Blackmores ISO Consultancy Service: The creators of isology®

ISO consultancy isn’t a field many aspire to enter, mostly because many don’t know it exists until you’re tasked with either managing an existing ISO Management System or implementing a brand new one.

We’re continuing with our latest mini-series where we introduce members of our team, to explore how they fell into the world of ISO and discuss the common challenges they face while helping clients achieve ISO certification.  

In this episode we introduce Alison Henshaw, an Isologist® at Blackmores, to learn about her journey from aspiring pub-landlord to becoming an ISO Consultant, and what drives her to help clients on their ISO journey.  

You’ll learn

• What is Ali’s role at Blackmores?
• What does Ali enjoy outside of consultancy?
• What path did Ali take to become an ISO Consultant?
• What is the biggest challenge she’s faced when implementing ISO Standards?
• What is Ali’s biggest achievement?

Resources

• Isologyhub

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – We introduce Alison Henshaw (Ali), an Isologist® here at Blackmores, to discuss her journey towards becoming an ISO consultant who specialises in ISO 20400 and ISO 26000.

[03:45] What is Ali’s role at Blackmores? Ali is an Isologist® with Blackmores, supporting companies with maintaining systems, undertaking internal audits, and supporting with implementing new systems to gain certification utilising our Isology methodology.

[04:00] What does Ali enjoy doing outside of consultancy?: Ali has a daughter aged 5, so a lot of her social life revolves around play dates and kids parties.

As a family, they are very outdoor orientated, enjoying long walks and camping. In the past Ali enjoyed swimming, often visiting family near the coast to make use of the more bracing bodies of water.

She also likes to craft, recently taking up knitting as her mum often knits for different charitable causes. So far, she’s mastering the art of the knitted rectangle, which lends itself nicely to scarves and blankets.

Lastly, Ali is also a fan of photography due to her father sharing a similar interest. Most of her subject matter revolves around family and the outdoors.

[06:45] What was Ali’s path towards becoming an ISO Consultant?: Ali states that none of her working roles so far have been purposeful, rather more serendipitous.

She started managing pubs at the age of 18, after which she did relief management where she would cover different manager absences in pubs near her home. The owner of the pub she was working with at the time was looking to sell, and for a time, her plan had to been to buy and run it. Unfortunately, as she was only 18, she needed to have some form of business qualification to allow her to progress with that.

This led to Ali starting a part-time business management degree, At the time one of her pub regulars was recruiting for the production departments on a shift basis. So she ended up packing wallpaper on a factory floor for 3 days a week while earning her degree.

Sadly, by the time she had earned her degree, the pub she wanted to buy had been knocked down and turned into a block of flats! Though, after working in a different industry for 2 years she came to reevaluate her desire to run pubs, and came to the conclusion that she rather preferred the manufacturing industry and it’s ability to create something.

Ali also enjoyed the people within the factory she had been working at, and opted to stay there with her mentor, the Technical Manager, who offered her a place in the technical floor. So began her new role as the quality assurance technician.

This progressed as Ali worked her way up through Assistant quality tech to quality tech, to assistant quality manager to quality manager. Her mentor at the time was phasing out to retire, so Ali was essentially his legacy plan.

When he did retire Ali became the Quality Technical R&D and Health and Safety Manager. While in that role Ali implemented ISO 9001, in addition to business research and development programmes for product and process development compliance. Which amounted to sitting on trade association technical committees, monitoring upcoming legislation and also contributing to British technical committees that helped write the legislation for the wall-coverings sector. She later went onto help them implement ISO 45001.

Ali then had her daughter, Angie, during lockdown. For as much as she loves the manufacturing sectors, the worktime for those roles isn’t very flexible. She knew that when looking back, she would rather have spent more time with her daughter than working, so she wanted to find something with a bit more flexibility to allow her to spend quality time with her family. It wasn’t an easy decision by any means, but she was drawn to consultancy due to the variety of work and clients and the increased flexibility it would allow.

She Started to work with Blackmores following lockdown, appreciating the family values that our business was built on. Here she shares the sentiment:

“I’m very rarely the smartest person in the room, and we learn so much from each other.” Going on to say that the varied background of Blackmores consultants offers insight into so many other industries, and she’s drawn on their experience of how to apply ISO Standards in the real world.

