior Management got much needed insight into the actual day-to-day activities and see first hand where improvements could be made.

Those familiar with ISO 45001 will know that worker participation is a requirement of the Standard, but there’s no reason why you can’t apply this to other Standards.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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There is a growing pressure on businesses to address their environmental impact, both from the Government as well as a more sustainably minded consumer base.

As a result, the need to carry out Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reporting is being introduced as a mandatory requirement for tenders, and Government led initiatives such as Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR).  

Today Mel Blackmore will discuss Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reporting, and how verifying GHG Statements in alignment with ISO 14064-1 can benefit your business.

You’ll learn

·      Why is there a growing need to report on GHG emissions?

·      What is the difference between certification and verification?

·      What is ISO 14064-1?

·      What are the benefits of ISO 14064-1?

Resources

·      Carbonologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Mel will be discussing GHG emissions reporting, and why verifying your businesses GHG Statements in alignment with ISO 14064-1 is a smart move.     

[02:30] What’s the difference between Certification and Verification? – We covered this in detail on a previous episode, go back and listen to episode 162

[02:40] Why is there a growing need to address GHG emissions? – Climate change is a top concern for many. Consumers, investors and governments across the globe are all demanding greater transparency and accountability from businesses regarding their environmental impact. In particular, the carbon footprint a business claims to have.

[03:25] What is ISO 14064-1? – ISO 14064-1 is in internationally recognised Standard for quantification of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and removals at the organisational level.

In simple terms, this is the go-to Standard for businesses looking to calculate, verify and publish its carbon emissions.

[03:40] Benefit #1: Making compliance and reporting easier – Now, it’s important to note that the first time you go through this process will be like pulling teeth. You will need to do a fair bit of work initially, but once that’s set-up, it will make the necessary annual reporting a much easier process.

ISO 14064-1 verification ensures you are complying with applicable regulations such as SECR and the Governments requirement for a PPN 06/21 (within the UK).

If you are based in the UK, there is now Public Sector tendering requirement to identify what your carbon footprint is and make recommendations for reductions in the form of a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP).

It can also help to streamline initiatives like the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) or EcoVardis.

[05:40] Benefit #2: Taking a deeper look at your emissions footprint – Verification is not simply just ticking a box, it’s about providing a clear picture of your organisations’ total GHG emissions.

Not just your CO2 emissions, ISO 14064-1 ensure you account for different types of emissions sources. This granular understanding will be crucial in identifying areas for improvement and developing an effective reduction strategy.

[06:25] Benefit #3: Providing Trust and Transparency – Having your report verified by am independent third-party adds a layer of credibility to your GHG reporting.

Anyone can just say their carbon emissions are X, but it’s another to have that backed up by a third-party. They can ensure your claims are true, correct and that there is a credible methodology behind it.

Stakeholders such as investors, consumers and regulators will then have the confidence that your emissions data is accurate and transparent.

Carbonology can assist you with the training resources needed to do this – so check out their website to learn more.

[07:30] Benefit #4: Pave a way for Carbon Reduction Strategies – We mentioned earlier about the requirement for a PPN 06/21, this requires a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP).

Whether you create one based on a mandatory requirement or not, having a CRP is a no brainer for any business.

It helps you to understand your emissions, which is the first step towards reducing them. ISO 14064-1 verification lays the ground work for developing and implementing an effective CRP.

This can translate into significant cost savings and a competitive edge in the long run.

[08:30] Benefit #5: Embrace Mitigation – The verification goes beyond just cutting emissions. It supports mitigation actions like carbon removal projects, allowing you to demonstrate a holistic approach to tackling climate change year on year.

[08:50] Benefit #6: It’s a global Standard – ISO 14064-1 was created by over 140 representatives from over 50 countries globally to define exactly what greenhouse gas emission verification should look like.

While there are lots of other ways to achieve Net Zero, it makes more sense to choose an established route that will be recognised as best practice globally.

[10:25] Benefit #7: Tracking your progress – Verifying your GHG statements allows you to track progress over time.

This data is invaluable for communicating your achievements both internally and externally to key stakeholders about your drive towards net zero goals. It also helps to showcase your commitment to sustainability.

[11:00] Benefit #8: Participation in sustainability initiatives – Verification opens doors to participating in voluntary GHG registries and sustainability reporting initiatives.

This in turn will help to broaden your visibility as an organisation, amongst the environmentally conscious stakeholders that will be looking for credible sustainable businesses to work with or buy from.

[11:45] ISO 14064 is a no-brainer – It offers a significant strategic advantage and can help to demonstrate transparency with GHG reporting – something very sought after in the midst of a lot of green washing claims.

If you’d like assistance with ISO 14064-1, visit Carbonology’s website and get in contact, they’d be happy to help.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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ISO Standards provide a framework to help businesses manage various aspects of their activities. Whether that’s quality, risk, environmental or Information Security management, they provide invaluable guidance to establish an effective Management System. 

However, for those who are new to ISO Standards, the Standards themselves can seem rather intimidating to interpret.

Back in 2015, the Annex SL format was introduced to provide a common high-level structure for Management Systems. With 10 clauses now common in most widely adopted ISO Standards, it can still be a bit difficult to understand exactly how these all work together.

Today Ian Battersby will explain how ISO Standard clauses work in tandem to create a cohesive cycle, from context of the organisation through to Improvement.   

You’ll learn

·      What is the high-level structure?

·      What are ISO Standards structured this way?

·      How do ISO Standard clauses interconnect?

·      How does this apply to Quality Management?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Ian will be discussing the interconnectedness of clauses, which basically just means explaining the key links between the clauses and how that applies to your management system.    

[02:40] High level structure – 10 years ago, Annex SL was introduced to create a common framework for ISO Standards. Today, Ian will focus on ISO 9001 as that really is the grandfather of all Management System Standards. ISO 9001 includes elements which are applied to most commonly adopted ISO Standards, and sets the scene in terms of how the clauses link together.

[03:20] Why are ISO Standards structured this way? – On their surface, ISO Standards can seem very repetitive in the way that they’re written, but there is a good reason for that.

There are all based around the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

[04:10] What is the Plan Do Check Act cycle? – This is a simple process that all Management System Standards adhere to.

So you start with a ‘Plan’ to establish objectives, the resources which you need to deliver results, you identify risks and opportunities. From that point you fulfil the ‘Do’ part through Implementation and using the Management System.

From there you ‘Check’ so you monitor against the policies, objectives and any other requirements. Basically monitor against what you said you'd do and then you ‘Act’ if you find anything that needs to change, you make that change and you improve as an organisation and you improve that management system.

[05:00] A logical path – Management System Standards are designed in such a way that they flow from one clause to the other. One cannot exist without the other.

[05:20] How does Clause 4 Context of the Organisation link with Clause 6 Planning? – As clause 4 Context of the Organisation states:

 ‘external and internal issues relevant to your purpose and strategic direction…

…and that affect your ability to achieve intended results’

The scope of your management system depends entirely on this.

The world in which you operate - what you buy, the people you employ, what you make, who you sell to, the laws you follow…

Clause 4 also requires us to identify all interested parties (which we’ll address later!).

With careful planning, you can align documentation you develop for one clause with other clauses.

Clause 4 doesn’t tell us how we should work out our context, but it provides some very good clues

·      NOTE 1 Issues can include positive and negative factors

·      NOTE 2 Understand the external context by considering issues arising from legal, technological, competitive, market, cultural, social and economic environments

So they’re not saying how to do it, but they’ve said what you can consider

This sounds a lot like a traditional SWOT/PESTLE analysis…

If we skip to Clause 6, Planning, the first thing we must do when we plan is to identify actions to address risks and opps

A SWOT will mean you’ve covered these elements, consider the following =

·      Weakness = Risk

·      Threat = Risk

·      Opportunity = Opportunity

We can similarly view the PESTLE in the same light.

So you can see that with careful planning, as mentioned you can align documentation for one clause with other clauses.

[10:00] How does Clause 6 link with Clause 7 & 8? – Skipping from Clause 6.1

If you’ve identified what might go wrong (aka - risk), you need to plan to ensure it doesn’t happen again. That may involve a single improvement action, which is linked to clause 10 (funnily enough, Improvement)

It may be that you need something bigger, involving many steps, over a period of time, say an objective (clause 6.2)?

So, the planning of objectives links directly to the context of the organisation, the world in which you operate. It may be that you need an operational control to mitigate risk, a process or procedure that helps to manage the situation as a business as usual situation (clause 7 documented info and clause 8, operation)

So the planning of processes and procedures links directly to the context of the organisation, the world in which you operate. In all these circumstances, it’s the same for opportunities, except you’re putting in place measures to take advantage of the opportunities.

[13:05] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[15:10] Clause 7 Support and related links – Moving through the standard, clause 7.4 relates to Communications.

You need to determine internal and external communications relevant to the QMS (for 9001). In clause 4, you would have looked at interested parties (i.e. stakeholders). You need to determine who affects the way in which you operate and what they need/expect from you. Parties to consider include:

·      Customers

·      Employees

·      Shareholders

·      Suppliers

·      Regulators

·      Neighbours

·      Media

So, by Clause 7 you will have already identified who’s interested and what interests them, so it’s only a small step to add to this the communications plan.  ISO 9001 doesn’t ask for one specifically, but it’s a good way to fulfil the requirements of clause 7.3.

Clause 7 also mentions Monitoring and measuring resources (7.1.5).  This is a very brief clause, but central to establishing the means for demonstrating performance.

We need reliable results when monitoring or measuring is used to verify the conformity of products and services to requirements, i.e. do we do what we say we do?

Clause 7.5 requires us to document how we do things.  Again it’s very brief in its requirements (leaves it up to you to decide), but clause 8 is all about operation – which is the way you do things.

It’s much more specific about understanding what the customer wants, designing it correctly, controlling changes, making it, delivery and addressing issues.

This is what you measure: 7.1.5 requires you to ensure you can measure, 7.5 requires you to document how you do things, 8 requires you to do things according to the way you’ve said you will.

[20:10] Clause 9 Performance Evaluation and related links – Moving onto Clause 9, Performance Evaluation, again risk appears.  We’ve already assessed risk right at the start, now we evaluate whether we’ve successfully controlled risk.

We decide what to audit based on the level of risk attached to certain controls (policies, procedures, processes…). We’ve set objectives based on risks and opportunities and now we must measure performance.

We’ve put in place operational controls to mitigate risk (clause 8) and now we measure whether those controls work.

[21:30] Clause 10 Improvement and related links – This one is fairly self-evident. If something goes wrong, find out why and put it right and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Look at your system and continually improve based on your evaluations in Clause 9.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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After 5 years of hosting the ISO Show, Mel Blackmore will be taking a step back as she focuses on her sustainability related endeavors.

She’s passing the baton onto our new host – Ian Battersby. Ian is a Senior isologist at Blackmores, and while relatively new to the team, he has a wealth of Standard and ISO related knowledge to share with you all.

Today we Introduce Ian Battersby as the new host for the ISO Show and learn about his background in Standards and ISO.    

You’ll learn

·      Taking a step back

·      Introduction to Steph Churchman

·      Introduction to Ian Battersby

·      What Standards has Ian worked with?

·      What Sectors has Ian worked in?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: After 5 years of the ISO Show, Mel Blackmore is handing the hosting baton over to Ian Battersby   

[02:25] Interim host – Ian will be the main host going forward, but there will be additions from Blackmores’ Communication Manager – Steph Churchman.

You may recognise her from recent episode such as:

·      Top 10 Reasons to use ISO 42001 AI Management

·      Top ISO Standard Trends in the Data Centre Industry

Steph will be sharing findings from our own research, standards updates and conducting interviews with our isologists.

[03:35] An Introduction to Ian Battersby – Ian has been working for Blackmores since August 2023. Although he is meant to be part-time, he’s had a very busy first few months here!

Ian began working in British Aerospace, specifically manufacturing, in 1984. He later decided to return to university to study electrical and electronic engineering, which was promptly dropped.

His return to BAE lasted a few years before he moved onto the civil service for the Department of Health, working with them to conduct safety investigations and helped to create a broader risk profile.

When he moved to work with the NHS, firstly, with the litigation authority setting up governance and risk standards and then as a risk manager.

Surprisingly, after moving up a few levels, he decided to move onto run a restaurant! A Curry House to be specific, but after a year of rather stressful work that ended up costing a lot more than expected, he returned to work within the construction industry which is where he became more involved with ISO Standards.

From there he went onto work in manufacturing of high pressure pumps for a while before moving onto an organisation who rant he estate for the Department of Work and Pensions.

In the end, Ian left them due to being unable to live the life he wanted to live.

[05:15] What Standards has Ian worked with? – He started with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (now ISO 45001).

[06:00] Digital Nomad – Ian currently splits his time between Leeds in the UK and Malaga in Spain.

Having a lot of experience working remotely in previous industries, this leap didn’t impede on his work in any way.

[07:15] What other Standards has Ian worked with? – He has assisted with ISO 44001 (Collaborative Business Management), but admittedly it was not his favorite ISO Standard to work with. It’s one of the rare instances in ISO where the Standard doesn’t quite align with others.

[08:00] What Sectors has Ian worked in – Ian’s extensive work history has afforded him the opportunity to work in a number of sectors, including:

·      Construction and Fit out

·      Manufacturing

·      Estate Management

·      Private enterprise

·      Healthcare / NHS

·      Facilities

With this list growing at a rapid pace since his introduction at Blackmores!

[09:45] What’s a big challenge that Ian’s had to overcome in the past? – In terms of ISO, it has to be Leadership. Ian’s found that to always be an issue within businesses attempting to implement ISO Standards.

A good looking Management System will only go so far without leadership commitment.

While working in facilitating Standards for an organisation, you won’t be implementing the whole system yourself. It’s more a case of delivering through others, the organisation controls and delivers their own processes and improvements, and so it’s imperative that Leadership are also embedding and encouraging these actions.

Ian will be going more in-depth on this topic in a future episode.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

Can you believe we’ve been publishing the ISO Show for 5 years now! We certainly can’t!

The ISO Show began back in 2019, following a trip to Cumbria by the host Mel Blackmore. She was, and still is, an avid fan of podcasts and while listening to a few of her favourites on the 4 hour trip, she got to wondering if there were any podcasts about ISO Standards.

As it happened, there wasn’t at the time, and so the idea for the ISO Show was born. Not more than a few months later the first episode went live, and the rest is history.

For the past 5 years, we’ve had the honour of sharing our team’s combined 18 years of knowledge, including amazing insights from our clients and industry experts along the way.

Today Mel Blackmore will reflect on the ISO Show so far and share it’s next evolution as we introduce a new host.  

You’ll learn

·      Why was the ISO Show created?

·      Why is Mel taking a step back?

·      What will be the focus for the future?

·      An introduction to the new host(s)

Resources

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: After 5 years of the ISO Show, it’s hitting a turning point as we introduce a new host.  

[02:25] An amazing journey – It’s been an amazing 5 years of digging deep into some of the most pressing issues we’ve faced, sharing tips and dispelling myths about ISO Standards.

We’ve explored a lot of topics over the years, including:

·      Sharing our ISO 22301 (Business Continuity) knowledge when COVID hit, to help people with future and current response plans.

·      Transitioning to new versions of Standards, such as ISO 27001:2022

·      Interviewing leaders within the ISO space, such as Kit Oung, who helped to develop the UK’s current energy and climate change regulations.

[04:05] Mel’s sustainability journey – why she’s taking a step back as host – Mel’s made it no secret that her passion lies with Sustainability Standards. This podcast has helped to amplify their importance within our space, but she wants to take this a step further.

Going forward, Mel will be dedicating herself full-time to researching the crucial role of carbon standards in achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050.

[05:00] An evolution for the ISO Show – All this to say, the ISO Show isn’t going anywhere, rather we are introducing a new main host – Ian Battersby!

[05:05] Who is Ian Battersby? – Ian is a senior Isologist here at Blackmores. Ian brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and a passion for helping businesses raise their game with ISO standards.

He’s a bit of a digital nomad, splitting his time between working from Span and England, he works part-time at Blackmores.

So he is very much involved in the day-to-day understanding of challenges of ISO Management, This includes the frustrations that businesses face and also how ISO standards support the achievement of greater productivity and profitability.

Ian will be introducing himself fully on the next episode 😊

[06:25] Thank you for making the ISO Show such a success! – We’ve now got a few thousand subscribers, with a global reach, we honestly never expected to have so many listeners when we started.

So whether you’re a regular or occasional listener, thank you for being here with us, we truly hope that our knowledge has helped you on your own journey to continual improvement within your own organisation.

[07:25] A long journey – A lot has happened over the past 5 years. In addition to being the CEO of Blackmores, Mel has also developed the isologyhub – an on-line learning platform which helps to raise awareness and understanding of ISO Standards.

She has also founded Carbonology – a sister company that specialises in carbon related Standards, which will be where focuses her main efforts over the next few years.

[07:44] Stepping back – but not gone – While you will be hearing less from Mel, she won’t be completely absent. She will be joining us at least once a month to explore how ISO Standards are shaping the landscape of Net Zero.

She will be sharing her journey to achieve net zero based on academic research, including primary and secondary research on how the various carbon related standards support the Sustainable Development goals and achieving net zero.

This will primarily be diving into Standards such as ISO 14064 (Carbon Verification) and ISO 14068 (Net Zero), in relation to how they support the Sustainable Development Goals, help to create a level playing field, providing transparency, reliability, accountability and without a doubt, credibility.

[09:20] Why the focus on sustainability? – Mel will be studying a masters by researching the role of Carbon Standards Verification in contributing to achieving Net Zero.

This focus hasn’t appeared out of the blue. Mel founded Carbonology with the goal of tacking Net Zero, one business at a time. They’ve already had great success over the past few years’ but there’s still so much more to do when it comes to understanding Greenhouse Gas emission verification, carbon removals, reductions and offsetting.

[10:10] Another big thank you – The ISO Show has been running for the past years with the assistance of Blackmores Communication Manager – Steph Churchman.

Starting from humble beginnings of recording using a mic housed in a shoebox, to being stuffed in a cupboard to combat our offices’ terrible acoustics. We’ve thankfully since upgraded our set-up to something much more comfortable.

Along the way we’ve experienced our fair share of technical issues, as you can’t really go 5 years of recording without something going wrong. However, there wasn’t much we couldn’t work around in some way or another.

As Steph has helped in researching topics we’ve discussed over the years, she will also be joining Ian on hosting the ISO Show in future episodes.  

[12:45] On to the next chapter – It’s not goodbye from Mel, but rather see you later. We’ll be bringing you all along on this next chapter of the ISO Show, so make sure you subscribe to stay up-to-date with our latest episodes.  

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Data Centres could be considered the powerhouse of thousands of businesses globally. 

Long gone are the days of small physical servers being housed on-site, instead we rely on data centres to keep all our critical data safe and secure. But how do we know they are doing just that?

Many hold certifications to security-based Standards such as SOC 2 or NIST to display their commitment to data security. However, many also hold various ISO certifications that cover other aspects of the business outside of information security.

Today Steph Churchman, Communications Manager at Blackmores, will be sharing the top ISO Standard trends within the UK Data Centre industry.

You’ll learn

·      Why did we look into the Data Centre industry specifically?

·      What are the top 5 ISO Standard Trends in Data Centres?

·      Why are these ISO Standards essential for Data Centres?

·      Other commonly adopted ISO Standards within the data centre space

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·      ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:25] Episode summary: We’ll be taking a look at the top ISO Standard Trends within the UK Data Centre Industry

[02:30] Why did we look into the Data Centre industry specifically? – In the mid 2010’s, we noticed an influx in enquiries from Data Centres in regard to Implementation of ISO Standards. That prompted a research project that led to Blackmores working with some of the top UK Data Centres.

Now in 2023 and 2024 we’re starting to see a similar push for ISO Standards within the same industry. So, we revived the project to get a grasp on the modern ISO landscape, and took a look at the top 100 Data Centres within the UK.

[03:34] #1: ISO 27001 Information Security – Out of the 100 data centres sampled 72% of them were certified to ISO 27001.

Security is of upmost importance to data centres, and the great thing about ISO 27001 is that it considers security for not only the digital environment, but also for people and physical security.

This Standard is also, in most cases, a stakeholder requirement. Certification to ISO 27001 indicates that you’re adhering to best practice in information security, and through the creation of an ISO 27001 compliant Management system, you will have documentation in place such as an information security policy and data retention policy, that often get requested by potential clients.

