Beyond The Standard

Certification International has called on organisations to prove their green credentials during Green Office Week by gaining certification to ISO 14001:2004 – the internationally recognised environment management standard.

Since 2008, the number of certificates issued by Certification International for ISO 14001:2004 has increased 67% as more organisations see the benefit of implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS).

ISO 14000 provides a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets. Its benefits include reduced cost of waste management, savings in consumption of energy and material, lower distribution costs and improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public. It’s compatibility with ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18000 also allows companies to integrate quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems throughout everything they do creating a better environment for customers and staff.

And with Green Office Week taking place this week, Certification International believes it is an ideal opportunity for organisations to look at initiatives they have in place and how they can further improve their approach to the environment and sustainability.

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In this newsletter, our office in focus is Turkey. Zuhal Copuroglu, Certification Manager at Certification International Turkey, talks about how the office has grown since joining the Group.

CIcert Belgelendirme Hizmetleri Ltd. Şti. was established in 2002, with the aim of providing management system auditing, certification and training. İn 2003, the company became the Turksih representative of Certification International.

The office has continued to grow as part of the Certification International Group and offers a variety of services including; Quality Management System ISO 9001:2008, Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2004, Occupational Health &  Safety  Management System 18001:2007, Integrated Management Systems, Food Safety Management System ISO 22000:2005, Information Security System ISO 27001:2005,Customer Complaints Handling Management System ISO 10002:2004.

The most popular standard in Turkey remains ISO 9001: 2008, the Quality Management System standard, because it is well known by everyone. But demand is increasing for other management systems.

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A team of Certification International representatives from around the world met recently at the House of Lords.  Check out the images below…

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Certification International has opened a new subsidiary office in India. In May 2012 C I India Pvt Ltd (CIIPL) was incorporated to provide third party conformity assessment services in India and the Indian sub continent.

Within its domain of conformity assessment services, CIIPL plans to introduce third party inspection,  including raw material and finished product inspection, initial production check, in-production check, random inspection and loading supervision, with the aim of helping retailers, trading partners, importers and manufacturers assess product quality and meet the regulatory requirements of their industry vertical.

The local management of CIIPL will be handled by two Executive Directors – Ranjan Sinharoy and Amod Khopkar. Ranjan has 16 years experience in management of CB operations and has been associated with Certification International since 2004 as Head of Certification of franchisee R S Certification Services Pvt. Ltd. He is also a Lead Auditor in ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and SA 8000.

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The media is full of stories which highlight the importance of being vigilant when disposing of data. However, it is equally important to have systems in place to make sure important information is not lost or stolen while it is still in use, as news stories about confidential data being lost or breached are becoming more frequent.

The latest incident highlights the loss of medical data belonging to 800 patients at East Surrey Hospital after an unencrypted memory stick went missing. Alarmingly the incident was not isolated at the hospital – there were nine other near misses where data went missing but was later found.

Although we only hear about such cases when they have a specific public interest or happen to international organisations, the loss of confidential information can happen at companies of all sizes in all sectors. But such public incidents highlight the importance of putting in place the correct information control systems.

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The SOCOTEC Group, which is a major global player in risk management and performance improvement, has announced the acquisition on 19 December 2012 of Certification International Ltd, a leading British management systems certification company. This acquisition enhances the SOCOTEC Group’s worldwide offering of management system certification services.

Certification International was founded by James Pymer in 1995 and until now was owned principally by the Pymer family and a Singaporean partner. It conducts business in Europe and Asia through 6 subsidiaries (in the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, China and India) and 11 agents, with a network of 500 auditors and experts.

With their proven methodology, know-how and multinational experience, Certification International’s subsidiaries have UKAS*, SAC* and PAO* accreditations, and mainly provide ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 22001, ISO 27001 and soon ISO 50001 certification services.

Certification International, which is based in Swindon, between Bristol and London, has sales in excess of €9 million, including 45% in Japan, 31% in Singapore, 13% in the United Kingdom, 9% in the Philippines and 1% in China.

 

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Already a leader in the field of assessment and certification services to internationally recognised standards, over the last year Certification International has seen considerable growth in Asia.

Japan has always been one of our largest global markets, but demand for certification to standards such as ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004,has grown in other Asian countries such as China, Singapore and India as organisations recognise the benefits they offer when doing business not just in their own country but with organisations around the world.

We currently have offices in 15 offices in the Asia region; Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Maldives.  Each office provides a range of international, national and industry services allowing the company to understand the requirements of its clients in their specific country. However, as a global company, Certification International is ideally placed to help international businesses looking for a global solution to their certification needs.

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Introduced in June 2011, the purpose of ISO 50001:2011 (an Energy Management System – EnMS) is to help companies establish the systems and processes necessary to improve their overall energy performance. While there is some overlap with ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management Systems – EMS), ISO 50001:2011 focuses specifically on energy management and the technical factors that drive energy efficiency and environmental impact.

It was developed in response to increasing global awareness of energy consumption and offers organisations, particularly in the energy hungry print sector, a recognised framework for integrating energy performance into their management practices to reduce energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions and minimise other related environmental impacts.

ISO 50001:2011 standard was designed to deliver benefits to companies who implement it including:

• Making better use of existing energy consuming assets
• Improving visibility of energy usage
• Facilitating an organisation’s ability to communicate about energy performance, both internally and to its customers
• Promote energy management best practices and reinforce good energy management behaviours
• Assist in evaluating and prioritising the implementation of new energy efficient technologies
• Provide a framework for promoting energy efficiency throughout the supply chain
• Facilitate energy management improvements for greenhouse gas emission reduction projects
• Create transparency and facilitate communication on the management of energy resources
• Allow for more streamlined integration with other organisational management systems such as environmental, and health and safety.

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While some see certification as another form of auditing, and all it implies, for others it means attaining a certificate that formally acknowledges that their business undertakes its work in a quality oriented way. And for the majority it means recognition and credibility in the marketplace.

Whatever people define certification as, achieving standards for the industry is becoming increasingly important in order to meet the demands of new and changing regulations. A certification mark is valuable and distinctive and there are few organisations that don’t recognise the importance of maintaining and improving quality.

Some standards cross the borders of every industry and can be achieved by any company or organisation. The three most common standards companies and organisations are looking to achieve are for quality (ISO 9001), environmental impact (ISO 14001) and health and safety (OHSAS 18001). Their compatibility with one another not only helps the events industry meet health and safety obligations in an efficient manner but allows them to integrate quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems throughout everything they do to create exciting, high quality events that are safe and great for the environment.

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ISO/IEC 27001:2005 (which is better known as ISO 27001) stemmed from the British Standard BS7799-2 and is the best practice specification that helps businesses across the world to develop a best-in-class Information Security Management System (ISMS). The standard was originally published jointly by the International Security Office (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

But what exactly is an ISMS? It is essentially a systematic approach to managing confidential or sensitive corporate information so that it remains secure, available, confidential and with its integrity intact. It encompasses people, processes and IT systems. This has never been so important as information is absolutely critical to all organisations and any breach of security could have serious consequences.

Information security is not just about anti-virus software, implementing the latest firewall or locking down laptops or web servers though. The overall approach to information security needs to be both strategic and operational in order to be practical and fit for purpose. This means different security initiatives must be prioritised, integrated and cross-referenced to ensure overall effectiveness. In essence an ISMS helps organisations to co-ordinate their security efforts – both electronic and physical – in a coherent and cost-effective manner.

 

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