[14:15] What is Ali’s favourite aspect of being a Consultant? – Ali enjoys working with SME’s due to her background of working with a 4^th generation family owned business. They can often see the value in ISO Standards, and Ali works with them to ensure that do what they do best while working towards certification.

Many businesses simply gain ISO as a tick box for tenders or stakeholder requirements, which isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just how things work in the real world. But Ali figures that if they have to get it, get it right by ensuring it drives internal improvements. Often times clients are pleasantly surprised by all the benefits of effective ISO implementation.

Ali’s favourite clause in Standards is 6.2 Objectives as they drive proactive improvement in businesses. The key is to truly embed them in business processes and practices to ensure they are being achieved.

This is something that even mature management systems can get wrong. She’s seen cases where Objectives were one person’s responsibility, which can lead to them being a separate part of the management system. They need that lightbulb moment from leadership to realise the function of objectives to drive the whole business by taking a more proactive stance.

Many times, Ali’s heard of fantastic internal initiatives being run in a business without them being tied to any objective. By making them an objective, people can make a case for more time, resources and people to complete it, in addition to making the outcome a quantifiable and measurable metric for continual improvement.

[17:35] Practice what we preach – Ali has helped re-shape how we at Blackmores approach our sustainability objectives, turning them into something we can measure the impact of.

As Ali states: “The want for perfection stops progress”. It admirable to strive for perfection, but it isn’t realistic and it often hinders any meaningful progress. When it comes to things like sustainability, you should want to drive improvement now.

[18:55] What Standards does Ali specilaise in and why? Starting with:

• ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement: This is a guidance Standard thar businesses can align with to ensure their procurement practices are sustainable. This extends to the supply chain, expanding each businesses sphere of influence.  
• ISO 26000 Social Responsibility: Another guidance Standard that acts a solid foundation for businesses looking at starting their ESG journey. It tackles the human element of sustainability, in addition to consideration for fair labour practices and community support.   
• ISO 9001 Quality Management: The first Standard Ali implemented, and the core foundation that many businesses start with when diving into the world of ISO Standards.   
• ISO 14001 Environmental Management: Ali is a fan of sustainability in general, enjoying it’s tangible impacts and the creativity in the many ways people can incorporate it into their business.
• ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management: The second standard Ali implemented, it’s also one of the core 3 ISO’s that businesses tend to implement. It’s importance as a tool to prevent harm to humans cannot be understated.
• ISO 50001 Energy Management and ISO 20121 Sustainable Events: Ali helps to audit these standards, once again these fall into her preference of sustainability as a focus.

It’s clear to see that Ali loves Sustainability and safety based Standards, and the reason is mostly due to ensuring there is a bright future for her daughter. Ultimately, she aims to help people and wants to work with Standards that can make a real difference.

[22:05] What is the biggest challenge Ali had faced during a project and how did he overcome it?: The confidence clients have in themselves. People are very knowledgeable about what they do and the processes involved, but because they aren’t familiar with ISO speak they feel very lost when implementing a standard.

Ali’s main role is translating that ISO speak, and assuring clients that they’re already covering key points such as risks, opportunities and what they’re doing to address them. For many businesses, it’s simply a case of dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s ahead of certification.

The challenge for Ali is to build that confidence in clients ahead of their Stage 1 and 2 Assessments. This is where internal audits come in handy, they act as dummy runs of the assessment. Ali can reaffirm what is meant by each clause and what it relates to in terms of the business activities or certain documentation.

She also reminds clients that they can question the assessor if they don’t understand how they’ve worded a questions. It’s up to the assessor to make themselves understood.  

Assessors also understand that your management system will be immature on it’s first certification, it’s simply a starting point on which you’ll build and continually improve.

[27:15] What is Ali’s proudest achievement?  