If you’d like to learn more about the Implementation process for ISO 27001, we’ve got a helpful 3-part podcast series that summarises the entire process from Gap Analysis to Assessment preparation.

anyone currently certified to ISO 27001:2013 that you have just over 1 more year to complete your transition to ISO 27001:2022. If you don’t do so by October 31st 2025, you’ll risk losing your ISO 27001 certification.

That’s not the only reason you should be transitioning though. The new version of the Standard includes 11 new controls, which cover some newer technologies which really weren’t around when the 2013 version was published. So regardless of the risk of losing your certification, it’s in your best interest to ensure that you’re adhering to the latest version.

If this is all news to you, then you can also go back and check out episodes 128 through to 133. This was a little mini-series we did to summarise the key changes to ISO 27001 and what actions you need to take to transition. We also have a Transition Gameplan available on the isologyhub if you’d like a more guided approach, including document templates and training videos covering those new controls.

[06:25] #2: ISO 9001 Quality Management – The Quality Management Standard is as popular as ever, even within the data centre space, with 51% of the 100 sampled data centres being certified.

ISO 9001 is considered the leading ‘Quality mark’ for businesses and is often the starting point for many diving into the world of ISO implementation. ISO 9001 creates a well-rounded base Management system to help you manage your risks and opportunities, as well as ensuring you drive a culture of continual Improvement. Its guidance can help you establish your core policies, processes and procedures to ensure everyone is singing from the same song sheet.

The fact that this one is popular among data centres isn’t too much of a surprise, it’s a universally adopted Standard that isn’t limited by industry or organisational size. Currently, there are over 1 million ISO 9001 certificates issued worldwide, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down.

[08:25] #3 ISO 14001 Environmental Management  – A surprising 25% of the sampled data centres were certified to ISO 14001.

From an objective point of view, it makes sense for data centres to consider their environmental footprint. But a lot of that would fall under energy usage rather than just general environmental management, so this likely means it’s mainly driven by stakeholder requirements.

ISO 14001 is being requested more and more for the likes of large Government contracts, so If you want a chance at bidding for these, ISO 14001 is a must.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure a lot of data centres have implemented this Standard in an earnest effort to monitor and measure their impact holistically. After all ISO 14001 asks businesses to consider how they can prevent environmental impacts such as pollution and degradation of nature. And the additional guidance provides some helpful starting points for those that may not be sure where to start, for example making commitments to recycling, protection of biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

For data centres specifically, this may come into effect when we think of the amount of electronic waste that they could potentially produce. Obviously, this can’t just be thrown out in a standard green lidded bin, it’ll need to be taken to a dedicated electronic waste facility for processing, disposal and recycling. Racking, shelving and cables will all also need to be replaced at some point, and it’s up to each data centre to ensure they have the appropriate processes and policies to ensure this is done correctly and more importantly legally, which again, is where ISO 14001 can help put those frameworks in place.

[10:30] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[12:45] #4: ISO 50001 Energy Management – With just 13% of the 100 sampled data centres certified! This one is a shocker because, typically, data centres highest cost is in relation to their energy usage. They require enormous amounts of energy to keep their facilities running and to cool down their equipment 24/7. Which I imagine they’d be quite keen to reduce if only to save on running costs.

This is where ISO 50001 can come in, to help create a structured approach to effectively monitor that energy usage, so you can identify key trends and opportunities to reduce overall energy consumption, which in turn will save a lot of money.

With a healthier proportion being certified to ISO 14001, it seems a shame that so many are missing out on the additional benefits that ISO 50001 can bring, especially when it can very easily be integrated with ISO 14001. In fact, if you’re already certified to ISO 14001, then you’ve already done half the work to implement ISO 50001. Both frameworks are based on that Annex SL format, and both have a lot in common in terms of what documentation is required.

It can also help with compliance with some UK and EU based energy initiatives. For example, here in the UK we have ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme) which applies to large organisations that fit within its criteria. They’re usually required to provide a report once every 4 years, however as of 2023, Phase 3 now requires organisations to provide an Energy Action Plan which details what actions they plan to take to reduce their energy consumption.

There are likely a few data centres that would fall into ESOS’s criteria, and if you’re sick of going through the ESOS song and dance every few years, then ISO 50001 may be the answer for you, as being certified means that you’re going above and beyond ESOS’s requirements and will be considered compliant. Meaning no more pesky reporting, or having to locate an ESOS assessor to sign off on those reports.

[15:10] #5 ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management – With 12% of the 100 sampled data centres being certified.

ISO 22301 is the Standard for Business Continuity, and provides a basis for planning to ensure your long-term survivability following a disruptive event.

That 12% may not be truly reflective of all the data centres that have business continuity plans in place however, as according to a recent Business Continuity institute survey, 56% of surveyed businesses use ISO 22301 as a framework but aren’t certified to it.

There will be a fair few data centres in our sample list that fall under that category.

Why should this Standard be a priority for Data Centres? Well, the answer should be simple, if a disaster were to knock out a data centre, that has a massive knock-on effect. Many house servers used by hundreds if not thousands of businesses and users. If they’re unable to provide services, that will in-turn cause multiple other businesses to grind to a halt.

The true cause of failures at data centres can be many things such as hardware failure, human error or a disaster such as flooding or fires. However, the advantage of utilising ISO 22301 is the ability to be able to effectively deal with these incidents and restore services, which is essential for an industry which is quite literally the powerhouse for millions of other business and people.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Having a robust business continuity plan should be a top priority for any business, especially data centres, seeing as so many rely on them to keep their own services running. Even if you don’t want to go through the full certification process, it’s worth grabbing a copy of the Standard, as it provides a lot of helpful guidance.

If you’d like to learn more about ISO 22301 in general, go back and check out episode 42 where we go over the Standard in more detail and it’s many benefits.

[17:45] Runner up: ISO 20000 Service Management – Saw 11% of our sample data centres certified to this Standard.

This actually used to be known specifically as the IT Service Management Standard, so that probably clues you into why this would be adopted by many with in tech spaces. However, it truly is applicable to any business offering services.

The aim of ISO 20000 is to provide a framework for an effective end-to-end service management system which encompasses the entire lifecycle of a service from concept and design, through to service removal and end-of-life.

[18:55] Runner up: ISO 27017 information security controls for cloud services – With just 5% of our sampled Data Centres certified.

This one is fairly self explanatory in it’s relation to data centres, which operate solely on cloud based services.

This Standard was introduced after the 2013 version of ISO 27001 was published, as the main standard didn’t really address cloud security controls specifically. Mostly because cloud computing and its related security weren’t as widely adopted as they are now. So ISO 27017 was created to try and bridge those gaps.

In the latest 2022 version of ISO 27001, there’s now a new control for cloud security. So, we may see less interest in ISO 27017 certification going forward.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Working towards a sustainable future is going to require a joint effort from everyone if we’re to reach our 2030 and 2050 targets. 

Several initiatives have come out in recent years to try and address one of our biggest challenges, energy consumption. Many of us in the UK will be familiar with ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme), which involves regular reporting from those that fit its criteria. It’s also recently updated to include a stipulation to include an ESOS Energy Plan, which requires you to detail a route to reduce your energy consumption.

However, many businesses would prefer a more consistent approach to energy management, such as today’s guest – Daisy Corporate Services.

Today Mel is joined by Damian Edwards, ISO Standards Manager at Daisy Corporate Services, to discuss why they Implemented ISO 50001, what they’ve learned from the experience and the benefits gained from implementing an Energy Management System

You’ll learn

·      Who is Damian and who are Daisy Corporate Services?

·      Why did they decide to Implement ISO 50001?

·      What was the biggest gap identified during their Gap Analysis?

·      What lessons did they learn from Implementing ISO 50001?

·      What benefits did they gain from ISO 50001 certification?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·     Daisy Corporate Services

·     Daisy Corporate Services ESG

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:30] Episode summary: Mel is joined by guest Damian Edwards, ISO Standards Manager at Daisy Corporate Services, to discuss their journey towards ISO 50001 certification.

Daisy are not strangers to ISO Standards, already having achieved: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, ISO 20000 and ISO 22301!

They have also recently won the Sustainability and Tech Awards 2024 and the Green Shoots Awards too.

[04:15] Who is Damian Edwards? – Damian has worked at Daisy as their ISO Standards Manager for the past year. A little known fact about Damian: He listens to classical music as a way to focus.

[05:25] Who are Daisy Corporate Services? – The are primarily a provider of IT and Communications. They currently supply a range of services including:

·      Unified Communications

·      Connectivity

·      Modern Workplace

·      Cyber Security

·      Cloud services

·      Managed Services

·      Operational Resilience

[06:25] What were the main drivers behind obtaining ISO 50001 Certification? – In addition to the office spaces Daisy controls, they also have a number of data centres, which use massive amounts of energy. Finding ways to monitor, measure and potentially reduce that energy use, and subsequently cost, was essential. 

The second main driver is mainly for commercial reasons. Without Standards like ISO 50001, you can’t bid for larger contracts or Government frameworks.

[08:30] Daisy’s commitment to ESG  – Daisy have a made a solid commitment to ESG, explained further on their website as they break it down into 10 key focus areas. Energy Management is one of the logical steps to tackle reducing carbon emissions.

Data centres can be very inefficient, so being able to consistently monitor, measure and improve their energy consumption is a key part of tackling some of their ESG related goals.

Also being certified means you have the certificate to back up your claims. It’s not you just making a statement, it has to be verified by a third-party.

[10:30] How long did it take to Implement ISO 50001? – It took between 8 – 11 months. For a Standard like ISO 50001, it’s important to do it properly. Some organisations may request it in 6 months, but for larger organisations, that would be a tough ask, and you run the risk of rushing into certification without having those processes embedded in.

[11:45] Did having existing ISO Standards make the process smoother? – Yes, as it was a case of integrating ISO 50001 with our existing systems rather than starting from scratch. Though, having so many ISO’s can water the message down a bit, to combat that we’ve got a single statement that gets across everything you need to know about Daisy.

[12:55] What was the biggest gap identified during the Gap Analysis? – Because we already have so many ISO’s, we can be a bit big headed and say there weren’t many gaps at all, however, there were still some things we could do. One of the biggest areas for improvement was Clause 7, Documentation, as all ISO Standards have their own required documentation.

Another was putting in place a plan for monitoring and measuring our energy usage. We have a Property Director who did do that, but he wasn’t really documenting it, so we’ve put in place some proper processes to help show that we’re actively monitoring it, looking at the trends and putting in actions to reduce and improve on that.  

[14:55] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[17:10] Did closing those gaps make a big difference? – We did have a lot of help from Blackmores in order to address those gaps. Out consultant advised us to combine elements of out Management Review with out monthly Team Meetings, as our Director is involved with those, and we avoid another meeting for meeting’s sake.

We now also produce a pack of all the monitoring and measuring that’s done throughout the month, which makes it easy for us to analyse and identify trends in energy use. Any actions from reviewing this are then recorded and followed up on. So, in essence it’s just made everything a lot smoother.

[19:55] What did Daisy learn from Implementing ISO 50001? – It takes a team to achieve this – you can’t do it on your own. You also can’t rush it!

Another key take away is that the whole project needs to be driven by top management, without all of those elements combined, it’s probably not going to work (or be a lot slower and more painful!)

It’s also really helped with our commitment and messaging around ESG too. So within those monthly Management Review meetings we have a representative from the energy efficiency team, the ESG team and our bids team. They’re then all communicating what the customer message is, that they expect of us, in turn they’re kept in the loop about our energy usage and related actions and can communicate that outwards.

[21:15] What other benefits are there from achieving ISO 50001? – Having our management system verified by a third-party means that we can confidently say we’re adhering to best practice. It also just validates that we are doing things correctly!

It also means that we can monitor opportunities for improvement. If we identify more gaps in future, we have the processes in place to address them.

ISO 50001 has also helped to put some context behind the energy data we’re collecting. Thanks to the new processes we can accurately identify key trends and explain why energy usage may be going up and down.

[23:25] Damian’s top tip – Ensure that your project is driven by top management. They’re involvement means it’s a lot easier to communicate that message that you’re doing the right thing.

Also, ISO 50001 helps with your regulatory compliance too. If you’re a larger organisation, then you likely have to adhere to schemes like SECR or ESOS. If you’re certified to ISO 50001, then you’re already complying with both.

[24:35] Damian’s book recommendation – Beryl in search of Britain's greatest athlete.

[26:45] Damian’s favorite quotes – “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard” and “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”

If you’d like to learn more about Daisy Corporate Services, visit their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

In February 2024, the ISO and IAF issued an unprecedented change to 31 commonly adopted ISO Standards, such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001. 

This change saw the addition of a new ‘Climate Change Amendment’, which was applied in part due to the ISO’s resolution in support of the ISO London Declaration on Climate Change.

So what does this mean for ISO certified businesses? 

Join Mel as she discusses what this new ISO Climate Change Amendment is, why it was introduced, what are the consequences if you don’t address it and the benefits of its introduction.

You’ll learn

·      What is the ISO Climate Change Amendment?

·      Why was it introduced?

·      What are the consequences if you do not address the change?

·      What are the benefits of the Climate Change Amendment?

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·      ISO Climate Change Amendment Workshop

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:30] Episode summary: We break down the new ISO Climate Change Amendment, including why it was introduced and why you should address it ahead of your next Certification Body visit.

[02:55] Join our Workshop– If you’re not sure where to start with addressing this amendment, join our interactive workshop taking place on the 20th May (14:00 – 16:00 GMT). There we will explain how you can integrate the new changes into your existing ISO Management System. Register your place here.  

[04:30] What is the new ISO Climate Change Amendment? – A key clarification before we go into more detail, this is not a new version of a Standard i.e. ISO 27001:2022, where you must transition to a new version.

So, what is it? In February 2024, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced a groundbreaking amendment to integrate climate change considerations into various management system standards.

The amendment doesn't assign specific actions. Instead, it adds text to existing clauses in 31 standards (including ISO 9001, 14001, 27001) requiring organizations to consider:

·      Relevance of climate change: Organizations must assess if climate change is a relevant issue for their operations and context (Clause 4.1).

·      Stakeholder expectations: Note added: Relevant Interested Parties can have requirements related to climate change (Clause 4.2).

As we’ve learned from our sister company, Carbonology, it is often Stakeholders driving forward that need to verify a business’s carbon footprint and take steps towards Net Zero.

[09:30] Why was this change Introduced? – This change was in part due to ISO’s resolution in support of the ISO London Declaration on Climate Change. The aim is making climate change considerations an integral part of management systems, their guiding policies and practises – not simply as an afterthought.

As we all know, climate change will affect everyone, and should be a concern that every business fully considers to ensure they are resilient and adaptable enough to deal with climate related risks.

This amendment means businesss will need to address these risks where relevant, and integrate them into strategic objectives and look what can be done from a risk mitigation perspective.

The global business community will be one of the driving forces for paving a way to a more sustainable future – It all starts with changing the way we work, making the shift towards embedding environmental consciousness into the very heart of your business.

ISO Standards are widely adopted, and this change offers a catalyst for meaningful climate action on a global scale.

[11:00] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[13:20] What are the consequences for not addressing this change? - Certification bodies will be asking you about these amendments effective immediately. If you’ve not addressed them ahead of your next certification body visit, you could run the risk of getting a non-conformity. The amendment added to Clause 4.1 especially states ‘Must’ – so there’s no getting away with simply ignoring it.

[14:50] What are the benefits of this change? – Some of the benefits will likely already be felt by those with existing environmental standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 in place. So, let’s take a look at how you can benefit from addressing this amendment: 

·      Reduced Environmental Footprint: By integrating climate change considerations, businesses can identify and implement practices that lower their carbon emissions and resource consumption.

·      Enhanced Sustainability: Addressing climate change demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, which is increasingly important for attracting environmentally conscious customers and investors.

·      Cost Savings: Climate-conscious practices can lead to cost savings through improved resource efficiency, reduced waste, and potentially lower energy bills.

·      Resilience and Risk Management: By considering climate-related risks (e.g., extreme weather events, resource scarcity), businesses can proactively develop strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure operational continuity.

·      Innovation: Focusing on climate change can lead to innovation in areas like cleaner technologies or sustainable product development, giving businesses a competitive edge.

·      Positive Brand Image: Demonstrating proactive action on climate change can enhance a company's brand image and reputation among environmentally conscious stakeholders. This is a particularly important issue to younger generations who are becoming the dominant buying power from a commercial perspective.

·      Stronger Stakeholder Relationships: By considering stakeholder expectations around climate change, businesses can build stronger relationships with customers, investors, and regulators.

·      Holistic Approach to sustainability: Integrating climate change considerations strengthens a businesses’ overall management system by fostering a more comprehensive and future-proof approach.

·      Continual Improvement: The amendment emphasizes continual improvement, encouraging businesses to constantly seek ways to reduce their environmental impact, leading to long-term sustainability benefits.

If you’d like to learn about what actions you can take to integrate the ISO Climate Change Amendment into your ISO Management System, join our live event on the 20th May – register here.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

ISO 42001 was published in December of 2023, and is the first International Standard for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems.

It was introduced following growing calls for a common framework for organisations who develop or use AI, to help implement, maintain and improve AI management practices.

However, its benefits extends past simply establishing an effective AI Management System.

Join Steph Churchman, Communications Manager at Blackmores, on this episode as she discusses the top 10 reasons to adopt ISO 42001.

You’ll learn

·      What is ISO 42001?

·      What are the top 10 reasons to use ISO 42001?

·      What risks can ISO 42001 help to mitigate?

·      How can ISO 42001 benefit both users and developers of AI? 

Resources

·      Isologyhub

·      ISO 42001 training waitlist

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:30] What is ISO 42001?: Go back and listen to episode 166, where we discuss what ISO 42001 is, why it was introduced and how it can help businesses mitigate AI risks.  

[02:45] Episode summary: We take a look at the top 10 reasons why you should consider implementing ISO 42001.

[02:55] #1: ISO 42001 helps to demonstrate responsible use of AI.  – , ISO 42001 helps ensure fairness, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights in AI development and use.

Remember, AI can still be bias based on the fact that AI models are typically trained on existing data, so any existing bias will carry over into those AI models – an example of this is the existing lack of representation for minority groups.

We also need to take care in the use of AI over people, as staff being replaced by AI is a very real concern and should not be treated lightly. We’ve already seen a few cases where this has happened, especially across the tech support field where some companies mistakenly think that a chatbot can replace all human staff.

We also need to consider the ethics of AI content. It’s predicted that 90% of online content will be AI generated by 2026!

A lot of this generated content includes things like images, which poses a real concern over the values we’re translating to people. The content we consume shapes the way we think and if all we have is artificial, then what message is that conveying?

An example of this is Dove’s recent advert, which showed an example of AI generating images of very unobtainable ideals of a beautiful face. Which were predictably absolutely flawless, almost inhuman and something that can only be achieved through photo editing. If the internet was flooded with this sort of imagery, then that starts to become the expectation to live up to, which can be tremendously damaging to people’s self-esteem. They then went on to show actual unedited people, in all their varied and wonderful glory and stated that they will never use AI imagery in any of their future marketing or promotional material.

Which sends a very strong message – AI definitely has its place, but we need to fully consider the implications and consequences of it’s use and possible oversaturation.

[05:20] #2: Traceability, transparency and reliability - Information sourced via AI is not always correct – It collates information published online, and as many of us are aware, not everything on the internet is correct or accurate.

Data sets carelessly scrapped from online sources may also contain sensitive or unsavoury content. We’ve had cases where people have managed to ‘break’ Chat GPT, causing it to spew out nonsense answers which also contained sensitive information such as health data and personal phone numbers. While not usually accessible when requested, it does not stop the risk of this data being dug up through exploits. AI is like any other technology, and is not infallible.

So, it’s up to developers to ensure that the data used to train models is safe and appropriate for use. It should be expected that data sets will be scrutinised from a legal standpoint – either as a result misuse of AI or a mandatory exercise as a part of future legislation. 

There’s also research that suggests data sets can be potentially poisoned to produce inaccurate results – which is another consideration for developers using live data sets, who will need to stay on top of these risks to ensure the integrity of their tools.