• Changing careers: Ali saw herself retiring in her previous role and so it was a significant change to make the leap to consultancy. She still loves the manufacturing and wall-covering industry, and will always have a keen interest in it, but she can now see herself retiring in a consultancy role.
• Having Angie: Her daughter is one of her proudest achievements, but it also scared everything out of her. It put her at her physical limit, and she’s quite happy to have an only child, ensuring that she gets to spend as much time with as possible while she’s growing up.
• Doing a skydive: As part of a ‘Before your 30’ list with friends, Ali took part in a skydive. Which she admits was horrendous and not something she would do again, but she’s proud to have pushed past the fear as getting out of your comfort zone is often the key to growth.

If you’d like any assistance with implementing ISO standards, get in touch with us, we’d be happy to help!

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ISO Standards have been at the forefront of creating a unified approach to various aspects of sustainability, ensuring businesses have a robust framework to both manage and reduce their environmental impact.

However, there are a lot of different sustainability Standards that cover specific areas of sustainability, or only apply to certain sectors. Each come with their own pros and cons, making it tricky to pick the best fit for you.  

In this episode Steph Churchman introduces four of the leading sustainability focused ISO Standards and explains the benefits and disadvantages of each to help you decide which could be the best fit for your business.

You’ll learn

• Learn about our upcoming ESG Workshop
• What is ISO 14001?
• What are the pros and cons of ISO 14001?
• What is ISO 50001?
• What are the pros and cons of ISO 50001?
• What is ISO 20400?
• What are the pros and cons of ISO 20400?
• What is ISO 14064?
• What are the pros and cons of ISO 14064?

Resources

• Isologyhub
• Register for our ESG Workshop (26^th March 2025)

In this episode, we talk about:

[02:05] Episode Summary – Steph discusses the leading sustainability ISO Standards, and explains the advantages and disadvantages of each.  

[02:45] ESG Workshop: On the 26th March 2025 we’ll be explaining how ISO Standards directly support ESG compliance, and we’re including the opportunity to participate in 1 of 3 interactive sessions that tackle things like completing a materiality assessment, a balance scorecard and learning more about the current mandatory ESG reporting requirements. 

Register your place here.

[03:15] What is ISO 14001?: ISO 14001 is the Standard for Environmental Management. Published back in 1996, this Standard is one of the staples in the ISO world.

Its main purpose is to establish and implement an effective environmental management system (EMS), with the primary goal of helping organizations to minimize their environmental impact and achieve sustainability objectives.

It sets out general requirements for:

• Pollution control
• Reduction of your impact on the environment
• And compliance to relevant legislation

It is also due for a revision soon, with the latest version expected to include further considerations for changes to available technology, more emphasis on product life-cycle and supply chain issues and further guidance on integrating environmental issues into your strategic planning.

[04:35] What are the benefits of ISO 14001?:

Reducing environmental impact: By identifying and controlling environmental aspects, organizations can minimize pollution, reduce waste, and conserve resources.

Improved compliance: ISO 14001 helps organizations comply with environmental regulations and legal requirements, such as the environment Act 2021, reducing the risk of fines and penalties.

Improved efficiency: ISO 14001 helps to tighten production processes, leading to better efficiency and reduction in the risk of incidents. It also removes uncertainty by managing disruption and waste and helps to clarify staff responsibility.

Enhanced reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to environmental responsibility can enhance your reputation and brand image, attracting environmentally conscious customers and stakeholders.

Cost savings: Implementing an EMS can lead to cost savings through improved resource efficiency, reduced waste disposal costs, and lower energy consumption. Businesses can also benefit from reduced insurance costs by demonstrating better risk management.

Increased competitiveness: ISO 14001 certification can give organizations a competitive advantage in the marketplace, particularly in sectors where environmental performance is a key consideration.

[06:45] What are the disadvantages of ISO 14001?

Initial costs: Implementing an EMS requires an initial investment in resources, including training, documentation, potentially hiring consultants, and if you’re going for certification, that will incur its own costs  from a certification body too.

Ongoing maintenance: Maintaining an EMS requires ongoing effort and resources to ensure compliance with the standard and continuous improvement.

Potential for bureaucracy: If not implemented effectively, an EMS can become cumbersome, hindering operational efficiency.