ISO 42001 provides specific guidance that covers how developers can ensure transparency and explainability within sample training data.

[06:45] #3: It’s a framework for managing risks and opportunities – AI, like any other new technology, is going to create new risks and opportunities.

Risks include the likes of inaccurate data being used, existing bias in data training sets, plagiarism, information security risks and data poisoning.

If you’re simply using AI to gather information, it’s also a good exercise to ensure that the information is coming from a reputable source. One easy way to so this is to simply ask for the source to be cited when pluging in a prompt into tools like Chat GPT and Gemini. You can then verify how legitimate that source is.

For web developers and SEO specialists, Google has recently updated it’s algorithm to punish those with a lot of AI generated content on their websites. So those within the SEO space may see some interesting trends over the course of 2024. 

Another unfortunate risk is that of more complex scams being implemented through the use of AI. An example of this involves those who may use an AI assistant in their systems, which can be affected by malicious emails that contain prompt injections which could be used to send data from a victims machine to outside sources.

This is only touching on a few risks, but as you can see, there’s a lot to consider and I’ve no doubt that more complex risks will make themselves known as the technology evolves.

However, there are a lot of opportunities to be found with AI use.

There’s a huge potential for AI to be utilised to tackle mundane and routine tasks which could be automated.

AI also has the capability to scan masses of data and provide suggestions based on it’s findings. Obviously, humans can’t possibly compete with the sheer volume of data that AI can process, and so we can utilise it to help us make better more informed decisions.

A lot of commonly used software has already integrated various AI tools which offer great quality of life updates and help make a lot of tasks quicker. Which in turn means our time is better spent elsewhere on tackling the more complex issues that require a more human touch.

ISO 42001 can help you balance out these risks and opportunities by helping you build a robust management system to manage and mitigate risks, and drive forward opportunities through continual improvement.

[10:35] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[12:50] #4: Demonstrate that introducing AI is a strategic decision with clear objectives - Businesses looking to integrate AI should not make this decision lightly.

I know it’s tempting to play with the newest toy, but we should take care to look at any possible risks, and that it aligns with both your company objectives and ethics before rushing to utilise something.

For example, allowing your staff to use ChatGPT for content creation. You need to consider a few things:

You need to make sure Staff aren’t putting in any confidential or sensitive information into publicly available AI tools.

Also, ensuring that Staff understand that content provided by the likes of ChatGPT and Gemini could be plagiarised if used as is. You need to build, adapt and change the content so it’s something unique.

It’s all well and good introducing AI technology if it truly is going to be beneficial to your employees and to the business as a whole, however if you’re just introducing it because everyone else seems to be, then you really have to question if it’s worth it. If it’s not actively making your work lives easier and helping you to achieve your objectives, then is it really worth the potential cost and effort to implement?

It may also be worth looking into how the AI tool you’re using was created. There is sadly still a lot of exploitation involved in the development of new technology, so it’s up to you to ensure that the tools you’re using were created in an ethical way.

Ultimately, ensure that you are using AI safely, ethically and that it aligns with your businesses established objectives. This will need to be communicated clearly to everyone in the business.

ISO 42001 is, at its heart, a Management system standard. Like many other ISO Standards, it includes guidance on setting objectives and communicating these to your wider business.

[15:24] #5: ISO 42001 helps to implement safeguards – Certain features of AI may require safeguards to help protect businesses against the extra risks they pose, such as the increased potential of more sophisticated cyber attacks or compromised training data.

This can be applied within a particular process or an entire system.

Examples of features that may require these safeguards include:

·      Automatic decision making

·      Data analysis, insight and machine learning

·      Continuous learning

Something you need to consider: Cyber scams are going to become a lot more complex with the help of AI, so you need to ensure you’re staff are both aware of this and how they can avoid falling prey to them. Safeguards may simply involve more training on these new risks, or updating to a more robust security software that is able to detect possible AI cyber scams.

Developers are also going to need to keep on top of any data being fed into their tools. Public live data tools especially will be more susceptible to being poisoned and tampered with, so it’s up to them to monitor and ensure the integrity of their data.

ISO 42001 provides guidance in it’s annexes for users and developers to implement these necessary safeguards.

[16:30] #6: ISO 42001 Supports compliance with legal and regulatory Standards – More AI focused legislation is an inevitability, with the new EU AI Act being a perfect example.

It’s important to ensure that you are prepared to comply with legislation as it’s released, or you may be held liable and be subject to fines.

Currently, the UK has no plans to introduce a new regulator for AI, instead relying on existing technology based regulators like the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), Ofcom and FCA.

ISO 42001 includes specific considerations for any potential applicable legislation.

[17:06] #7: ISO 42001 Can enhance your reputation  – ISO Standards are internationally recognised and ensure you are complying with best practice.

Gaining certification to ISO 42001 will show you are confident in your AI related claims, and are happy to have this verified by a third party.

[17:30] #8: ISO 42001 Encourages innovation within your business – For as much as we’ve stressed the potential risks AI could expose your business to, ultimately AI is here to help make our lives easier. We just need to ensure we’re responsible when applying it.

ISO 42001 ensures you can safety integrate AI tools and systems within your business. It’s there to help guide the adoption of this new technology, and drive continual improvement as your management system matures. 

[17:55] #9: ISO 42001 Can be easily integrated with existing systems – ISO 42001, like many ISO Standards, is based on the Annex SL format and can be easily integrated with existing ISO Management Systems such as an ISO 9001 (Quality management) or ISO 27001 (Information Security management) system.

Risks addressed in ISO 42001 include security, privacy and quality among others, and can help to enhance the effectiveness of your Management system in those areas.

[18:25] #10: ISO 42001 Does not require an existing Management System to implement – While ISO 42001 would make a great addition to any ISO Management System, it’s important to note that this can be implemented independently.

It is also not intended to replace or supersede any existing quality, safety or privacy Standards / existing management systems.

We’ll be releasing a suite of ISO 42001 related training content on the isologyhub, if you’d like to get notified as soon as this becomes available, please register your interest on our waitlist.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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Nearly 60% of businesses that are impacted by a cyber incident go out of business within the 6 months following.

With our heavy reliance on technology to keep both businesses and services running, it’s imperative that everyone take cyber risk seriously.

However, incidents will inevitably happen and it’s up to you to ensure that your business is prepared to ride out the wave, and hopefully make a full recovery!

We invited Jack Morris, Account Director at Epiq, back onto the show to discuss the consequences of not being prepared for a cyber incident and the key steps businesses should take in the event of an incident.

You’ll learn

·      Who are Epiq?

·      What does the current cyber incident landscape look like? 

·      What are the consequences if a business does not respond to a cyber incident effectively?

·      How can a business detect if they’re being attacked?

·      How should businesses respond in the event of a cyber incident?

·      What role does a legal team play in incident response?

Resources

·      Epiq

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Jack Morris, Account Director at Epiq, to discuss how businesses should respond to a cyber incident.

[03:00] Who are Epiq?  – Epic is a global leader in technology enabled legal services. In fact, it supports 90% of the top law firms globally! With over 8000 employees spread over 19 countries, it helps to support corporations, law firms and government agencies across the globe.

[04:35] What constitutes a cyber incident and why is it so important to respond effectively? – A cyber incident refers to unathorised access or attempted access to an organisation’s IT systems. Types of incident include breaches, malicious attacks (e.g. Ransomware), and accidental events (e.g. Fire Damage). Responding effectively is crucial to minimize damage and protect sensitive data.

[05:40] What does the cyber incident landscape currently look like, and what challenges will organisations face in responding to an incident? : The cyber incident landscape is ever evolving, but here are some key trends we saw in 2023:

Attacks on the rise – the number of organisations posted on ransomware and data theft sites increased by over 70% year-on-year.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) incidents surged by 67% in 2023 – these events are where people within an organisation fall victim to phishing or similar – clicking on malicious links which ultimately compromise your mailbox.

For me, there are 3 main challenges that organisations face when responding to a cyber incident:

·      Day-to-day management – balancing the technical aspects of the incident with broader business continuity, communications, financial and legal considerations. This can be hugely difficult for an organisation, during and already high stakes situation.

·      Expertise and support – navigating the complex legal, technical and operational aspects of an incident

·      Data-focused impact – understanding and assessing the risk to data after resolving an incident.

[10:00] What are the solutions to these challenges?  – Understanding the various external expertise and support available to a business, whether that be engaging with a law firm, a cyber incident response expert and cyber insurer will give you access to support with both the day-to-day management of an incident, as well as the legal, operational and commercial impact of said incident.

 [12:10] What are the consequences for an organsiation that does not respond effectively to a cyber incident? – : Failing to respond effectively to a cyber incident often leads to a variety of sever complications for a business, such as;

·      Operational Issues: operational disruptions will occur due to prolonged exposure of sensitive information, and if Ransomware has infected systems, the organization will not have access to potentially crucial business information. Financial losses and higher costs to incident response can come as a result of poor planning.

·      Additional Data Breaches: if an organization doesn’t respond effectively to a cyber incident, taking steps to gain control over their systems, additional data breaches can occur from threat actors gaining further access to the organisation’s systems.

·      Financial losses: cyber incidents affect a business’ bottom line. Costs including incident investigations, recovery, legal fees and potential fines. Further, knock on effects such as lost business opportunities and damaged investor confidence come from poorly managed cyber incidents.

·      Damage to Reputation and Trust: Public perception matters for a business. A poorly handled cyber incident damages an organization’s reputation. Customers, partners and stakeholders lost trust, affecting long-term relationships and market position.

·      Legal Consequences: Regulatory fines and potential follow on litigation arise from non-compliance with data protection laws. Organisations failing to report breaches promptly face penalties. Legal battles can be costly and time consuming.

[16:25] How can organisations detect if they are being attacked? – signs will vary depending on the type of cyber incident, but organisations and end users could expect to experience; slow systems, locked accounts (no access to mailboxes etc), inability to access documents or shared drives, ransom demands and unusual emails from organisation domains are all tell-tale signs of a cyber incident. If an organisation has invested in Managed Detection and Response software for their end-points, this will proactively scan your environment and provide alerts to potential and actual cyber incidents.

[17:40] What are the key steps an organization must take in responding to a cyber incident? – It’s a great question, and these key steps will be implemented during a cyber incident response plan – an impacted organization should:

·      Triage: Assess the severity and impact of an incident (organisations can instruct a first response organization to shut the doors, and assess the damage)

·      Identify: Understand what is happening to a business post incident? Things like locked accounts, no access to business systems etc.

·      Resolve: take technical actions to mitigate the incident – shutting off access to accounts – closing the door

·      Report: Notify relevant stakeholders, including legal obligations.

·      Learn: analyse the incident to then take retrospective action to prevent further incidents.

[21:23] Join the isologyhub – Don’t miss out on a suite of over 200+ ISO tools, templates and training, sign-up to become a member of the isologyhub 

[23:48] How does Cyber Insurance play a pivotal role in Cyber Incident Response? – like with most walks of life, insurance plays a crucial role in supporting organisations in effectively responding to disasters.

·      Response Funding: Insurers cover costs related to incident response, including professional services.

·      Response Time: Insurers bring in experts promptly, improving incident resolution.

·      Affordability: For small to medium businesses, insurance may be the only way to afford a response team.

[26:10] What role do vendors like Epiq do to support the incident response lifecycle? – Just like Law firms providing legal advice and support in responding to a cyber incident, cyber incident response providers support with the operational response to a cyber incident.

Initially, vendors like Epiq support with the incident identification and forensic investigations. Essentially finding the open door and closing it.

Further investigation on how the threat actor (baddie) got into the open door is conducted to prevent other doors from opening too.

Following this, the operational partner will support in understanding the extent of the incident, whether that be identifying impacted entities, notifying them of the incident and providing remediation, as well as supporting with any follow on litigation or mass claim.

[27:25] What are the legal obligations that exist after a cyber incident, especially in related to personal data breaches? – the legal obligations are clear – an organisation must report personal data breaches within 72 hours of awareness, unless the risk to individuals’ rights is unlikely. This quick turnaround is why it’s imperative that organisations have an established cyber incident response plan, and know who they should be talking to regarding the legal and operational implications.

[28:45] What support is there out there for organisations that are victim to a cyber incident? – On the previous episode, we discussed what organisations can do to be proactive in mitigating the risks associated to a cyber incident, we discussed the important of Cyber Incident Response plans, as they outline what external support an organisation should seek in the event.

Having playbooks and relationships with law firms, cyber providers like Epiq, and cyber insurance coverage are 3 key focuses for every business.

[30:35] What role does a legal team play in incident response? –  Legal support and advice is critical during an incident. As mentioned, they will help support with report the incident to the regulatory bodies required.

·      Breach Notification – legal support ensures compliance with data breach disclosure laws and regulatory requirements.

·      Breach Counsel – law firms act as a breach counsel for organisations, enabling them to support and advise on the legal implications of a cyber incident. Most law firm cyber practice groups will have relationships with external vendors, like Epiq, to support with the operational response. They can co-ordinate with these external vendors to ensure compliance.

·      Privacy Law Compliance – they guide handling of personal data and privacy implications to ensure no further issues.

[32:30] What role do vendors like Epiq do to support the incident response lifecycle? – Just like Law firms providing legal advice and support in responding to a cyber incident, cyber incident response providers support with the operational response to a cyber incident.

Initially, vendors like Epiq support with the incident identification and forensic investigations. Essentially finding the open door and closing it.

Further investigation on how the threat actor (baddie) got into the open door is conducted to prevent other doors from opening too.

Following this, the operational partner will support in understanding the extent of the incident, whether that be identifying impacted entities, notifying them of the incident and providing remediation, as well as supporting with any follow on litigation or mass claim.

[36:00] What should an organisation do in future to prevent further incidents? – Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote is so true here – ‘by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’.

The key point here is to learn from your mistakes. There may have been numerous reasons that the organisation wasn’t ready for a cyber incident, but they should learn from what led to the incident previously, and proactively address this to prevent further incidents. 67% of organisations that get hit by a cyber incident are subject to further attacks within 1 year. It’s important to reduce your attack surface, and ensure you have cyber security themes running throughout the business.

[37:45] What are Jack’s top 3 tips to take away from this session to help them respond effectively to an incident? –

·      Establish an Incident Response Plan – we spoke through IR plans during the first episode, but creating a plan that outlines roles, responsibilities and communication channels during an incident is key. Once implemented, regularly testing the plan and simulating these incidents is key to ensuring effective response.

·      Engage external experts early – during this session we identified 3 critical external support pillars to an incident – having legal advice, operational and response support and insurance is key.

·      Prioritise business continuity – enabling the external experts to support you through the incident will free your bandwidth to ensure that you minimise damage and downtime to your business.

 If you’d like to learn more about Epiq and how they can help you, visit their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Cyber incidents are on the rise as data shows there was a 20% increase in data breaches from 2022 to 2023. 

Technology has become an integral part of most businesses, especially post pandemic where many who may have avoided this reliance on tech had no choice but to adapt to survive.

As a result, the question of businesses being affected by a cyber incident has become ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.  However, there are a number of steps you can take to mitigate risks ahead of any potential incidents.  

We invited Jack Morris, Account Director at Epiq, to discuss cyber incidents, the importance of being proactive in reducing cyber incident risk and the steps you can take to mitigate these risks. 

You’ll learn

·      Who are Epiq?

·      What is a cyber incident?

·      The importance of being proactive in reducing the risk of an incident

·      What can organisations do to be proactive in mitigating cyber incident risk?

·      What are forensic tabletop exercises, and how do they enhance preparedness?

·      Why might an organisation need to get an incident response retainer?

·      What role do Information Governance consultants play in reducing cyber risk?

Resources

·      Epiq

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Jack Morris, Accoutn Director at Epiq, to discuss how to mitigate cyber incident risk.

[02:40] Who are Epiq?  – Epic is a global leader in technology enabled legal services. In fact, it supports 90% of the top law firms globally! With over 8000 employees spread over 19 countries, it helps to support corporations, law firms and government agencies across the globe.

[04:31] Who is Jack Morris? – Jack joined the industry relatively fresh out of university, starting at an organisation called Kroll where he was focused on data management – including overcoming ransomware infected devices and essentially allowing organisations to get access to data that was previously taken away from them.

Kroll was later acquired by Duff and Phelps and went through a turbulent time of many name changes before settling on Kale Discovery. He ended up leaving a year ago and joined Epiq as an Account Director.

Jack’s role at Epiq includes being a facilitator, introducing law firms, corporations and cyber insurers to best in class people and technology.

[06:40] What is a cyber incident?: A Cyber Incident is any unauthorised or unexpected event that compromises the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an organisation’s information systems, data or network. Incidents can range from data breaches and malware infections to single mailbox compromises and insider threats.

Organisations looking to combat information security risks should consider ISO 27001, as it’s key principles include the confidentiality, integrity or availability of your businesses information.

[08:29] Why is it important for organisations to be proactive in reducing their risk of an incident, no matter the size of your business?  – Let’s look at some startling statistics:

In 2022, 39% of businesses in the UK identified a cyber attack in the previous 12 months. Of this 39%, 31% of those businesses experienced attacks at least once a week.

48% of Small to Medium Businesses, globally, experienced a cyber incident in the last 12 months, with 61% of all cyber-attacks specifically targeting small business.

This is the most shocking of the statistics, and why it’s so important for us to be having these kinds of conversations around how business, no matter the size, need to be proactive in mitigating the impact of a cyber incident.

70% of small to medium businesses in the UK believe that they are unprepared to deal with a cyber attack (which excludes those who think they have proper processes in place but ultimately don’t).

Nearly 60% of businesses that are impacted by a cyber incident go out of business within 6 months following!

 [12:10] Are there any particular industries that are most at risk from a cyber incident? – Cyber Incidents are not siloed to particular industries, but there are some trends that we see in the market. Looking at Q1 2024:

January saw a rise in cyber incidents predominantly affecting retail, education and local government.

In February we saw a significant number of breaches, impacting organisations across the full spectrum of markets.

All of this to say that regardless of the size of your business and the industry you operate in, the number of cyber incidents are increasing as well as the severity of said incident.

[13:35] ISO Standard trends – At Blackmores, we’ve seen an increase in demand for ISO 27001 and related data privacy standards across the board for all sectors. A stark difference to 10 years ago where it would mostly only be adopted by those in the managed services or tech based industries.   

[15:30] What can organisations do to be proactive in mitigating cyber incident risk? – Things such as implementing a proactive incident response plan, engaging with law firms and consultancy organisations to become aware of the organisation’s requirements and compliance issues arising from a cyber incident.

If you were hit with an incident today, you must report any personal data breaches to the relevant regulators within 72 hours of becoming aware of an incident or there can be fines that are implicated. To deal with these types of situations, it’s imperative that your organisation has established, sound relationships with law firms and consultants.

[17:25] What is the importance of an incident response plan? – Implementing an incident response plan is crucial because it allows organisations to prepare for potential cyber incidents before they occur. By identifying risks, implementing preventive measures, and conducting exercises, organisations can significantly reduce the impact of incidents.

Organisations should be aware of both the legal and operational issues that arise from a cyber incident – from regulatory compliance and liability concerns right the way through to loss of systems/data and brand reputation are all key considerations that have an effect on the whole of a business.

[18:35] What are forensic tabletop exercises, and how do they enhance preparedness? – Forensic tabletop exercises simulate cyber incidents in a controlled environment. They involve key stakeholders discussing and practicing their roles during an incident. These exercises improve coordination, communication, and decision-making, ensuring a more effective response when a real incident occurs.

The workflow here is clearly defined; implement an incident response plan, and then test that plan for robustness – engaging with external providers, like Epiq, to further add to the existing plan and to test how the organisation will manage an active incident.

[19:35] Join the isologyhub – Don’t miss out on a suite of over 200+ ISO tools, templates and training, sign-up to become a member of the isologyhub 

[21:45] Links with Business Continuity – Response readiness plans and forensic tabletop exercises both tie into aspects of ISO 22301 – business continuity.

In Blackmores’ experience, a lot of organisations don’t actually test their plans, so when going through the process of implementing ISO 22301, where testing these response plans are a requirement, it’s a bit of an eye opener when they realise they’re not as resilient as initially thought.

It’s always better to test these plans in a simulated environment vs a live one, so you can be assured that your plans are up to the task.

[23:40] Why might an organisation need to get an incident response retainer? – We're starting to see a number of industries, particularly in regulated verticals, requiring businesses in their supply chain to meet a number of different cyber security requirements.  One, which keeps popping up, is to have a plan in place for responding to security incidents. Having a retainer can help meet these compliance requirements.

[26:05] What role does Managed Detection and Response (MDR) software play in proactive incident response? – MDR solutions continuously monitor networks, detect threats, and provide real-time alerts. They enhance proactive response by identifying suspicious activities early, allowing organisations to take preventive action before incidents escalate.

[27:50] What role do Information Governance consultants play in reducing cyber risk? – : Information Governance (IG) consultants specialise in helping organisation define their Information Governance Strategy encompassing data security and defining compliance policies.. They support organisations in defining:

·      Data Classification: Identifying Sensitive and PII data and categorising based on their confidentiality or regulatory requirements.

·      Retention Policies: Defining policies on retention period of records and method of disposition aligned with compliance requirements.

·      Legal Holds: Ensuring necessary data is preserved for potential litigation, internal investigation or as part of audit process.

·      Privacy Compliance: Aligning with regulations such as  GDPR, DP, DPA, CCPA.

[33:30] What are Jack’s top tips that the listeners can take away from this podcast session and implement today to begin mitigating their risk? – : Unfortunately mitigating cyber risk isn’t a one-size-fits-all response, however I like seeing cyber risk as 3 buckets, that businesses should be aware of and measure their organisation against:

Technology & Infrastructure – outdated systems, unpatched software and not fit for purpose IT infrastructure pose risks.

These types of vulnerabilities are exploited by attackers, leading to data breaches, malware infections and system disruptions.

So, making sure that your technology and infrastructure is fit for purpose, and up to date is a key takeaway. We spoke about Managed Detection and Response solutions earlier in the session, which is a great, cost effective way of adding an additional layer of technology security.

Human Factor – for me, this is the number 1 frailty to a business. Business Email Compromise incidents increased by 67% in 2023, with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) being bypassed in 29% of these cases.

Over recent years, cybersecurity awareness has been the aim of the game. However it is crucial that, as our understanding progresses, we switch our focus to fostering a culture of cybersecurity responsibility among colleagues and employees.

Ensuring that your people are aware of cyber incident (perhaps listening to this podcast), and their role in mitigating the risks associated to a cyber incident are crucial in ensuring that your business is secure.

Preparation – in just about all walks of life, preparation is key for preventing almost anything. We have spoken today about some of the key preparation themes I’m seeing in the industry, from Response Readiness plans, to MDR, to Incident Response Retainers. Getting sufficient Cyber Insurance coverage is of paramount importance to ensure that your business can respond effectively to an incident, should one occur.

If you’d like to learn more about Epiq and how they can help you, visit their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

Businesses looking to tackle their environmental impact will need to look at how they can reduce their carbon emissions and offset any remaining emissions to ensure that they reach Net Zero.

One of the most common ways businesses offset their emissions is through the purchasing of carbon credits that typically go towards planting trees or re-wilding.

However, there are a number of new emerging trends following on from the current commodification of nature, resulting in an attitude shift from businesses who are looking to get a lot more involved in the offsetting process.

We invited Luke Baldwin, Co-founder and CEO of Nature Broking, back onto the show to explain the latest trends in the carbon market.  

You’ll learn

·      What are the latest trends in the carbon market?

·      The importance of high integrity within carbon offsetting

·      Looking for impactful solutions

·      Why education around carbon offsetting is key for long-term sustainability commitment

·      How buying carbon credits now can lead to significant savings

Resources

·      Nature Broking

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Luke Baldwin, Co-founder and CEO of Nature Broking, to discuss emerging trends in the carbon market that help businesses tackle their carbon offsetting.  

[02:50] What are the key trends in the Carbon Market  – As of 2024, Luke states the leading trends as:

·      High Integrity

·      Impactful solutions

·      Education

·      Purchase carbon credits now and save later

[04:10] High Integrity – There’s now a lot of carbon credits available and due to the nature of the unregulated carbon markets, it’s led to an increase in bad actors generating revenue in a bad way.

Once example of this is Kariba, a project in Zimbabwe that aimed to tackle deforestation, which was recently exposed in the Guardian and The New Yorker for having incorrect calculations. Credits purchased towards that programme were then called into questions and any associated companies were accused of greenwashing.

To avoid this, businesses are now putting a greater focus on high integrity solutions, which involves considerations such as:

·      Are the credits durable? Will the carbon be stored long term?

·      Are their significant CO2 benefits?

·      Are the credits contributing anything besides just removing carbon? i.e. regenerative agriculture or woodland plantation

[06:20] Impactful Solutions: The carbon markets offers a lot of fantastic solutions and businesses are moving away from the quick commodification of those solutions, and are instead looking to really understand the impact of how they chose to offset their emissions.

It’s becoming more of a question of buying carbon credits that align with your values, whether this be social values or sustainability values.

They’re looking to invest in projects that will have a tangible outcome. Which is exactly what Nature Broking sets out to assist businesses with by tailoring bespoke solutions that adhere to their specific values.

[08:10] Education  – The need for more education around the carbon markets is crucial.

Luke remembers the quote “you can't love what you don't know”, which applies as how can a business truly invest in something that they don’t fully understand.

Sustainability is a mindset, and a cultural shift towards more sustainable practices starts with an education.

Carbonology uses an ISO framework, but also provide an education around the carbon reduction plan provided to inspire a mindset shift change towards sustainability.

[09:05] Blackmores experience – Blackmores have been implementing environmental and energy Standards for over 18 years, but it’s only been in recent years that we’ve seen a mindset shift in leadership towards sustainability.

While people may be aware of Standards such as ISO 14001 or B Corp, but may not be aware of other governance frameworks that can help businesses to manage their carbon footprint and carbon neutrality.

[10:20] Join the isologyhub – Don’t miss out on a suite of over 200+ ISO tools, templates and training, sign-up to become a member of the isologyhub  

[12:25] How can you make significant savings when purchasing carbon credits? – A lot of carbon solutions currently are very cost effective, in particualr forestry credits and carbon removal credits.

Some of the more technological ones such as direct air capture or bioenergy and carbon capture and storage can be more expensive now because the technology utilised is still so innovative and in it’s infancy. However, that will change in time.

 If you're looking at building a carbon portfolio for your net zero journey, for example, say are going through a science based targets initiative and you've decided that you cannot avoid the 10% of remaining emissions your net zero journey and you need to buy carbon removals - you're much better purchasing carbon removals now than in the future.

This is because there will be a supply shortage in future, especially when we see more enforced regulations come into play between 2030 and 2035. This will mean that the price of those carbon credits will rise significantly.

What may cost £20-£30 per tonne for carbon removal now may go up to anywhere between £100 - £150 per tonne!

So it’s worth investing in your carbon portfolio now, especially in the case of tree planting as those tress are going to take a while to grow and actually start storing carbon.

If you finance projects now, you will have already made an amazing impact from the start, and will potentially save yourself a lot of trouble and money in future by planning ahead.   

If You’d like to learn more about Nature Broking and their solutions, check out their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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The UK is the first major economy to achieve it’s 50% reduction target for Greenhouse Gas Emissions (between 1990 and 2022). However, we’ve still got a lot of work to do to reach our 2023 target of a 68% reduction.

Many businesses are already making great strides to reduce their Impact, and while you can reduce, achieving true carbon neutrality will involve offsetting a certain amount of emissions.

One of the biggest challenges for businesses in terms of completing their offsetting is finding a credible carbon offsetting scheme.

Mel is joined by Luke Baldwin, Co-founder and CEO of Nature Broking, to discuss credible nature-based solutions for carbon offsetting.

You’ll learn

·      Who are Nature Broking?

·      What is Natural Capital?

·      How can we restore nature at scale?

·      Financing transition regenerative agriculture through the sale of natural capital

·      How have Nature Broking worked with clients to complete their carbon offsetting?

·      How can you demonstrate a credible carbon offsetting scheme?

·      What projects are Nature Broking currently working on?

Resources

·      Nature Broking

·      Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Luke Baldwin, Co-founder and CEO of Nature Broking, to discuss credible nature based solutions for carbon offsetting and explore some of the wonderful projects Nature Broking have been involved with.

[04:10] What is natural capital?  – Natural capital is the idea of creating value from nature. What natural capital does is, it encompasses all the things that we get from nature that we rely on. That could be the shelter in your house all the way through to carbon offsets.

[04:55] Who are Nature Broking? – Nature Broking’s story starts off on a somber note. Sadly, Luke lost one of his friends in a mountaineering accident, and in his memory, Luke and another friend rewilded one acre of Scottish Borders Woodlands. This is something they make a point to visit every year, to pay tribute and to keep their living, breathing monument of his friends memory alive and well.

The experience was an eye opening one. For as lovely as the process was, it was incredibly expensive, and not very easy to do. Luke then realised that philanthropy alone wasn't going to be able to cover the costs of what we required to restore nature.

Looking into the matter further he found that 50% of the world's GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and that the UK, whilst green and beautiful, sits in the bottom 10%.

And so, an idea was sparked. Together his friend and Co-founder Andy started down the nature restoration path and created Nature Broking.

[06:20] What is Nature Broking’s mission?: Nature Broking have 2 major missions:

#1: Help restore nature at scale

#2: Help finance a transition to regenerative agriculture

[06:34] How can we restore nature at scale?  – The UK Government has set targets of halting nature decline by 2030, with a view to increase nature by 2045.

The Green Finance Institute has calculated that there is a funding gap of about 56 billion in order for us to achieve our legally binding environmental targets. That’s a hefty sum to put on public money and philanthropy, which is where private markets and business can make a big impact.

Frameworks like PAS 2060 (ISO 14068) help businesses invest in nature, and with the creation of carbon credits, carbon has been commodified to make it more accessible for businesses to contribute to carbon offsetting.

[08:20] How can we help finance transition regenerative agriculture through the sale of natural capital? – Regenerative agriculture is about restoring the soils, restoring nature back to its original level.

Modern farming techniques, while fruitful, use tools such as fertilisers and mechanised farming that have damaged the soils biome. That’s going to take time and a concerted effort to fix.

Now obviously, we can’t just stop farming, we need food, so not all land can go back to nature. Currently, 70% of the UK is farmed, so the agricultural sector will play a big part in being more regenerative.

However, the current incentives aren’t great, so there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of financing the mechanisms behind it, i.e. funding and subsidies ect. One way we could do this is by ulitilising the carbon markets, as regenerative agriculture can lead to significant carbon sequestration.

[12:20] How do Nature Broking work with clients? – They make sure to work within the bounds of the business itself, as every business is different..

They don’t do off the shelf solutions, preferring to work closely with their clients and help them to really spend time in nature at the place where their carbon credits are being implemented. It’s ultimately about education on the different solutions available, including asking important questions like:

·      What impact do you want to have?

·      What are the challenges with each solution?

·      What do you need to watch out for?

Each solution is tailored to your business. So, if you’d prefer to work in woodland restoration over regenerative agriculture, then Nature Broking would be happy to work with you to achieve that.

Carbon credits include their own set of challenges, one of the main ones being that science changes, so the solutions offered through carbon credits will also change. It may be a case of purchasing credits that tackle different solutions over a large area rather than pooling them all into planting trees for example. Nature Broking are here to help advise and facilitate this.

[15:30] Join the isologyhub – Don’t miss out on a suite of over 200+ ISO tools, templates and training, sign-up to become a member of the isologyhub

[17:45] How can Nature Broking demonstrate credible carbon offsetting? – Nature Broking are at their heart transparent with how they operate. By taking clients to see the actual physical results of their carbon credits, they can educate and help others form a genuine connection to nature. They want clients to truly understand the full impact of their efforts.

 The second element is due diligence, which can be displayed by utilising one of the many carbon related frameworks now available, such as B Corp and Sylvera. Though these don’t always work within a UK setting, so Nature Broking are working towards creating frameworks that do fit within the overall market view.

Lastly, they ensure that the standard they’re using is of high integrity, using frameworks such as the Integrity Council for the voluntary market, which analyses different standards. The 2nd is understanding the quality of the project developer, so looking at their technical expertise, looking at their financial ratings, and then evaluating the individual project itself in terms of potential risks.

[21:50] What are some of the projects that Nature Broking are currently working on? – A broad view of what’s available in terms of schemes include:

·      The Woodland Carbon Code

·      The Peatland Carbon Code – This is run by the IUCN, which is the International Council for the Conservation of Nature.

They are both defined and funded by DEFRA. These are some of the first carbon codes to move into the UK, however there is a lack of available carbon credits, which should change in future.

Other’s include:

·      Wilder Carbon – A carbon code focused on rewilding, run by The Wildlife Trust.

·      Carbon Code of Conduct - A regenerative agriculture code, so it focuses on analysing the full sequestration and full emissions potential of a whole landholding.

[25:00] Carbon Credits in practice – There’s a current project called Bank Farm in Kent, which is being used as a test site for regenerative agriculture. This includes the likes of agroforestry, which is where you integrate trees into fields which provide shade for animals and store carbon. So, you’re not removing those fields from production, simply adapting them to be more sustainable.

They’re also practicing mob grazing, which is all about using herbivores to maxmise the amount of carbon stored in the soil. You can do this by moving, say cows for example, around a field to graze quickly on small areas before moving them on.

[27:05] Mel’s conclusion – There’s a huge opportunity in the management of agriculture that can be utilised within carbon credit schemes. In addition to helping our economy by creating new jobs within this new approach to tackling emissions and storing carbon. Hopefully we’ll see larger corporations investing in these sorts of schemes both here in the UK and abroad.

If You’d like to learn more about Nature Broking and their solutions, check out their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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The UK recently hit a huge milestone, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the UK have reduced their Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 50% between 1990 and 2022. 

The UK are the first major economy to achieve this, however we’ve still got a lot of work to do to meet our 2030 target of a 68% reduction.

Over the past few years there have been a number of schemes aimed at businesses to help tackle their impact, specifically their energy consumption. Here in the UK, ESOS (The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme) was introduced as an implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and has been a mandatory undertaking for large organisations that fit the criteria.

Recently, that scheme has been updated and a number of changes have come into effect for Phase 3. 

Ian Boylan, Chief Executive Officer at ISO Baseline, joins Mel to explain the recent changes to ESOS, how they affect organisations in the UK and EU and how ISO Baseline’s software can help businesses consistently manage their energy consumption in alignment with ISO 50001 (The Energy Management Standard).

You’ll learn

·      Who are ISO Baseline?

·      What is the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS)?

·      What are the changes to ESOS?

·      How do the changes affect those who currently comply using ISO 50001

·      What are the changes to the ESOS eligibility requirements?

·      How can ISO Baseline help businesses with their ISO 50001 and ESOS compliance?

Resources

·      ISO Baseline

·      Isologyhub

·      ISO 50001

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Ian Boylan, Chief Executive Officer at ISO Baseline, to discuss the changes to The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS), and how the changes will affect the European Directive on energy management and energy reporting.

[03:20] Who is Ian and ISO Baseline?  – Ian has been involved with ISO Standards for a number of years, starting with the technical aspects of building Management Systems, to working with Certification Bodies as an auditor for Management Systems.

From this experience, Ian really got to understand the challenges that organisations face when implementing ISO Standards. Challenges such as maintenance to ensure they are achieving their requirements and objectives.

Which is where the concept for ISO Baseline was born. Targeted specifically towards the Energy Management Standard ISO 50001, ISO Baseline’s software allows organisations to manage their energy processes and provide evidence that you are meeting your energy objectives.

[05:30] What features are included in ISO Baseline’s software? – Features include:

Energy reporting: Information can be displayed in graph or Sankey diagrams to help visualize your energy performance.

Identification of opportunities: Any opportunities for improvement found in the provided energy report will be recorded in an ‘Opportunities Register’

Financial Assessments: Work out life-cycle costs for assets, which can be used as a guide to establish possible savings by implementing suggested improvements.

[07:25] What is ESOS?: ESOS was introduced when we were still a part of the European Union, when there was a European Directive on energy efficiency.

It placed a requirement on member states in the EU to put together schemes for ensuring that large organisations undertake energy audits on a regular 4 yearly basis. In the UK this was adopted as the ESOS regulations.

For many years, if a business’s ISO 50001 certification scope covered all of its energy usage, then your business was considered compliant with ESOS.

If you didn’t have an ISO 50001 Management System in place, you would have to undertake energy audits once every 4 years, and have that reviewed, approved and signed off by a lead ESOS assessor.

At the time, this had to cover 90% of your energy usage. One of the more updated inclusions into these regulations was the introduction of transport as a source of energy consumption.

ESOS also included the requirement to identify significant energy consumption and propose a logical way to reduce energy consumption to improve energy performance.

[11:30] Main changes to ESOS: Accounting for your energy consumption  – Instead of accounting for 90% of your total final energy consumption, you're now required to account for 95% of your total final energy consumption. The de minimis component of it has been reduced by 50%

[012:30] Main changes to ESOS: Activity Metrics – All organisations will be required to develop activity metrics and as part of your audits you'll be required to submit those activity metrics.

The aim of this is to allow the UK to effectively assess organisations over established periods (i.e. from Phase 3 to phase 4) to see if and how they are actually reducing their energy consumption.

This could potentially lead to benchmarking, where organisations can be measured against each other.

[14:45] Main changes to ESOS: Submitting Actions Plans – Previously, you just had to submit your completed audits and overall savings potential, now you will be required to submit a proposed Action Plan to improve your energy performance.

You will also be required to report annually on your progress towards that Action Plan.

So no longer can companies coast on simply paying to complete an Energy Audit exercise once every 4 years, now you will have to produce publicly available information that will hold organisations to account. Essentially a name and shame for organisations that choose to do nothing.

[16:55] Making Actions Plans publicly available – Incidentally, it always has been a requirement that everything that has been reportable regarding resources should be accessible, but previously you were not required to produce Action Plans. So essentially now that will also become part of the publicly available information.

[17:30] Making ESOS fit for purpose – When ESOS was introduced, there was already so much other legislation around in the UK, so the main focus then was to align them with one another and to ensure that they were all working towards a common purpose.

In this update, it hasn't ultimately required you to determine your energy savings potential in carbon reduction, but quite obviously that would be a little bit ludicrous if an organisation went down this route and not to look at it from a carbon perspective, as It's only a tiny little additional step when you're doing it from a money perspective and an energy perspective to figure out what the carbon impact is.

[18:30] Do you need help with your Carbon Reporting? – If you need assistance with GHG emission or SECR reporting, contact our sister company Carbonology®.

[19:20] Join the isologyhub – Don’t miss out on a suite of over 200+ ISO tools, templates and training, sign-up to become a member of the isologyhub

[21:25] Main changes to ESOS: Confirming your compliance – There are different approaches that you will need to be aware of when submitting your evidence of compliance, and which one you use will depend on which route you’re taking.

For the full ISO 50001 route, you will need to complete the Annex 1 approach, which is a reduced reporting requirement where you do not need to use an ESOS lead Assessor to submit it on your behalf, the organisation can do it themselves.

If you going down either the energy audit route or do not have 100% of your energy consumption covered by ISO 50001 – you will be reporting using the Annex 2 approach. This is where you still require a lead ESOS Assessor to work with you and provide final sign-off on that reporting.

[24:15] Are there any changes in the eligibility requirements? – There aren’t any major changes in ESOS’s eligibility requirements. They have now updated the turnover amounts from Euro to Pound Sterling following our exit from the EU.

[25:35] How will these changes impact organisations? – Organisations will have to adapt to a more proactive approach towards their energy reporting and management.

No longer can you get away with doing an energy audit once every 4 years and then forgetting about it until the next Phase. You need to start looking at it from the perspective of annual reporting, as all this information is going to be publicly available every year, which is going to be scrutinized if you’re seen to not be taking any significant action.

Large organisations will be compared against each other, and if one is taking action every year to reduce its impact and another is doing nothing for 4 years, which do you think will gain a more favorable reputation?

This level of accountability is long overdue, and will be of benefit to organisations in terms of potential cost savings through reduction of energy use, and also more importantly to the environment.  

[30:00] How can ISO Baseline ISO 50001 help organisations with their ESOS compliance? – ISO Baselines tools and software are going to be the most benefit to organisations that have a real objective to improve energy performance. If you’re just doing the bare minimum to meet requirements, then it’s no for you.