Limited scope: ISO 14001 focuses primarily on environmental aspects within an organization’s direct control, and may not address broader environmental impacts or social responsibility concerns – which is where other Standards can fill the gap.

[08:05] What is ISO 50001? – ISO 50001 is an internationally recognized standard that provides a framework for organizations to establish, implement, and maintain an Energy Management System (EnMS).

The primary goal is to help organizations improve energy performance, including reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency, and using energy more effectively.  

[08:40] What are the benefits of ISO 50001?

Reduced energy costs: By identifying and addressing energy inefficiencies, you can significantly reduce your energy bills. We had great success with this when we worked closely with a branch of the NHS, where their initial energy spend was around £2.8 million which was reduced by £1 million as a result of implementing ISO 50001.

Improved energy performance: ISO 50001 helps organizations establish baselines, set targets, and track progress in improving energy performance. This is vital as you can’t hope to reduce what you can’t measure.

Enhanced environmental performance: Reduced energy consumption leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions and a reduced environmental impact. Often times, energy usage is the largest impact many organisations have on the environment, especially for those who may only have an office or warehouse.

Increased competitiveness: Demonstrating a commitment to energy efficiency can enhance an organization’s reputation and attract environmentally conscious customers and stakeholders.  

Improved operational efficiency: An energy management system can lead to improved operational efficiency through better resource management and reduced waste.

[10:55] What are the disadvantages of ISO 50001?

Initial investment: Implementing an EnMS requires an initial investment in resources, including training, data collection, and possible help from a consultancy.

Limited Guidance: Calculating your energy usage can be complicated, especially if you’re spread across multiple sites and countries. In cases where you’re renting space, you may face difficulties obtaining the information needed, then on top of that is the actual calculation which may involve conversion factors if you’ve got international sites in scope.

Resistance to change: Implementing changes to energy-using processes can sometimes meet with resistance from employees. A lot of practices will require a change in habits, such as turning off and unplugging all devices when leaving an office, or more frequent checks on equipment to ensure it’s running optimally.

Limited scope: ISO 50001 focuses primarily on energy performance within an organization’s direct control and may not address broader energy-related issues or the entire supply chain – which includes its own energy consumption considerations.

[12:30] What is ISO 20400? – ISO 20400 is an internationally recognized standard that provides guidance on sustainable procurement. It helps organizations integrate sustainability considerations into their procurement processes, ensuring that environmental, social, and economic factors are taken into account when making purchasing decisions.  

This Standard differs from the others as it’s not a certifiable Standard. It’s a guidance document that you can align with.

For those of you looking into ESG schemes, this Standard is often citied as a key tool to help get you in the right place for scoring.

In addition, for those of you looking into more comprehensive carbon reporting, Supply chains are often one of the biggest sources of emissions. Alignment with that Standard will allow you to take a good hard look at the suppliers you work with, and determine if they hold the same sustainability values as you.

[13:25] What are the benefits of ISO 20400? –

Reduced environmental impact: By selecting suppliers with strong environmental performance, businesses can reduce their overall environmental footprint. You also have a great chance to help influence your own supply chain, we know that if you’ve had a reliable supplier for a number of years, it’s not just a simple case of cut and move on.

Improved social responsibility: ISO 20400 encourages organizations to consider the social and ethical impacts of their procurement decisions, such as fair labor practices and human rights. 

Enhanced reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to sustainable procurement can enhance your reputation and brand image. It shows that you’re thinking and acting sustainably from start to finish for either your product production or service delivery.

Cost savings: Sustainable procurement practices can lead to cost savings through reduced waste, improved resource efficiency, and lower long-term maintenance costs.

Increased innovation: Working with sustainable suppliers can expose you to new technologies, products, and services that can improve your own operations.

[15:35] What are the disadvantages of ISO 20400? –

Increased complexity: Integrating sustainability considerations into procurement processes can add complexity and require additional resources. This would include supplier checks before working with new suppliers and a review of all current suppliers to see where improvement could be made.

Finding sustainable suppliers: Identifying and qualifying sustainable suppliers can be challenging. Though more businesses are certainly making an effort to be more sustainable, ensuring they have proof of their claims is essential.