ISO Baseline ISO 50001 is a tool to help systemise your organisations approach to energy management. It can help to avoid a lot of the bureaucracy that can hold up progress, so you can spend your time focusing on the objectives and what the Management System is meant to lead to.

Their software will guide you through the required processes involved with ISO 50001 Energy Management, including Internal Audit planning and completion, Management review, logging and addressing non-conformities and corrective actions.

If You’d like to learn more about ISO Baseline and their software, check out their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●     Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●     Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

According to the ISO Survey, there’s been a 82.9% increase in worldwide ISO 22301 certificates issued following 2020.

Business Continuity is a must have for businesses who want to ensure long-term survivability following a disruptive event. Many turn to ISO 22301 to help put a framework in place, including today’s guest – Lifelong Learner.

However, what usually takes businesses a minimum of 6 months, Lifelong Learner managed to accomplish in just 4 months across an international organisation! That is no small part due to the tremendous effort of Lifelong Learner’s Manager of Information Security, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Lauren Taylor.

Lauren joins Mel on this weeks’ episode to share her journey and explains the challenges associated with implementing a Business Continuity Management System in just 4 months.

You’ll learn

·       Who are Lifelong Learner?

·       Why did they decide to Implement ISO 22301?

·       What did they learn from implementing ISO 22301?

·       What was the biggest challenge with Implementation?

·       What are the benefits of implementing ISO 22301?

Resources

·       Isologyhub

·       Lifelong Learner

·       PSI Testing Excellence

·       Talogy

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today Mel is joined by guest Lauren Taylor who is the Manager of Information Security, Governance, Risk and Compliance at Lifelong Learner Holdings LLC.

Lifelong Learner and it’s brands represent a fusion of comprehensive workforce solutions, with a human-first focus of changing lives through assessment. This includes helping people advance in educational and career aspirations, earning or maintaining licensing or certifications, or providing the tools to develop future leaders.

Lauren has helped Lifelong Learner accomplish a massive milestone, and that’s the implementation of the Business Continuity Standard ISO 22301 across an international organisation, which she managed to do in just 4 months! She’s here to share her journey and lessons learned from implementing ISO 22301.

[03:30] Not many people know this about Lauren  – She had previously trained to be a mental health counsellor.

[04:05] Who are Lifelong Learner LLC? – Lifelong Learner is the parent company of two subsidiaries:

PSI Testing Excellence: a leading provider of assessment solutions for the licensing and certification markets, to Educational Testing Services.

Talogy: A market leader in the talent management space whose core purpose is helping organizations achieve their potential. They manage the talent management side of the business. So what they'll do is they'll put together psychometric tests that help companies find the right person for the right job, and will assist with skills development.

[05:00] Adding to Lifelong Learner’s ISO Collection: Lifelong Learner already have an impressive ISO Library, being certified to:

·       ISO 9001 – Quality Management

·       ISO 14001 – Environmental Management

·       ISO 27001 – Information Security Management

[05:20] What was the main driver behind obtaining ISO 22301? – The main driver, as with most companies, is usually a client contractor requirement, but business continuity has been something that we've wanted to look further into for a while, just because there's elements of ISO 27001 that cover the business continuity.

While we were able to get through the audits with what we had, we just felt that it just needed a little bit more building out. Business Continuity is a requirement in part of ISO 27001, but for Stakeholders that want assurance that a business has robust business continuity plans in place, ISO 22301 is the next step.

[06:10] The Implementation Timeline  – In October 2023, we began with the context workshop where we could kind of get a better idea of the scope of the management system.

This was followed by a number of SWOT and PESTLE workshops to help identify what the perceived risks would be.

Next came the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) - So essentially what you're needing to find out from these workshops is, the core activities that each of the teams perform on the day-to-day basis. You also need to understand what their systems are that they use, if they have any dependencies, and essentially it all comes down to understanding that if the business cannot perform those activities, what would be the impact overtime if those activities were to stop.

Once you have all that information, the next step was to map it across into a risk assessment, which really helps you to understand the granular risks to your business when it comes to business continuity planning.

This risk assessment helped to highlight some weaknesses that we hadn’t considered before, and gave us a point in the right direction as to what we needed to work on to bridge those gaps.

Next was the creation and revamping of documentation inline with ISO 22301 requirements. Thankfully, due to the other ISO’s we hold, we already had a lot in place. Same goes for Internal Audits, so this was more a case of integrating ISO 22301 into our existing Management System.

Once we had all the documentation, we conducted a ransomware test exercise, which we also documented all the findings from. Then we were we were ready for stage 1!

[09:15] What were the biggest gaps Lifelong Leaner needed to address?: Following the BIA and Risk Assessment, we were able to see where we needed response plans because business continuity is always your Plan B. So in our minds, we had an idea of what kind of response plans we would need in terms of i.e. a malware response plan, a ransomware response plan, those sorts of things. But until we actually looked at the BIA we released we needed a few more.

[10:25] What difference did addressing those gaps make? – For us it was understanding the real risks to our business.

We already had ISO 27001 in place, and we figured if there were to be another pandemic for example, that we’d be covered. However, it wasn’t until we did those exercises did we realise that there was a lot we could improve on.  

[13:25] What did Lauren learn from Implementing ISO 22301? – How much people underestimate the importance of a good business impact analysis.

After going through this in a very, very short space of time, I realised that it is actually the driving force behind a good business continuity management system.

Also, it highlighted just how many people believe business continuity is just all about IT and physical security, they completely loft out the human element.

An example of this is having a single point of failure, which is where if somebody left there would be a gap.

[14:40] What benefits have Lifelong Learner experienced since implementing ISO 22301? – Lauren has noticed that more clients are requesting to see their Business Continuity Plans.

It’s helped with the introduction of the latest ISO 27001:2022 controls – as these too also focus on elements of business continuity.

[15:50] Lauren’s top tips for implementing ISO 22301 – Definitely give yourself longer than 4 months!

Logically think about how everything links together, the clauses all have purpose and flow in a logical pattern to help create a Management System.

Your Management Review can be your best friend. It's your opportunity to really engage with senior management and help them understand what your risks are to the business, how your internal audit is coming along, how you manage your nonconformities and it can be all neatly wrapped up in that nice management review bow.

[18:00] Lauren’s book recommendation – The Matthew Perry Autobiography, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

[19:30] Lauren’s favorite quote – “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

If You’d like to learn more about Lifelong Learner, check out their website.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

There’s no escaping it, AI is here to stay. Over the course of 2023 we’ve seen more general and public use of popular AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini (previously Google Bard).

It’s now even being integrated into everyday applications such as Microsoft Word and Teams. There is no doubt that there are a lot of benefits to using AI, however, with new technology comes new risks.

So how do we address the growing concerns around AI development and use? That’s where the new Standard for AI Management Systems, ISO 42001 comes in!

Join Mel this week as she explains exactly what ISO 42001 is, who it’s applicable to, why it was created and how ISO 42001 can help businesses manage AI risks.

You’ll learn

·       What ISO 42001 AI Management Systems is

·       Who it’s applicable to

·       Why it was created

·       How ISO 42001 can help businesses manage AI risks

Resources

·       Isologyhub

·       ISO 42001 Webinar registration

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:30] Join the isologyhub – To get access to a suite of ISO related tools, training and templates. Simply head on over to isologyhub.com to either sign-up or book a demo.

[02:05] Episode summary: Today we’re touching on a very topical subject – AI, and more specifically the brand new AI Management System Standard – IS0 42001. We’ll also be exploring who it’s applicable to, why it was created and how it can help businesses manage AI risks.

[03:30] What is AI? – AI – otherwise known as Artificial intelligence, as it’s most simplest description is the science of making machines think like humans.

We’ve seen a lot of AI tools be released to the public over the last year or so, tools such as ChatGPT and Google Bard. It’s already being integrated with some of the most commonly used apps and programs like Microsoft word and Teams.

In short, AI integration is here to stay, so we may as well get to grips with it and make sure we’re using it responsibly.

[05:10] What is ISO 42001? – , ISO 42001 is the first International Standard for Artificial Intelligence Management Systems, designed to help organisations implement, maintain, and improve AI management practices.

It was jointly published in December 2023 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

The emphasis of ISO 42001 is on integrating an AI Management System with an organisations existing management system – i.e. ISO 9001 or ISO 27001 compliant management systems.

Interestingly, a lot of the specific mentions of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are within the Annexes rather than the body of the Standard. The Standard itself is very similar to ISO 27001 in that it’s mostly about what organisations should be doing to manage computer systems regardless of any AI components.

[08:00] The 4 Annexes of ISO 42001:

Annex A: This acts as a Management guide for AI system development, with a focus on trustworthiness.

Annex B: This provides implementation guidance for AI controls, with specific measures for Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning – if you’d like to learn more about the difference between the two, go back and listen to episode 135.

Annex C: Which addresses AI-related organisational objectives and risk sources.

Annex D: This one is about the domains and sectors in which an AI system may be used. It also addresses certification, and we’re pleased to see that it actively encourages the use of third-party conformity assessment. This just ensures that your AI claims have more validity.

[09:15] Who is ISO 42001 applicable to? – Those annex descriptions may have you assuming that this Standard is only applicable to organisations developing AI technology but in actuality it’s applicable to any organisation who is involved in developing, deploying OR Using AI systems.

So if you’re a company who is only utilising AI in your day to day activities, it’s still very much applicable to you!

[10:20] Join the isologyhub and get access to limitless ISO resources  – From as little as £99 a month, you can have unlimited access to hundreds of online training courses and achieve certification for completion of courses along the way, which will take you from learner to practitioner to leader in no time. Simply head on over to the isologyhub to sign-up or book a demo.

[12:25] Why was ISO 42001 created?:

·       To address the unprecedented rapid growth of AI and all the risks that come with this new technology.

·       To ensure that AI development and use are trustworthy and above all, ethical.

·       The public are also reasonably wary of this new technology, so ISO 42001 aims to help build more public trust and confidence in the future use of AI .

·       ISO 42001 acts as guidance for organisations on exactly how to integrate AI Management controls with their existing systems.

[14:05] AI risks you should be aware of – This isn’t an exhaustive list, as the technology develops, more risks will become known. However, as of the start of 2024, you should be aware of:

Inaccurate information – Many of the chat bots and public AI tools are trained on publicly available information, and as we all know, not everything on the internet is true. So the output from these chat bots will need to be checked and verified by a person before being used or published.

AI bias – Studies have proven that AI results can still be bias. As all the data fed into it is all based on existing information, it still presents the issue of a lack of information from underrepresented groups, or existing bias based on existing data.

Time sensitivity – Not all AI use live data sets. Google Bard does, however Chat GPT is only accurate up until 2021. So double check whichever tool you’re using to make sure the information it produces is up-to-date.

Plagiarism – Data gathered using AI came from somewhere! If you simply copy and paste information provided by AI platforms, there’s a chance you may be plagiarising existing content. Be sure to just use AI as a starting point!

Security risks – Use of AI can expose you to additional security risks, For example, malicious actors could send someone an email with a hidden prompt injection in it. If the receiver happened to use an AI virtual assistant, the attacker might be able to manipulate it into sending the attacker personal information from the victim’s emails.

Data Poisoning – AI uses large data sets to train its models, and we currently rely on these data sets being relatively accurate. However, researchers have found that it’s possible to poison data sets – so in future, AI may not be very reliable if preventative measures aren’t put in place by AI developers.

[17:45] How can ISO 42001 help business manage these risks? – Above all, it provides a structured approach to identify, assess, and mitigate AI risks. ISO 42001 includes the guidance needed to put this in place from the start to ensure you don’t fall prey to the risks mentioned, with a view to monitor and update to address new risks in future.

It promotes transparency and accountability throughout the AI life cycle.

It helps ensure fairness, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights in AI development and deployment.

It will help minimise potential legal and ethical liabilities associated with AI. The UK’s current GDPR and Data Protection Act can loosely cover aspects of AI, depending on how the terminology is applied, but there are already dedicated AI based regulations being developed within the EU which will likely be adopted by the UK. 

It can foster innovation and accelerate adoption of responsible AI practices.

And lastly, it provides a common language and framework for collaboration on AI projects.

[21:35] Don’t miss out on our ISO 42001 webinar – We’re partnering with PJR to bring you a 2-part webinar series on ISO 42001. Catch the first part on the 5th March 2024 at 3pm GMT, register your interest here.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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We have over 18 years experience of implementing various ISO’s, covering a wide range of topics such as Quality, Sustainability, Information Security and Risk.

With a 100% success rate, we’re confident in our consistent approach to implementing ISO’s, so much so that we’ve coined our own unique methodology.  

Our regular listeners may be familiar with the term ‘isology’ from previous episodes referencing our online platform – the isologyhub. But what is isology exactly?

Put simply, isology is our 7-step method for implementing any ISO Standard. Join Mel this week as she breaks down each of the 7 steps, including the planning, creation and review of an ISO Management System.

You’ll learn

·       Our experience implementing ISO’s

·       The origin of isology

·       What is isology?

·       The seven steps of isology

Resources

·       Isologyhub

·       Isology synopsis

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Episode Summary – Mel Blackmore will be explaining our world leading methodology to implement any ISO Standard, which we’ve affectionately named ‘Isology’.

[00:45] The creation of isology: We’ve been implementing ISO Standards for 18 years, starting with ISO 9001 and have since expanded our repertoire to over 20 ISO Standards covering risk, sustainability, quality and Information Security.

The creation of the isology methodology has been a team effort from all of the consultants who have worked with Blackmores over the years, and is primarily built on best practice.

[01:35] Step 1: Plan – Get a copy of the Standard, determine your scope, timescales, leadership commitment, resources and selecting a Certification Body.

Timescales: This is typically around 6 months, but could be longer or shorter depending on your specific requirements.

Resources: As an example, if you were looking to obtain ISO 14001 certification, you may need to appoint a sustainability champion. For ISO 27001 you’ll need a representative from the IT department.

Selecting a Certification Body: Ensure whichever Certification Body you choose is UKAS accredited. You can check this on the UKAS website. International listeners will need to verify on your country’s national accreditation body website.  

[03:45] Step 2: Discover – Time to understand what you have in place already and what you’re missing – this is done through a Gap Analysis.

This will often involve an initial meeting with the leadership team to establish what you already have in place, i.e. relevant policies and procedures or any relevant objectives.

We break this down step-by-step and document it all in a Gap Analysis, which will deduce your current level of compliance. From this an action plan can be created to indicate what needs to be done to become fully compliant, including assigning roles to assist with the Implementation.

[05:30] Step 3: Expose - This is where we look at risks and opportunities related to your desired Standard (both internally and externally). This is typically done through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and PESTLE (Policital, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Ethical).

In this stage you will also need to understand the key requirements of any relevant stakeholders, so this can include clients, subcontractors, regulatory bodies ect.

A Risk Register may be created to capture the findings to be addressed later. Some ISO’s require a Risk Register, others don’t, but in our experience it’s beneficial to have one regardless.

Companies are also encouraged to create a Legal Register to keep track of all their statutory, regulatory and contractual requirements.

[07:50] Step 4: Create – Time to review the requirements of the Standard in terms of documentation – and create what’s needed. This includes capturing your way of working with documented Procedures, so make sure you have the relevant staff involved in their creation.

Something to remember, you can have additional policy statements that aren’t required by the Standard. If they are important to you, add them in!

We’re in a modern age now, gone are the days of paper manuals gathering dust on an office shelf. Software and applications may be where the bulk of your Management System documentation lives. For example, at Blackmores we use a combination of Monday.com and SharePoint to manage all of our day-to-day activities, including our own ISO 9001 compliant Management System.

The key here is to make your Management System accessible for everyone.

[10:20] Step 5: Launch  – Once the Management System has found its home, you need to communicate it. Consider the type of launch you want and who will be involved. Make sure you encourage engagement with the Management System.

Why should you Launch your Management System? Quite simply, there isn’t much point in having controls in your business if no one knows about them!

We have 2 key ways of supporting you with the launch of your Management system:

1)    We can run an awareness session on your Management System either in person or via Teams. It can then be recorded and used as refresher / induction training.

2)    Get access to the isologyhub – out online platform with a suite of over 200 ISO courses, training, tools and templates.

[12:15] Step 6: Engage - After the launch you want to ensure that employees are fully engaged and they actually not only are aware of the policies and procedures that you've got in place, but they're actively using them.

The only way to verify this is through Internal Audits – that’s not just our opinion, that’s a mandatory requirement of any ISO Standard.

We can assist with conducting these Internal Audits, which double up as a dummy run ahead of your assessment visits. These audits are essentially a show and tell exercise to gather evidence that you’re doing what you say your doing.

[13:55] Step 7: Review - Time to take a step back and look at what’s been achieved and what’s been highlighted as areas for improvement through your Internal Audits. This is done at what we call a Management Review.

These are typically conducted as meetings, but they don’t have to be a meeting specifically. We’ve done a podcast covering other ways to conduct this review.

At this Management Review you will collate data on the performance of your business in relation to the ISO Standard. The minutes must be recorded, as your Assessor will expect to see these as it’s a mandatory requirement of any ISO Standard.

If you’d like to learn more about what’s involved with a Stage 1 and 2 Assessment, go back and listen to a previous episode.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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The deadline is looming over the horizon as October 2025 marks end of the validity of ISO 27001:2013 certificates.

Have you made a start on your transition journey? If not, you really should make a start in 2024 to ensure you’re all set well before that final deadline. The first step is to decide if you want to do it yourself or enlist the help of a professional consultant.

For those that want to tackle it yourselves, you’re in luck! As we have just the tool to help: The ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan.

In this weeks’ episode, Steph Churchman, Communications Manager at Blackmores, explains why you need to transition to the 2022 version of the Standard and outlines the 7-step ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan available on the isologyhub.

You’ll learn

·       Why do you need to transition to ISO 27001:2022?

·       What happens if you don’t transition?

·       What is the ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan?

·       An overview of the 7-step Gameplan

Resources

·       Isologyhub

·       ISO 27001 Transition Gameplan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] A different host – Steph Churchman, Communications Manager at Blackmores, steps in to cover today’s episode. She’s heavily involved with the development and updating of the isologyhub, and will be explaining one of the latest Gameplan’s: The ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan

[01:15] Why do you need to transition to ISO 27001:2022? The October 2025 deadline is fast approaching, so you really should be making a start in 2024 if you’ve not already.

[01:45] Who needs to transition to ISO 27001:2022? – Basically, anyone who is currently certified under ISO 27001:2013 will have to transition to the updated Standard.

One of the main reasons why we recommend getting a head start on this is , Certification Bodies will undoubtedly have a large demand for transition audits in 2025, when everyone’s rushing to get it done last minute. This results in a shortage of resources from the CB’s,  and you may end up struggling to get booked in time.

[02:35] What happens if you don’t transition in time? – The harsh truth is you will lose your ISO 27001 certification.

This then means you’ll be required to go through another Stage 1 and 2 Assessment against the latest version of ISO 27001, which can be costly.

Another key reason is the latest version of ISO 27001 also considers a lot of new technologies that weren’t around back when the last version was published. You can imagine now that there are a lot more cybersecurity risks to consider with all the latest technology that has been released in that time. Put simply, it’s for the benefit of your Information Security to ensure you are adhering to the most recent best practice Standards.

[03:40] What is the ISO 27001:2022 Transition Gameplan? This Gameplan will walk you through the stages of transition, which align to our proven isology® approach. Isology being our methodology for implementing any ISO Standard, based on our 18+ years of experience.

In this Gameplan we provide training videos on the changes to ISO 27001, along with specific training videos covering each of the new Annex A controls that you will need to be familiar with, along with templates and workbooks to take you through the process from beginning to end. 

[04:20] Step 1: Plan – Before you begin on your journey, it’s advised to understand the main changes to the standard. We’ve summarised the high-level changes in a previous podcast, and included a quick summary in the first step of the Gameplan.

In this first step, you’ll also find guidance on how to prepare for your Certification Body visit. You really do need to do this early on to help establish a realistic timeline to complete your transition work.

[04:55] Step 2: Discover  – At this stage, you need to get to grips with the changes to the Standard. There have been a number of controls changed, and 11 completely new ones added. We did cover a select few of these new controls in a few previous podcasts: #111, #112, #113, #114

In this Discover step we provide a number of awareness videos to explore these new controls and changes in detail, including how they may apply to your business.

We’ve also included a downloadable PDF guide to these changes, in case you’d like to share this information internally.

[05:40] Step 3: Expose - In this step we’ve included an ISO 27001:2022 transition workbook, which will act as a guide for all your transition activities. The first being the conducting of a Gap Analysis against the latest version of the Standard.

After completing this, you will have a much better idea of where your main gaps and vulnerabilities are, so you can start putting the necessary controls in place to ensure compliance with ISO 27001:2022.

We’ve also included a summary of the main Management System documentation that will need to be updated ahead of your transition visit.

[06:20] Step 4: Create - This is the step where you will be implementing those changes as a result of your Gap Analysis. This will also be guided by that workbook, and we have provided some additional templates and resources to aid you.

These include:

·       A Statement of Applicability Template

·       Annex A Control Mapping

·       ISO 27001 Management Review Template

[07:15] Step 5: Launch – It’s not just about updating your documentation, you will obviously need to communicate these changes to the wider business.

In this step we go over a few options for your launch plan – including guidance for both a soft launch and an all-in launch.

To help you decide which one would be the best fit for you, we’ve included a full summary of each method in addition to a pro’s and con’s list for each.

[08:30] Step 6: Engage – The last stages are all about gathering evidence of compliance against new and updated clauses and controls.

In this step we provide some insight into what’s required from your Internal Audits and Management Review ahead of your transition visit.

If you wanted to get some more tips on carrying out internal Audits within your business – we also offer a full Internal Auditor course on the hub that covers the core skills needed to complete those. If you become a member of the hub, you’ll get access to our whole library of resources – which includes a wealth of ISO related tools, templates and training videos.

[09:20] Step 7: Review – This last step will help you prepare for the transition visit with your certification body.

We touch on what you should expect from your Certification Body ahead of the transition visit, and include guidance on carrying out a final Document and evidence check to make sure you’re all good to go.

If you’d like to book a demo for the isologyhub, simply contact us and we’d be happy to give you a tour.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Did you know that in the UK alone, 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded each year, the majority of which goes directly to landfill. That amounts to an estimated 670,000 tonnes of furniture wasted, where a significant portion could be recycled and reused. (Source)

It’s clear to see the need for a more sustainable approach to furniture design, manufacture and lifecycle, which is where today’s guest, Design Conformity, come in.

Design Conformity live and breathe circular design, the process for creating products sustainably from the beginning, and offer a Life Cycle Assessment Certification Process which has already led to significant carbon reductions.

Mel is joined by Adam Hamilton-Fletcher, Founder and Director at Design Conformity, to discuss the application of circular design within the furniture manufacture industry and explain how their Life Cycle Assessment certification process can help businesses reduce their carbon footprint.

You’ll learn

·       Who are Design Conformity?

·       What is circular design and how does it help companies reduce their carbon footprint?

·       What are the benefits of Design Conformity’s certification?

·       Can sustainability be of financial and environmental benefit to businesses?

·       Examples of circular design in practice

Resources

·       The ISO Show

·       Design Conformity

·       Carbon Calculator

·       Circular Design Guide

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Introducing today’s guest – We welcome Adam Hamilton-Fletcher, Founder and Director at Design Conformity, onto the show. Design Conformity are currently setting the standard in retail sustainability, particularly in relation to the furniture industry.

[01:30] Who are Design Conformity? Adam worked in the manufacturing industry for about 15 years, designing lighting systems for major retailers like boots, Next, Marks & Spencers and Morrisons. He worked primarily with the lighting used in displays, and had been tasked with selling lighting products. In order to do so, he needed to develop a specification to help understand customer requirements, which would then be used to develop their ideal solution.

The problem: There were little to no Standards in UK and Europe for the retail display industry.

Which directly led to the creation of Design Conformity – who started out as an electrical and lighting Standard certification company, that developed into a full carbon certification company.

They aim to become the gold Standard for sustainable furniture design.

[03:10] What is Circular Design? – Circular design is born out of this principle of a circular economy. To compare, a linear economy is when we take a raw material, use it, process it, and then it’s just disposed of, usually straight to landfill.

Whereas, circular economy is where we take that waste product and we design it so that it can be repurposed and refreshed and reused. Those materials can then eventually be recycled – so the goal is to not use any raw materials at any point.

Circular design is the intent to minimise environmental impact, to design equipment that could be reused and repurposed, and then at the end of its life be recycled.

[04:05] How do Design Conformity operate? – Design Conformity look at the way that companies design their furniture and then take them through a learning process (online course).

They help businesses to understand how to design a product in such a way where it can be repurposed or reused, where raw material usage can be reduced and where the shipping requirements can be reduced.

They provide guidance and advice on recommended materials, including the provision on an online carbon calculator.

They also provide reporting in alignment with existing carbon standards, such as ISO 14064, for product evaluation.

[06:55] How can the Carbon Calculator help? By selecting a product of a particular type, you can use the estimator by entering the details of where and what you’re manufacturing, and then it will give you a carbon footprint for that, which you can use to compare that against other industry designers.

It displays these other designers anonymously, but you can get a feel for if your product is above or below the average for carbon emissions. 

[08:55] An example of the Carbon Calculator in practice –  Design Conformity recently worked with Costa Coffee, who were looking to reduce the environmental impact of their of their shops and coffee lounges. The beginning of that process is to work with their manufacturers, to identify the environmental impact of the furniture that they've got.

They used the Carbon Calculator to help create an initial benchmark, which highlighted key indicators that can lead to carbon reductions.

[09:35] Design Conformity’s Certification – They’ve borrowed the concept used by existing Energy Performance Certificates, by having a carbon efficiency index, ranging from C1 – C7.

Their score is a bit more unique however as it incorporates elements of circular design. Their score is based on a products total carbon emissions, divided by it’s size and total lifespan. An Ecolabel is then awarded based on the final score.

[11:45] What are the benefits of Design Conformity’s certification?:-

·       It’s a mix between carbon reporting and a carbon rating.

·       It’s easier for consumers to understand the benefits in comparison to companies that advertise compliance with ISO 14064 and PAS 2060.

·       Not just a green label, as reporting is a key component of gaining certification.

·       It provides a cradle to cradle analysis on a products carbon footprint and translates that into something that is recognisable.

[14:15] Are businesses right to be skeptical about the value of the cost versus the value of environmental certification?– 100%! It’s not uncommon for eco labels to be more of a marketing tool rather than a tool for tangible carbon reduction. A lot of them out there are unregulated and are contributing to green washing.

That’s where Design Conformity’s differs, as they actually collate and process real data to provide tangible value and add credibility to their claims. 

[16:10] Will there be a time where sustainability can be of financial and environmental benefit to businesses? – Yes, absolutely!  And if there is a way to do that, it’s through Circular Design.

As an example, if you’re a manufacturing company that’s producing shelving, you need to buy in steel, which can fluctuate a lot in price at any given time. But you don’t need to buy more steel every time, where instead you could get your original product back, reprocess and redistribute.

Adam has experience of suppliers who are practicing this, they purchase their products back at 40%-50% of the price, saving a lot of money in raw material!

[19:00] Examples of companies who have embraced circular design –

Tesco: They’ve introduced a policy whereby they purchase metal shelving, use it for 5 years, then take it back out of the store to get powder coated, cleaned and reintroduced to the store. That reduces the carbon footprint by 70% in comparison to buying a new shelving set!

Boots: Their beauty halls wanted to introduce a lot of new brands, which meant a lot more displays were needed. Boots started working with Design Conformity towards earning their certification, specifically in relation to the lighting they used in stores. With Design Confomity’s help, they managed to reduce the carbon footprint at selected stores by 39%!

[21:20] Circular Design Guide – 14 people were involved in creating this guide, which is designed to give you an introduction to and overview of circular design. Access it over on their website.

If you’d like assistance with any ISO Standards, get in contact with Blackmores and we’ll be happy to help 😊

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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For those in the ISO Space, you may be very familiar with the term ‘Certification’ in relation to ISO Standards. However, for certain ISO Standards there is a different type of terminology you need to be aware of.

The demand for a more unified and structured approach to reduce carbon emissions has resulted in a few carbon related ISO Standards to be published over the last few years. Standards such as ISO 14064 (Carbon Verification) and ISO 14068 (Climate Change Management) use the term ‘Verification’ rather than ‘Certification’.

So, what’s the difference between the two?

Join Mel in this weeks’ episode as she explains the key differences between the terms ‘Certification’ and ‘Verification’ in relation to ISO Standards.

You’ll learn

·       What is Certification?

·       What is Verification?

·       What is the difference between certification and verification?

·       What’s involved with Verification?

·       Is there a demand for Verification in the UK and overseas?

Resources

·       The ISO Show

·       Carbonology

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Episode summary – Listeners familiar with the world of ISO will know of the term ‘Certification’, however the release of new Carbon related Standards such as ISO 14064 and ISO 14068 has brought in a new term: ‘Verification’

This episode, we’ll explain the difference between the two. If you’d like to learn more about ISO 14064 and ISO 14068, check out episode 72 and episode 158.

[02:00] What is Certification? – Quiet simply, Certification is for businesses who wish to certify an ISO Management system – so a company wishing to implement a Quality Management system to ISO 9001, would get the ISO System certified by an accredited Certification Body.

[02:25] What is Verification? – Verification is the confirmation of a claim, through the provision of objective evidence, that specified requirements have been fulfilled.  Therefore ISO 14064 the carbon footprint verification standard is a standard that is verified not certified.

The ‘claim’ or ‘statement’ is typically the QES ‘Qualifying Explanatory Statement’.  If you’d like to find out more about this, then checkout Episodes 91 to 97, where David Algar, Principal Carbonologist at Carbonology explains in more detail.

[03:35] Setting the record straight – Some organisations (and even Certification Bodies!) have been stating they have been certified to PAS 2060 or ISO 14064 – which is technically incorrect.

 As a certificate is not issued and they're not certified.

[04:30] Think of Verification as an MOT: A simple analogy for Verification is a car MOT. This is an annual check to verify that a claim is correct, much like an MOT, someone must inspect evidence and check that everything is as claimed – not unlike checking under a car bonnet and checking tires to see if everything is in working order.

[05:20] What is the difference between accreditation for certification and verification bodies? –  For ISO Certification, certification bodies must adhere to ISO 17021:2015. This standard basically provides a requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems, and applies to CB’s like BSI or NQA.

There are many others here in the UK, simply visit the UKAS website to find a list of accredited CB’s. In other countries, simply go to your national accreditation body website to find a full list.

[06:40] Accreditation for Verification Bodies – Verification Bodies need to adhere to ISO 17029, which was a Standard first published in 2019. That standards title is: Conformity assessment, general principles and requirements for validation and verification bodies.

Both Standards provide structure and governance to basically ensure that standards are either certified or verified to a level playing field.

[07:20] Watch out for the cowboys – Unfortunately, there are some fake third party so-called certification and verification bodies that offer certification and verification.

They do not adhere to either ISO 17025 or ISO 17029, and instead play by their own rules. Which results in utterly worthless (and very expensive) ‘certificates’ that won’t hold up under scrutiny in tendering applications. So please ensure you use an Accredited Certification or Verification Body!

[07:48] What are the differences between Certification and Verification? Certification in more detail – Certification of an ISO Management System means of providing assurance that the organisation has implemented a system, so they've got the policies, procedures and controls in place against the relevant activities for their products and services to be delivered.

Certification for management system provides that independence, that impartiality that the company is actually doing what they say that they're doing, and that it's effectively implemented.

If you want to get certified, you need to undertake an Assessment. Typically this is done in two parts – A Stage 1 Assessment is a document review and Stage 2 Assessment is the evidence to prove that the companies following its policies and procedures.

[09:35] What are the differences between Certification and Verification? Verification in more detail – There are actually 2 definitions for Verification:

1: The process for evaluating a statement of historical data and information to determine the statement is materially correct and conforms to criteria in 3.6.10.

2: It's a confirmation of a claim through a provision of objective evidence that specified requirements have been fulfilled. There are a couple of notes with this one, including:

·       Verification is considered to be a process for evaluating a claim based on historical data and information to determine whether the claim is materially correct and conforms with specified requirements.

·       Verification is applied to claims regarding events that have already occurred are results that have already been obtained, confirmation of truthfulness.

[11:30] Avoiding Greenwashing – Now more than ever is the time to actually have systems in place to be able to verify that claims are factually correct.

A key thing to note with both Verification definitions is that they state you can only make a claim for a certain period – again, much like an MOT.

[12:55] What’s involved with Verification? – There are a few ways to gather the historical data needed for verifiers, here’s a few:

·       Observation;

·       Inquiry;

·       Analytical testing;

·       Confirmation;

·       Recalculation;

·       Examination;

·       Retracing;

·       Control testing;

·       Estimate testing;

·       Cross-checking;

·       Reconciliation

From those terms alone, you can tell that this is a much more analytical approach than compared with Certification.

[14:30] What’s the current status of Verification in the UK and overseas (as of 2024) – In addition to being the Managing Director of Blackmores, Mel is also CEO of Carbonology – a sister company dedicated to Carbon Standards.

Across both companies, we’re seeing a lot of interest in Sustainability Standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.

At this current time, there is not so much of a demand for Verification and as such, there’s not a demand for third-party verification at this stage. There is however, a demand for an impartial second-party Verification to back up an organisations’ claims.

[16:15] Need any help with ISO 14064 or ISO 14068? – Get in contact with Carbonology and speak to our expert Carbonologists.  

If you’d like assistance with other ISO Standards, get in contact with Blackmores and we’ll be happy to help 😊

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

ISO Standards are internationally recognised as the gold standard for best practice within a variety of subjects and sectors. 

But what ISO Standards are the most popular across the whole globe? And are there any trends that can be gleaned?

Thankfully, the International Standards Organization runs a yearly survey to find out!

Join Mel in this weeks’ episode as she breaks down the top 10 ISO Standards Implemented globally, where they are most popular and identifies key trends.

You’ll learn

·       What are the top 10 Implemented ISO Standards?

·       What Standards are gaining traction?

·       Where are the top 10 Standards most popular?

·       Are there any trends within the top 10 Implemented ISO Standards?

Resources

·       The ISO Show

·       ISO.org

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review – We love sharing top tips and dispelling myths about ISO Standards. Help us reach a wider audience by subscribing on your preferred media player, and leaving us a review 😊  

[01:10] Episode summary – We’ll be taking a look at the top 10 most popular ISO Standards based on the ISO Survey, run annually by iso.org. The survey results break down the number of ISO Certificates issued, and highlights which countries and sectors these Standards are most popular in.

We’re basing this episode on the 2022 results, as the 2023 results won’t be out until later this year. We’ll do another episode on the 2023 results to see what’s changed – so keep an eye out for that!

[02:14] #1: ISO 9001 – No surprises here! The Quality Management Standard is still top of the pops. It’s holding strong with a 12% increase based on the previous year.

It’s most popular within the Construction, wholesale & retail, electrical, machinery & equipment sectors.

China is in the lead with number of certificates issues (by a very large margin!), followed by Italy, India, Germany and the UK.

[03:30] #2: ISO 14001 – We’re happy to see the Environmental Management Standard so popular! In fact, it’s had a 21% increase over the previous year!

It’s most popular in China, Japan, Italy, UK and Spain.

Construction is the leading sector, but we’ve also seen an increase in the number of professional services choosing to adopt this Standard.

[04:15] #3: ISO 45001: Coming in at #3 we have the Occupational Health & Safety Management Standard. This has seen an even bigger increase in demand, 29% more than the previous year.

China still leads the way with number of certificates issued, but the UK and Australia are not far behind.

Interestingly, there is little uptake within the Agriculture sector, which is concerning considering they consistently have the highest injury and death statistics year on year (in the UK according to the annual HSE reports).

[05:25] #4: ISO 27001 –  The Information Security Management Standard comes in at #4, with a 21% increase in demand over the previous year.

Unsurprisingly, it’s increased primarily in the IT sector, but that’s followed by transport, storage and communications, along with financial services and real estate / renting.

[06:00] #5: ISO 22000 – The Standard for Food Safety Management makes it into the top 10, with it being more popular in Taiwan and Greece.

The sector specific information for this particular Standard is slim, but it’s applicable to any organisation involved in the making, packing and distribution of food, as well as organisations in the hospitality sector.

[06:30] #6: ISO 13485 – This is the Standard for Medical Devices. The USA are leading the way with certificates issued, followed by France, Germany and Italy.

We’re pleased to see that none of these ISO Standards are in any decline, and only seem to be increasing in popularity as the years go by.

[07:20] #7: ISO 50001 – This is the Standard for Energy Management, if you’d like to learn more about this Standard, check out a few of our previous episodes.

ISO 50001 has seen a 33% increase in demand, which is amazing to see! We hope this is a sign of more organisations taking climate change seriously, and taking the appropriate steps to start reducing their impact.

China is still in the lead where number of certificates issued is concerned, followed by Germany, Spain, Italy and France.  

[08:25] #8: ISO 20000 – The Service Management Standard is still very popular within countries where we see a lot of call center activity.

This used to be known as the ‘IT Service Management Standard’, but it has since evolved and encompasses Service Management as a whole. We did a podcast episode covering this Standard in 2023, so go back and listen if you’d like to find out more.

No surprises to see China still in the lead with number of certificates issued, followed by USA, India, Italy and Spain.

[09:15] #9: ISO 37001 – This one was a surprise, ISO 37001 is the Anti-Bribery Standard.

Blackmores have implemented this Standard in the Construction and Facilities Management sectors, but it’s a shock to see it in the top 10 as it’s always been very niche here in the UK.

This particular Standard is most popular in Peru, followed by Italy, Indonesia, Korea and Brazil.

We were curious about why Peru were in the lead, and it seems that there may be a requirement for certain organisations to have this. Back in 2017, we knew there was a voluntary requirement, but perhaps this has changed in the last few years. If we have any listeners in Peru – we’d love to hear your feedback on this subject!

[10:35] #10: ISO 22301 – The Business Continuity Standard. This Standard is most popular in the UK, and based on our experience, it’s commonly adopted by those in the professional services and IT managed services sectors to help provide resilience and continuity for their Stakeholders.

Other countries where it’s popular include India, China, Greece and Korea.

[11:20] The runners up – These Standards didn’t make it to the top 10, but they were very close:

·       ISO 55001 – Asset Management

·       ISO 20121 – Sustainable Event Management

·       ISO 44001 – Collaborative Business Management

[12:10] Conclusions – It’s clear to see that sustainability based Standards are becoming very popular. We’re particularly pleased to see the 33% increase in demand for ISO 50001!

If you’d like to request a specific topic, or be a guest on a future episode, get in contact and let us know.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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Before we dive into the new year, we’d like to take a step back and reflect on 2023. 

Last year was filled with a lot of topics and challenges, from tackling the transition to ISO 27001:2022, to finding credible ways to offset your carbon emissions within the UK.

With a total of 33 episodes published last year, Mel looks back on the 5 most popular episodes of 2023, including some highlights from each episode.

You’ll learn

·       What were the top 5 most popular podcast episodes of 2023?

·       A highlight from each of the top 5 episodes

Resources

·       The ISO Show

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:45] Editor shoutout – A special shout out to the Blackmores Communication Manager, Steph Churchman, who helps organise, produce and publish the ISO Show podcast!  

[01:20] Information Security was a favorite topic for 2023 – ISO 27001:2022 was definitely a hot topic in 2023, which is not a surprise seeing as anyone currently certified to ISO 27001:2013 will need to transition to the latest standard by October 2025. Many were making a start on this in 2023, or looking to plan it in for 2024.

[02:10] #1: Episode 128 What’s new with ISO 27001:2022? – Orginially published as part of a series of podcasts explaining the new Standard. This episode focuses on a high-level overview of the major changes.

Here are a few highlights from the snippet:

·       Steve Gives an overview of what’s new in ISO 27001:2022 – The updated version of ISO 27001 was released on the 26th Oct 2022. The new version included 24 changes and clarifications within the main clauses.

·       The controls for the new standard are now categorised into 4 groups: Organisation, People, Physical and Technology 

·       We covered some of the new controls in more detail in previous episodes: #109, #110, #111, #112, #113 and #114

·       The 24 changes and clarifications to Clauses include older existing clauses which have been tidied up to be more transparent. We recommend reviewing to ensure that you are complying in a way that aligns with the Standard.