Potential for higher costs: In some cases, sustainable products and services may have a higher initial cost compared to conventional options.

Limited scope: ISO 20400 focuses primarily on procurement practices and may not address broader sustainability issues within the organization. This is where ISO 20400 can be supported by certifiable standards such as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.

[17:00] What is ISO 14064? – ISO 14064-1 is an internationally recognized standard that provides a framework for organizations to quantify and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals.

It helps organizations to:

• Understand their carbon footprint
• Set reduction targets
• Engage in carbon markets
• Improve environmental performance

[17:45] What are the benefits of ISO 14064?

Improved data quality: The standard provides a robust methodology for collecting, analyzing, and reporting GHG emissions data, ensuring accuracy and consistency.

Set achievable reduction targets: By having an accurate way to measure your impact, you can look to set realistic and more importantly achievable reduction targets.

Enhanced credibility and transparency: Both consumers and stakeholders are increasingly looking at real tangible evidence of your carbon claims. Simply having a sustainability page full of promises is no longer enough, you need facts and figures to back up what you say you’re doing.

Reduced climate risk: By understanding and managing your GreenHouse Gas emissions, you can better mitigate the risks associated with climate change, such as regulatory changes and physical impacts.

Competitive advantage: In an increasingly climate-conscious world, businesses that can demonstrate their environmental performance through credible GHG reporting will gain a competitive advantage.

[19:30] What are the disadvantages of ISO 14064?

Initial investment: Much like the other Standards, if you want to do this right you will have to invest time, resources and money. That could include hiring consultants to help you with the necessary calculations, and if you wish to go for full verification, then there will be an additional cost from a verification body.

Ongoing maintenance: Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date GHG inventory requires ongoing effort and resources. Monitoring your emissions doesn’t stop once you get a verification badge, it will be on-going.

Data complexity: Collecting and analyzing GHG emissions data can be complex, especially for large and diverse organizations. So, you may need some initial help to do and understand this yourselves.

Limited scope: ISO 14064-1 focuses primarily on the quantification and reporting of GHG emissions and removals, and may not address broader sustainability issues.

If you’d like any assistance with implementing any of these Standards, get in touch with us, we’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.

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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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A standard that seems to be growing in demand, certainly this year, is ISO 20400 which is a guidance document on sustainable procurement.

However, because it’s a guidance document, this means it’s not a certifiable standard…

But, it is useful if you are looking at your procurement, supply chain and how sustainable it is as ISO 20400 provides you with everything that you need to know on how to manage your supply chain sustainably!

A little background on the standard…

The standard has been around for some time, but it was a British standard (BS 8903: 2010), we’ve been familiar with it for a number of years, and we’ve aligned this standard with some of our client’s environmental management systems.

Why should it be something you want to consider doing?

It could be beneficial for your organisation, not only from an operational point of view but also in terms of having a competitive advantage.

So, let’s take a look at the standard…

As we know, every single organisation on the planet has an environmental, social and economic impact regardless of the size of the organisation…

Therefore, this particular guidance document is applicable to ANY size organisation across ANY type of industry, because those impacts have an influence throughout the supply chain.

Procurement is a powerful vehicle for organisations wishing to behave in a responsible way and contribute to the sustainable development goals.

By integrating sustainability in procurement policies and practices, it helps you to be able to manage your opportunities, risks and to focus in on those sustainable, environmental, social and economic development issues.

Ultimately, sustainable procurement represents a real opportunity to improve productivity, assess value and performance throughout your supply chain, enabling communication between purchase’s, suppliers and all other key stakeholders and helps to encourage innovation.

In this episode I will cover:

[05:00] The definition of procurement and sustainable procurement within this standard.

[06:16] Drivers for sustainable procurement within your organisation.

[13:20] Clauses 1,2 and 3.

[14:05] Clause 4- Understanding the fundamentals.

[14:40] Clause 5- Integration of sustainability at a strategic level

[16:06] Clause 6- Management techniques needed to successfully implement and to continually improve sustainable procurement.

[17:00] Clause 7- Considerations for the integration into existing procurement processes.

[19:08] The key principles of sustainable procurement.

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