·       There are 11 new Controls. 56 controls from the 2013 version have been reduced to 24 with 58 remaining unchanged. So, in short, Annex A has been simplified with less duplication of controls.

[09:15] #2: Episode 130 What are the 11 new controls in ISO 27001:2022? – In this episode we brought Steve Mason back to discuss the 11 new controls in ISO 27001:2022, and delve into the context of why these were added. We also highlight some of the resources we’ve made available in the isologuhub, including mention of our ISO 27001 Transition Gameplan.

Here are a few highlights from the snippet:

·       These new controls are nothing to worry about – they are simply aligning the Standard with more modern security considerations. You may already be complying with them!

·       Control A.5.7 Threat intelligence – ‘To provide awareness of the organization’s threat environment so that the appropriate mitigation actions can be taken.’ – This can come from many different sources, such as the NCSC or local police websites. There are also additional tools you can add to detect possible phishing attacks. This also includes consideration to external threats – Information Security is about much more than just protecting data! It also includes physical security.

·       Control A.5.23 Information security for use of cloud services – “To specify and manage information security for the use of cloud services.” – More and more businesses reply on cloud-based computing. It’s important to verify the security of your service provider to ensure it’s adequate. You can check to see if they have any valid Information Security related credentials such as CSA Star, Cyber Essentials, SOC. You could also adopt principles of ISO 27017 (certification for cloud security), ISO 27018 (Protection of PII in the public cloud) and ISO 27701 (PII security Standard).

·       Control A.5.30 ICT readiness for business continuity –‘ To ensure the availability of the organization’s information and other associated assets during disruption’ – There a few standards that could assist with this, including ISO 27031 (ICT readiness for Business Continuity). Those that have ISO 22301 may want to look at how ISO 27001 elements can be integrated and improved in any disaster recovery plans. ISO 27001 needs to be an integral part of any business continuity plans – not just a bolt on. Small business may not want to conduct a full business impact analysis, but should carry out a risk assessment around business continuity at the very least.

[21:20] #3: Episode 134 Credible Carbon offsetting with Treeconomy: We had some fantastic guests on the show last year, such as Harry Grocott – CEO of Treeconomy. We invited him on to talk about how we can demonstrate credible carbon offsetting through schemes here in the UK, and how you can avoid falling prey to greenwashing.

Here are a few highlights from the snippet:

·       Can we quantify the value of nature? Short answer right now is no, but there is a lot of nuance. Nature offers ecosystem services i.e. farms offer a calorific benefit, we can put a price on the value that offers. The same principle applies to resources such as wood or oil. Now we are gaining the ability to quantify CO2 removal, which is undeniably valuable to humanity.

·       Other more recent services such as biodiversity projects are a bit harder to quantify – as they vary so much depending on the country. However, we are starting to assign value to these.

·       How can people be sure that they don’t fall prey to Greenwashing? There are 2 main issues to consider: 1) Are your carbon credits credible? 2) what claims are top management making?

·       Tackling claims made by leadership: ISO standards are starting to solve this issue. There are clear requirements and certifications that need to be in place to back those claims. 

·       Tackling carbon credits: The carbon offsetting market is heavily unregulated currently. Essentially it’s a lot of people trading in invisible gas. There are a number of carbon standards (Not quite at the same level as ISO Standards), such as the Woodland Carbon Code and the Peatland Code, and Internationally there are standards such as Verra VSC – unfortunately, a lot of these standards aren’t very robust and aren’t enforced.

·       Many companies will often look to buy the cheapest offsets available, which are likely to be non-credible and will provide no evidence of actual offsetting occurring. But, there are a lot of new companies emerging that provide tangible evidence of offsetting (such as Treeconomy  )

[33:50] #4: Episode 136 dotdigital’s sustainable transformation with ISO 14001 –  We’re always delighted to share stories about our clients’ ISO journeys. In this case we got the chance to talk to Steve Shaw, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at dotdigital, about their journey to achieve ISO 14001.

Dotdigital have a habit of going above and beyond when it comes to implementing ISO Standards, and this time is no different as Steve explains some of the fantastic sustainability initiatives introduced as a result of gaining certification.

Here are a few highlights from the snippet:

·       dotdigital was the worlds first carbon neutral marketing automation platform that was ISO 14001 certified. They also aim to be net zero by 2030!

·       They have a relatively small footprint as a primarily digital based company, only really having to consider the running of computers, air conditioning and standard office facilities. So it can be a challenge to reduce!

·       What led to the success of dotgreen? – dotdigital launched a group called dotgreen, which has since thrived into a community of likeminded individuals all working together to improve and reduce dotdigital’s impact. They were fortunate to have an Executive group sponsor who can take ideas and suggestions to other leadership for consideration. This grassroots group encourages suggestions from everyone – no idea is a bad idea. Over time, the group evolved and helped to develop a sustainability programme for the business. 

·       What was one of the initiatives implemented from dotgreen? – They identified that existing data centers used by the business weren’t always utilising renewable energy. So, over the course of 2 years, they worked with Microsoft to build on their Azure platform to enable dotdigital to make the switch. Azure runs on renewable energy sources, and any remaining emissions can be offset through carbon credits.

·       A green option for their customers – As a result of their cloud platform now being run through green partners, they can extend the environmental benefit to their customers. 

[42:25] #5: Episode 135 Emerging SaaS Trends in Health and Safety – Health and Safety can be quite the task to keep on top of, a well known fact for anyone certified to ISO 45001. Thankfully, there are a number of Software as a Service options out there to make the lives of Health and Safety professionals much easier. New and emerging technologies are only going to develop more rapidly with the integration of AI and machine learning.

We invited James Sharp, Chief Technical Officer at Riskex, onto the show to discuss the top 10 emerging SaaS trends, including how each can help streamline processes and gather and analyse large amounts of data.

Here are a few highlights from the snippet:

·       Riskex have been certified to a number of ISO Standards, including ISO 18001 (Prior Health and Safety Standard, now certifying to the latest version, ISO 45001), ISO 27001 (Information Security) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management)

·       Software as a Service became very popular during Covid, as business became very fragmented and were looking for solutions that could be rolled out across multiple sites. Riskex also created their own track and trace system based on established software they were already offering – helping businesses manage Covid safely.

·       Trend #1 – Artificial Intelligence – Artificial learning is all around us and with vast volumes of data being collected by safety management platforms.   AI allows decision engines to predict and provide guidance based on key trends or established KPI’s. For example, if accident rates were to increase but at the same time risk levels have been reducing, it could soon highlight this trend and look at other surrounding data or previous trends to establish a pattern.  This will lead to a more pro-active approach to reporting and subsequent decision-making.

·       Trend #2 – API Connectivity – Providing an open API platform will allow businesses to integrate internal systems and external services to digest data. As more organisations adopt Cloud solutions, connectivity between platforms has become increasingly important. With a robust API offering, multiple business services can interact with ease and become part of the safety management space, without incurring significant cost or time.

·       Trend #3 – Low-Code Optimisation – Developing generic components within software to allow for quicker builds, implementations and tailoring requests. As stand-alone and generic component development increases, solutions can offer more flexibility and self-serve options to the end user to assist them with aligning platforms with their specific processes.

·       Trend #4 – Mobile Optimisation – More and more end-users are accessing health and safety software via their mobiles but for various reasons, are not always able to use native apps (installed on the device). Therefore, health and safety software platforms need to adapt use on multiple devices, without the loss of features.

We can’t wait to dive into new topics this year! If you’d like to request a specific topic, or be a guest on a future episode, get in contact and let us know.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Trying to achieve Carbon Neutrality can feel like a monumental task, especially with so many separate elements that you have to complete. From quantifying your data, reducing where possible and offsetting the remainder, it can be hard to keep track of it all with taking a structured approach. 

Which is where ISO 14068 comes in. This is the new Standard for Climate Change Management, and it’s specially designed to help businesses with the transition to Net Zero.

In this weeks’ episode Mel explains 10 reasons why you should use ISO 14068 – the new Standard for Carbon Neutrality.   

You’ll learn

·       What is ISO 14068?

·       Why should you adopt ISO 14068?

·       How can Carbonology Support you with ISO 14068?

Resources

●      Carbonology

●      Grab a copy of our Net Zero Planner

●      ISO 14068

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] What is ISO 14068? – This is standard for Climate Change Management. If you’d like to find out more about the Standard, it’s purpose and how it can prevent green washing, go back and watch our previous episode.

[00:55] Where to find more information – This podcast is based off BSI’s most recent Publication on ISO 14068: ‘Climate Change Management – Transition to Net Zero – Part 1: Carbon Neutrality (A BSI Executive Briefing).

You can download this from a recent blog on BSI’s website.

[01:05] Reason 1: A structured approach – Mel found out firsthand from a recent EMEX event that people are looking for a structured approach to carbon neutrality.

ISO 14068 gives organisations a structured process for developing a detailed carbon neutrality management plan with short- and long-term targets.

[02:10] Reason 2: Quality - In contrast to unsubstantiated claims of neutrality, claims under ISO 14068 have to be based on all GHGs, take a lifecycle approach and can only be made after the development of long-term planning, with real GHG reductions in place, and offsetting restricted to residual emissions using high quality carbon credits.

[03:10] Reason 3: Credibility: Use of this internationally recognised standard can offer market benefits by increasing the credibility and verifiability of a product or organisational claim of carbon neutrality.

This Standard has been developed by international technical committees and subject matter experts across the globe, which gives it a lot more credibility in the eyes of Stakeholders. They will have confidence that claims are transparent and reliable from those who adopt ISO 14068.

[04:22] Reason 4: Global Recognition –  A quick reminder - Those who have been listening to the ISO Show for a while now may remember our previous podcasts on PAS 2060 – the previous Standard for Carbon Neutrality. Companies will now have 2 years to transition to ISO 14068. We’ll be doing a podcast on how to go about doing that in 2024!

Circling back to Global Recognition, ISO 14068 provides a common set of criteria for measuring and reporting carbon neutrality. This ensures consistency across different organizations and industries, underpins easer comparisons for carbon neutrality efforts between entities, allows stakeholders to assess and benchmark efforts, and supports global recognition for claims of carbon neutrality.

[05:30] Reason 5: Convenience – If you’ve already got other ISO’s in place, good news! ISO 14068 is designed to work with other quantification standards such as ISO 14064 or other equivalents.

[05:55] Reason 6: Flexibility - ISO 14068 can be used by any sized organisation, in any country or sector. It can also be applied to whole organisations or individual products.

[05:55] Reason 7: Responsibility - The standard encourages organisations to take responsibility for minimising their own carbon footprint before paying third parties to offset their emissions.

We’ve seen in the past where people think just paying for carbon credits will work in the long-term – which just isn’t sustainable. You should be looking to reduce as much as possible before moving onto the Offsetting stage.

[08:00] Reason 9: Risk Mitigation – Adopters of ISO 14068 will be in a strong position to manage current and emerging regulatory and market risks in relation to GHG emissions.

It’s a competitive market place out there, with ESG requirements appearing more on tenders year on year. Many will now require you to prove your commitment to carbon neutrality, and it’s become clear that we need Standards to be able to provide that evidence.

This is where ISO 14068 comes in, as you will have that proven methodology that you can then demonstrate to those stakeholders.

[09:30] Reason 10: Competitiveness –  ISO 14068 demonstrates a commitment to climate action can also mitigate reputational risks and enhance brand value, market access and competitiveness

[10:30] Further Information –  Our sister company, Carbonology, will be publishing more content around ISO 14068 in 2024. Check back on their website to find out more.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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We’re inching closer to our 2030 and 2050 Net Zero targets, and if we keep going the way we are, we’re not going to hit either one.  

This is unsurprising considering the lack of a unified approach to achieving Net Zero. There are a lot of options to tackle certain aspects of sustainability, but few outline an entire pathway to guide businesses towards a tangible goal. 

However, that may be set to change with the release of ISO 14068-1:2023 – Climate Change Management!

In this weeks’ episode Mel explains what BS ISO 14068 is, who can use the Standard, and how this Standard can combat green washing.  

You’ll learn

·       What is ISO 14068?

·       Who is this Standard for?

·       Why was this Standard created?

·       How can ISO 14068 help businesses to tackle climate change

·       How can ISO 14068 help combat green washing

Resources

●      Carbonology

●      Grab a copy of our Net Zero Planner

●      ISO 14068

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Introduction and episode summary – ISO 14068 has just been published, superseding PAS 2060. In this episode, we’ll explore what this Standard is all about, how it can help you and help prevent green washing.

Keep an eye out for our follow-up episode, which will give you more insight into the 10 reasons for adopting this Standard to achieve Net Zero in 2024.

[01:40] A passion for Sustainability – If you’re new, you may not be aware that Mel is the CEO of both Blackmores and Carbonology. Carbonology was created as a sister company in 2023, and it’s sole purpose is to help businesses to be able to demonstrate with credibility and complete transparency - A legitimate route to achieving carbon neutrality.

[03:00]  What is ISO 14068-1:2023? – This is standard for businesses transitioning to Net Carbon zero.

The standard for specifies the requirements for achieving and demonstrating carbon neutrality through the quantification, reduction, removal and offsetting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

[03:30] Who can use this Standard? BS ISO 14068-1:2023 can be used by any organization, in the private or public sectors, that wishes to make either the organization or a product climate neutral. Products may be consumer-facing or business to business, and include all types of goods and services, including events and financial services.

[04:05] Why has this Standard been developed now?: To avoid the worst effects and keep the rise in global temperatures to no more than 1.5°C, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of eminent scientists has identified that we need to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 40% in this decade and to global net zero by 2050.

However, working towards a long-term target of net zero can be difficult without recognition of achievements along the pathway. That’s where carbon neutrality can help; organisations that have a clear plan and have started making real greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions can counterbalance their remaining carbon footprint using high quality carbon credits / offsets to achieve carbon neutrality.

ISO 14068-1 is the new International Standard that sets out requirements for organisations wishing to achieve carbon neutrality, including for products, such as goods, services or events.

ISO 14068-1 also provides a rigorous and robust framework for avoiding greenwashing, and builds on the 15 years’ experience of the previous Standard – PAS 2060.

Organizations using the standard will benefit in two main ways: internally, through having a clear guide on best practice in reaching carbon neutrality; and externally, by demonstrating compliance with a rigorous standard on carbon neutrality.

[06:40] How can the standard help businesses that are still scratching their heads about how to tackle climate change? -  The standard provides clear principles that entities need to consider when seeking carbon neutrality. These include establishing a hierarchy, so that GHG emission reductions are made first – and reductions are often the most cost-effective way of reducing a carbon footprint, avoiding the need for potentially costly carbon credits.

The hierarchy is then used to determine a pathway to carbon neutrality, including short- and long-term targets for minimising the carbon footprint. The standard also explains how the pathway is used in developing a detailed carbon neutrality management plan, which provides clear guidance for those responsible for the implementation of carbon neutrality.

[08:30] How can the standard combat green washing? In recent years, there have been many claims of carbon neutrality that are unsubstantiated or supported only by purchasing a few carbon credits, with a consequent risk of greenwashing.

Following BS ISO 14068-1 means organiations will be able to demonstrate that their claim of carbon neutrality is underpinned by real action to reduce GHG emissions and includes a clear pathway to eliminate all possible GHG emissions, so it does not just fall back on purchasing carbon credits in the market. This significantly improves the credibility of a claim.

[09:45] Keep an eye out for future episodes! We’ll be talking more about ISO 14068 in future episodes, including the benefits of adopting this Standard. We’ll also dedicate an episode to explaining the difference between Certification and Verification – so stay tunned!

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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The use of AI within business is starting to become more common place. With major applications like Microsoft Teams and Word integrating many new features designed to make our lives easier. 

However, we still need to exercise caution with this new technology and consider what we can put in place to mitigate any potential security risks while developing or utilizing it. Which is precisely what today’s guest, Monolith, has done.

Monolith provide a machine learning program that engineers can adopt to build highly accurate self-learning AI models that instantly predict the performance of systems in a wide variety of operating conditions.

In this weeks’ episode Mel is joined by Æsc George, Senior Software Engineer at Monolith, to discuss why they have adopted ISO 27001, explain their implementation journey and the benefits of having an Information Security Management System. 

You’ll learn

·       Who are Monolith AI?

·       What was their main driver behind obtaining ISO 27001?

·       What was the biggest Gap identified in the initial Gap Analysis?

·       What benefits did Monolith AI gain from implementing ISO 27001?

Resources

●      Monolith

●      ISO 27001 Transition Gameplan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] An introduction to Monolith and Æsc George – Monolith AI is all about empowering engineers to develop self-learning models from their engineering test data. With this they can develop machine learning models to really accelerate new product introductions and get these new products to market much more quickly, primarily by using these models to accelerate and streamline their testing.

They are currently recommended for ISO 27001 certification, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their physical certificate.

Æsc George is a Senior Software Engineer of this web browser based software. He is also the interim security officer, which is why he was tasked with obtaining ISO 27001.

Fun fact about Æsc: He was a proud owner of a colony of 8 rats! He currently takes care of 4 cats, which have access to a plethora of enrichment in his home 😊

[03:35] What was the main driver for Monolith to obtain ISO 27001? – There were a few drivers, the most obvious being that they want to display their commitment and credibility when it comes to Information Security.

Acquiring ISO 27001 makes it easier to show their clients and prospects that their engineering data is in safe hands.

Monolith also know that there's a lot of buzz about artificial intelligence and machine learning at the moment, and that buzz covers both sides of the coin. What good it can do for the world and the harms it can do, so aligning with ISO 27001 shows that they’re trying to use AI in a responsible way.

[05:10] The start-up is getting a head start! – Monolith AI is a start-up company, only a year in and already leading the way for AI development by ensuring security is a priority from the start.

[05:40] How long did it take to implement ISO 27001? Nine months from the point of contacting Blackmores to assist to being recommended for certification.

Æsc recounts his experience: “My perception is that the effort was quite front loaded, so the amount of effort involved in the process almost wound down towards the end - even with the external audit happening towards the end.

I think once the information security management had been established and we'd worked it into our day-to-day, the perceived effort was lower. So I felt pretty confident going through our audit processes because I've experienced the system working already.”

[08:15] What was the biggest gap identified at the Gap Analysis?: There wasn’t a formal approach to information security risk and risk treatment.

There were already a number of existing systems and ad-hoc arrangements to mitigate information security risks – but they had been framed in terms of risk.

They hadn’t gone through a process where risks were quantified and weighed against each other.

So following the gap analysis, one of the many actions Monolith took was to make sure they were consistently and regularly assessing information security risk in various dimensions.

They now have the right framework in place to allocate the appropriate time and resources towards information security, and to prioritise the biggest risks.

[10:10] What difference has Implementing ISO 27001 made? -  It’s given Monolith more confidence in their understanding of Information Security risks, and assurance that there aren’t any massive, unidentified risks that may cause trouble later down the line.

It’s also made it easier to discuss information security risk and policy decisions. Monolith AI are a remote first company, allowing their staff the freedom to experiment with new technologies, and be in an environment where they feel comfortable. Having formal risk treatment in place means they can maintain this highly flexible, highly innovative and productive way of working – but with their eyes wide open.

[11:40] What has Æsc learned from the experience of Implementing ISO 27001? Æsc is not new to ISO Management Systems, having been involved with the maintenance and implementation of a few in the past.

However, he has gained an appreciation for the nuance in ISO 27001. For example, the knowledge that the standard uses words like ‘should’ and ‘shall’ that have particular intentions – ‘shall’ being mandatory and ‘should’ being recommended.

His previous experiences with Management systems had more available resource than at Monolith, so learning this nuance has been important in the prioritization of focus and resources in his current position.

[13:30] What have been the main benefits from Implementing ISO 27001? Having a holistic and formal approach to Information Security and risk management compared to the ad-hoc approach they had prior.

It’s brought the company together on a really important issue, and helped everyone to understand the role they play in Information Security.

Personally, Æsc has enjoyed reaching out to people he may not ordinarily get the chance to work with, as a result of this unifying issue that everyone at Monolith cares about. 

[17:00] Once Monolith formally receive their ISO 27001 certificate, what benefits will that bring? – Currently Monolith AI are recommended for Certification, and are simply waiting on the delivery of their physical certificate.

Once received, they will be able to present it to prospects and clients if they are questioned on information security credentials – to show that they are serious about their commitment to security.

It will also open doors to new prospects that may bother considering them as a supplier due to the lack of ISO 27001 certification.

They are also a leading example in the relatively new industry of AI, those with ISO 27001 certification at this stage stand out from other competitors.

[19:15] What tips does Æsc have for those starting out on their ISO jorney? –  Speaking from experience, Æsc recommends hiring a specialist in ISO to assist with your implementation.

In his case, Blackmores helped to organise the process, drive a lot of the early gap analysis and gave him confidence in going through internal and external audits.

Having someone with experience acting as a guiding hand makes the whole process go a lot more smoothly. This could be a consultant, or someone you train within your own business.

These projects are the sort of thing that turn passion into action. Whether that’s information security or environmental management ect, it’s better to have someone experienced or trained in the nuances of the Standard to ensure it’s implemented in a way that truly benefits your business.

 [21:20] Æsc’s book recommendation -  Nature's Calendar: The British Year in 72 Seasons by Kiera Chapman, Rowan Jaines, Lulah Ellender and Rebecca Warren. It’s Inspired by a traditional Japanese calendar which divides the year into segments of four to five days, this book guides you through a year of 72 seasons as they manifest in the British Isles.

As Æsc describes: “Lots of the seasons will be very familiar to people who've lived in this country their whole life, but they may not have necessarily thought about the context of it.

So I think is really grounding. Time and the way we measure it can seem so arbitrary and abstract sometimes, and measuring minutes and hours is responsible for so much stress and anxiety, so taking a breath, thinking about how nature moves at a different, slower, more deliberate pace, and finding the time to synchronise with that move with nature can be a really rewarding experience”

[24:15] One of Æsc’s favorite quotes -  “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” - Henry David Thoreau (from his book ‘Walden’)

[26:10] Need help with your ISO 27001 transition? – We have an ISO 27001 Transition Gameplan available on the isologyhub. This Gameplan provides a step by step guide for you to transition to the latest 2022 Standard.

If you’d like to learn more about Monolith AI, check out their website.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

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The demand for tangible sustainability action is becoming more pressing as we inch closer to our 2030 and 2050 Net Zero targets. 

However, that is still quite a way off, and many businesses are dragging their feet when it comes to taking action. Sure, some may have an ESG Policy or mention it on their website, however that term is starting to become synonymous with green washing due to poor implementation in many cases. 

So, what can you do to make a difference right now?

In this weeks’ episode Mel explains the principle of Parkinson’s law, how ISO Standards can help to tackle climate change and how you can achieve Net Zero in just 90 days. 

You’ll learn

·       What Parkinson’s Law is

·       How can ISO standards help tackle climate change

·       The 3 reasons why businesses are behind on achieving net zero

·       How you can achieve Net Zero in just 90 days using the Net Zero Planner

Resources

●      Carbonology

●      Register for EMEX here

●      Grab a copy of our Net Zero Planner

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:25] Come visit the Carbonology stand at EMEX! – EMEX is a free exhibition to learn about carbon management, ESG and sustainability. It takes place at ExCeL London on 22nd – 23rd November 2023 – Carbonology will be at Stand G38. Come grab a free Net Zero Planner while you’re there! Register your place here.

[02:10] Episode Summary – Today we’ll be talking about why we need to act now rather than in a decade or two, how ISO Standards can play a critical role in tackling climate change and using the Net Zero Planner to help you set achievable objectives to work towards Net Zero in just 90 days.    

[02:55]  We need to act now rather than later! – Our 2030 and 2050 targets are very far away, which results in businesses not doing much to address them in the meantime.

They might have an ESG policy or they might have something referencing ESG on their website, but are they actually taking action right now to make that happen? In many cases, no. Which is where Parkinson’s Law comes into play.

[03:40] What is Parkinson’s Law? Parkinson's Law is the idea that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. This may mean you take longer than necessary to complete a task or you procrastinate and complete the task right before the due date.

Parkinson's Law is the old adage that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion. The term was first coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson in a humorous essay he wrote for “The Economist” in 1955.

Lets say you are given a task to complete a report in 3 weeks, chances are if you were given the task to do in 1 week – you’d make it happen.

Parkinson's Law says that the perceived importance and difficulty of a task will grow in proportion to the amount of time given to finish it.

[05:30] Is it possible to achieve Net Zero in 2024?: Yes! Carbonology® been turning around projects to help businesses to build net carbon neutral in less than three months -  so why can’t you?

[06:05] The Net Zero Planner -  The Net Zero in 90 days planner gives you a pathway to follow to achieve Net Carbon Zero.

Each day focuses on a specific task, enabling you to make step by step progress to achieve your goals.

Your Net Zero Planner provides the foundations for not only achieving Net Zero but also achieving verification to Carbon standards along the way. Grab a copy here!

[08:25] What role do ISO Standards play in tackling climate change? Standards have a critical role in helping meet climate goals. Particularly when there is an influx of greenwashing across industries.

The international standards for carbon verification (ISO 14064) and carbon neutrality (PAS 2060, due to be ISO 14064 in 2024) support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and create a level playing field, providing transparency, reliability, accountability and without a doubt, credibility.

[10:00] Why are businesses struggling to achieve Net Zero? there are three reasons why businesses are behind on achieving Net Zero:-

·       Time and resources have not been dedicated.

·       Lack of focus and structure

·       Lack of knowledge on what to do

The Net Zero Planner will help to address these challenges.

[11:15] Carbonology is there to support you – Some of the tasks in the planner may be tricky – quantifying your emissions for example, this is always going to be challenging.

Carbonology is there to support you, either with consultancy or digital resources via the Carbonologyhub. If you need some extra assistance, simply contact them.

[11:55] How can the Net Zero Planner help you? –  First and foremost, Net zero is not going to happen, unless you prioritise your time.

This starts with designing your ideal week. Imagine how would you structure your week if you had 100% control. What does your ideal week look like?

Remember, What gets scheduled gets done.  Sticking to a plan takes discipline, but imagine if every business dedicated 2 hours a day for 3 months, we’d be achieving net zero well before 2050!

By setting aside 2 hours a day to complete a Net Zero task, you and your team will be well equipped to put your planning in place and achieve Net Zero accreditation! Of course, not every week will be aligned with your ideal week, but it’s a guide that you can refer back to.

 [13:00] Making progress with the Net Zero Planner -  It’s imperative you review progress on a weekly and monthly basis and at the end of the 9O days. This will help to drive momentum when you see what you’ve achieved and also provide a reality check if you need additional support or time.

The weekly, monthly and quarterly review provides an opportunity to look back at your progress and allows you time to reflect on what went well, and where you’ve been having challenges which may result in making decisions to address any shortfalls.

 This could include allowing more time for a specific task the following week, delegating responsibilities internally or outsourcing activities i.e. carbon quantification or verification.

It's recommended that you schedule this review and reflection time in your calendar i.e. 1 hour on a Friday afternoon or at the end of the month. In addition to the structured planner pages, there are blank pages for expanding on your ideas and taking notes.

[15:25] Special Deal! -  The Net Zero Planner is available for Amazon at a reduced price of £7.99 until the 15th December 2023. The Standard price will be £14.99. If you’re at EMEX on the 22nd or 23rd November 2023, we have 100 free copies to give away!

Lastly, if you have an questions or would like to learn more about how Carbonology can help you, feel free to book a call in via David’s Calendly.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

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Sustainability has become a top topic to address in the last few years, both for businesses and individuals. In fact, 90% of business leaders think sustainability is important, but only 60% actually have a sustainability Strategy.

The demand for tangible action is becoming more pressing as we inch close to the 2030 milestone of the Paris Agreement.

To encourage action from businesses, we’re seeing more public and private sector contracts include a tendering requirement to show your commitment to sustainability. One such example is the need for a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan.

In this weeks’ episode David Algar, Principal Carbonologist® at Carbonology, joins Mel to explain how to create a Carbon Reduction Plan, shares some top tips on presentation and how Carbonology® can support you.

You’ll learn

·       How to create a Carbon Reduction Plan

·       How Carbonology® can help you align that plan with ISO 14064 and PAS 2060

·       Addressing difficult tendering questions

·       How to best present your Carbon Reduction Plan

Resources

●      Carbonology

●      Book a call with David Algar

●      A quick Guide to creating your PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:24] What are PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plans? – Go back and listen to our previous episode to learn more.  

[00:42] Episode Summary – Today we’ll be talking about how to create a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP), how to deal with difficult tendering questions and the best ways in which to present your CRP.   

[02:46]  How do you actually calculate the emissions? We have gone into this in a lot more detail on a previous episode, but to summarise:-

Emissions are calculated by taking your activity data, such as kWh of electricity, or miles driven in a vehicle, and multiplying it by an emission conversion factor.

Specific emission conversion factors are available from DEFRA for specific activity data, they are also year-specific.

The hard part is sourcing your activity data, accounting for missing information, performing estimates, and ensuring the overall methodology is accurate.

This is all done in alignment with ISO1464-1, as well as the PPN guidelines, so one of the very first things we’ll do with you is define your organisational and reporting boundaries,

[05:27] How can a business set carbon reduction targets and forecast emissions? This is tricky as it involves trying to predict the future, not just in the short term, but potentially several decades ahead depending on your goal.

The good thing is you know the end destination of your carbon pathway: little to no emissions by 2050.

Using this and some simple maths you can at least map out where you should be each year when moving forward from the base year, the base year being the period you use to compare future results against.

Usually the base year is the first year you complete calculations, but this can change over time. We’re finding some clients are opting to change their base year to account for the disruption of COVID-19 on operations

[06:40] How do you actually set the targets?: When we look at target setting and emission forecasts we generally take 2 approaches:

Milestones:

·       The first, and our most common approach, is about setting milestones based on specific carbon reduction initiatives the business can implement, at specific dates.

·       For instance, all company vehicles being hybrid by 2025 and fully EV by 2035? Or what if we phased out gas by a certain date? Or cut out all single use plastics?

·       Using this milestone method for the forecasting can be tricky, but you can end up with a carbon pathway that is more representative of real life. 

Straight line method:

·       The second is what we refer to as the ‘straight line’ method. This is a simpler approach that involves doing some simple maths to plan out your carbon targets for each year, without factoring in specific milestones or events.

·       We refer to this unofficially as the ‘straight line’ method as the graph showing your carbon pathway is pretty much a straight line from your base year towards net zero, using the milestones method gives a ’bumpy’ line due to the influence of specific milestones at specific years.

[08:35] A tip for setting targets for the first time is by thinking ‘what if? This is essentially looking at the thing you’re doing now and replacing it with a more sustainable alternative. For instance, calculating what your business travel emissions would be last year if they were all completed in hybrids, or if domestic flights were replaced by train journeys.

Doing these ‘what if?’ calculations is a bit hypothetical as operations are likely to change over the years, but it still helps give you a specific target to aim for a specific GHG sources.

[10:40] How can you influence carbon reduction in areas where you have no direct control? Some areas will be out of your control, for instance if you ship goods in from around the world you can’t necessarily decide how they get to you, or if they are transported via more sustainable transport.

·       One thing you can do is aim to set a good example yourself as a business

·       You could also adopt the PPN framework yourself and request it from anyone that is aiming to win your business

·       Another quick win is actually speaking to your suppliers. If you use a local delivery firm you could speak to them about their plans for an electric fleet, or more sustainable packaging. Or if you use a data centre, you could enquire about if is run on renewable energy sources

[13:15] But what if we are planning to grow as a business? Results are expected to fluctuate over time, so if they go up after the base year this shouldn’t impact your success or failure in your tender submission. The aim is obviously to decrease on average over time

If you know for certain that they will increase in the next few years, for instance through opening new sites, making acquisitions, or just natural growth, that’s ok.

You could pick a new base year if operations significantly change as this will give a more realistic figure to work down from. You can also use this as an opportunity to evidence efficiency improvements through intensity metrics, such as your tonnes of carbon per employee, or relative to your revenue.

 [15:15] In what other ways can Carbonology help to support you? – Once everyone is happy with the CRP, you’ll then have to actually use it in tenders. The fun thing about tenders is that they can all ask different questions, despite PPN having technical requirements, so you can’t always have the information to hand before submitting one.

We can’t write your tender submissions for you, but we can provide guidance and pull out the necessary figures if requested, for instance if you need certain numbers to support with your Social Value Model reporting.

[16:20] How can this help on your journey to Carbon Neutrality? –  If you’ve gone through all the hard work to create a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan, you’ll be in the ideal position to achieve carbon neutrality of your operations via PAS 2060.

The next step would be creating a PAS 2060 Qualifying Explanatory Statement, or QES, which details how you have achieved carbon neutrality through offsetting, and your commitment to maintain this for future reporting periods.

[17:25] Where does the verification come into play? If you’ve already calculated your emissions you may be asked to have them independently verified by an independent third party.

We’ve recently developed a process so we can check over you GHG calculations, policies, procedure and overall alignment with the standard.

As part of this, Carbonology can provide a verification report with all findings and opportunities for improvement, as a well as a verification statement to show you have had emission independently verified in alignment with ISO 14064.

For further information, David has prepared a quick guide for creating your PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan. Feel free to download it here.

Lastly, if you have an questions or would like to learn more about how Carbonology can help you, feel free to book a call in via David’s Calendly.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List

Sustainability has become one of the main focal points for businesses to address in the last few years, and for good reason! We’re already seeing the devastating effects of simply doing nothing in the form of more extreme weather, occurring much more frequently in areas not equip to handle it. 

To encourage action from businesses, we’re seeing more public and private sector contracts include a tendering requirement to show your commitment to sustainability. One such example is the need for a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan.

In this weeks’ episode David Algar, Principal Carbonologist at Carbonology, joins Mel to explain exactly what PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plans are, what the requirements mean in practice and the consequences if a business does not meet the requirements.

You’ll learn

·       What are PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plans?

·       What the requirements mean in practice

·       Benefits to a business

·       What if a business does not meet the requirements?

Resources

●      Carbonology

●      Book a call with David Algar

●      A quick Guide to creating your PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan

In this episode, we talk about:

[00:42] Episode Summary - We’re talking about PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plans because there is a government requirement to submit one. This episode will cover the what and why, in part 2 we’ll go into more detail about how to create a Carbon Reduction Plan.   

[02:10]  What is a PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan? Procurement Policy Note 06/21 was introduced back in June 2021, hence the 06/21 part, and is a tendering requirement for companies looking to win contracts in the public sector that links to the Government’s Net Zero target.

[02:28] What is the UK government’s Net Zero target? The ‘net zero target’ refers to a government commitment to ensure the UK reduces its emissions by 100% from 1990 levels by 2050.  

[02:55] Who does PPN apply to?: Public sector, so any businesses that works with education, local authorities, housing, infrastructure, defence, transit, and of course, the NHS who have set a goal of Net Zero by 2040.

Officially this is for contracts that are valued at £5M or more, but in April 2024 the NHS will be requesting a Carbon Reduction Plan for all procurement.

Unofficially, this framework could be adopted by any business, so even if you don’t deal directly with the public sector, or are a subcontractor, your supply chain may soon be requesting a Carbon Reduction Plan!

[04:05] Why do you need a Carbon Reduction Plan? Although the Government’s targets and policies around Net Zero keep changing, the overall goal of PPN 06/21 is to encourage businesses to reach Net Zero before 2050, come up with a plan to do so, and implement emission reduction initiatives in the delivery of Government contracts.

[04:35] From a businesses perspective, what are the main benefits? There are 2 main benefits:

●      It’s essential for some tendering, with as much as a 10% weighting based on your carbon management and social values. Put simply, if you don’t produce one when needed, you may fail the tender requirements and probably won’t make the sale.

●      The second main benefit is that this isn’t just a piece of paper with a graph on it, it’s a great opportunity to investigate your business’ GHG emissions, and put a plan in place to reduce them. This also helps you show to stakeholders that you are actually committed to environmental protection and could identify some cost savings in your business after going through all the data.

●      It’s also a great addition to any existing ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 Management Systems!

[06:10] What are the key requirements of PPN 06/21? –    Firstly you’ll need to make a commitment to achieving net zero by 2050 at the latest. This includes annually calculating your emissions and updating the Carbon Reduction Plan.

Next you’ll need to report on a minimum set of GHG categories: 100% of your Scope 1 emissions, so direct emission from company vehicles, gas heating (so stuff you burn) and any fugitive emissions, which are leaks from HVAC systems for most businesses. 100% of your Scope 2 emissions which is electricity most of the time but can also refer to steam you import from an external source.

You’ll also need to report on 5 Scope 3 categories, these are your indirect emissions:

●      Waste generated in operations

●      Business travel in vehicles you don’t own, so staff cars, flights, trains, etc

●      Commuting, so staff traveling to and from work, being careful not to double count business travel not already claimed under expenses

●      And arguably the most complicated, upstream and downstream transportation, i.e. goods in, and goods out – physical transport of goods

[09:50] Are there any other categories covered by scope 3 that we should consider? –  Generally, when we produce a CRP for our clients, we’ll look at a few extra Scope 3 categories such as water, homeworking, or purchased goods, so carbon reduction planning can extend to other elements of the business. In all cases you’ll need to report in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or tCO2e, as this accounts for the global warming potential of multiple GHGs.

[11:30] Are there any ISO standards that you can align the Carbon Reduction Plan to? Yes! At Carbonology, we use ISO 14064-1. This sets out a series requirements and guiding principles for the quantification and reporting of emissions. We wouldn’t necessarily have to go all the way to meeting every single requirement of the standard for your CRP but we always align with the key requirement of the standard when completing a CRP.

And if you’re lucky we’ll also cover your SECR figures!

[12:05] What is SECR? -  Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting. This is mandatory reporting for businesses that are defined as large, so 250+ staff, and 36M turnover or 18M on the balance sheet.

[18:20] Asset Management -  In 8.2 there is a consideration for Asset Management on your side. You should take care of any assets relating to the customer, where it’s stored and how it’s being looked after.

Standards such as ISO 27001 (Information Security) and ISO 55001 (Asset Management) already have some considerations for this.

[13:30] You’ve calculated your GHG results, what’s next?-  Once you’ve calculated emission from the required sources, you’ll then need to look at the carbon reduction side of your Carbon Reduction Plan.

To start with you’ll need to outline existing initiatives you have, for instance, a sustainable travel policy, EV charging on site or a hybrid working model. It’s really important that these are relevant to the delivery of the contract you are trying to secure.

Next, you’ll need to outline planned future initiatives, but bear in mind, these will need to be realistic and relevant, so no wild claims about buying an EV fleet or going zero waste next week!

Once you’ve done all this you can then start looking at carbon reduction forecasts and what the numbers might look like between now and 2050 (or you chosen date.

[15:10] Additional PPN 06/21 tips from David:  It will need to be signed off by a director, or equivalent, at your business to demonstrate leadership commitment. If the document isn’t signed off on you may fail on the tender.

You’ll need to publish it on your website, making it easy to access. Simple solution to this is just add a link at the bottom of your landing page.

And finally, you’ll need to make sure this is kept up to date each year. Reporting for emissions occurs on a 12 monthly basis. This can either be calendar year or your financial year, but ideally, you’ll want to publish the updated version as soon as you can after the year-end, certainly no longer than 6 months after.

[16:40] What does a Carbon Reduction Plan look like? - When the government announced this requirement, they also released a template document that businesses can complete. This is to simplify the process for businesses that are reporting on emission for the first time, but more importantly it standardises reporting. However, the template is a bit basic!

You’re not marked on presentation, but you can dress it up a little as long as you don’t deviate from the template too much. So feel free to put come company branding on it, make a cover page, change the font, etc.

You could also make a ‘full’ version of your CRP that includes further details on boundaries, methodologies and results, just make sure you only submit the template version to tenders.

[19:10] What happens if you don’t meet the requirements? - If you don’t meet the requirements without a valid reason, chances are you’ll fail the selection criteria. The selection criteria is a bit like the marking scheme associated with PPN. We can’t say for a fact that this means you’ll subsequently fail the tender, but it will certainly have a negative impact.

For further information, David has prepared a quick guide for creating your PPN 06/21 Carbon Reduction Plan. Feel free to download it from the link provided in the Resources section.  

Lastly, if you have an questions or would like to learn more about how Carbonology can help you, feel free to book a call in via David’s Calendly.

We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:

●      Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin

●      Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.

Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:

Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud | Mailing List