Green Sustainability

Green sustainability improves our living quality and protects our ecosystem. It is important and relevant for organizations of all sizes or industries. As social awareness regarding the need for green solutions increases, organizations can undertake several green initiatives to reduce their negative impact on the environment. These include using organic cleaning products, reducing the use of paper, using eco-friendly products, and using energy-saving equipment.

The main purpose of green initiatives is to deliver economic potential by natural assets on a sustainable basis. Green sustainability allows organizations to address different economic and environmental issues. It also paves the way for growth in different areas, including:

• Productivity: Green incentives and the use of natural resources increases productivity.
• Innovation: Green incentives allow more opportunities for innovation, stimulating new ways of handling environmental problems.
• New markets: Green incentives create new markets because of the increase in the demand for green technologies, services, and goods. This also increases job opportunities.

Issues like atmospheric pollutions, contamination, and climate changes are a major concern for people, organizations, and governments. The PECB ISO 14001 training course specifies the main requirements for organizations that want to enhance their environmental performance and increase their operational efficiency. An ISO 14001 certification ensures customers and stakeholders that the organization is aware of and willing to address their environmental obligations.

The following article elaborates on important aspects of green growth and sustainability.

Benefits of Green Sustainability

Green sustainability brings several benefits to organizations and the overall environment. It maximizes the benefits of long-term environmental undertakings. Some of the main benefits of green sustainability are:

Economic: The sources of renewable energy reduce the energy consumption, thus lowering the electricity bills.

Health: The positive environmental effects of green sustainability improve the health of the people affected, improving the quality of the air they breathe, the food they consume, and the place in which they live.

Environmental: Green initiatives have a tremendous positive effect on the environment. For example, greenhouse emissions and air pollution is reduced by organic farming. 

Reputational: Organizations that have switched to green and sustainable business processes have received very positive feedback from customers. This is a well-known effect that has proven to be very beneficial to organizations.

The rapid increase of population has increased manufacturing and greenhouse gas toxins and emissions. Thus, all organizations should invest in sustainable practices, such as using clean energy or reducing wastes, to help build better future for everyone.

Energy management is a practice that can be very beneficial to organizations and the society. It helps organizations reduce their use of energy and protect the environment. PECB offers certifications against ISO 50001, an international standard dedicated energy management. ISO 50001 provides requirements for organizations to implement, maintain, and continually improve an energy management system (EMS). 

Green vs. Sustainable: The Main Difference 

Many ‘green’ products or processes are also sustainable. But, while something may be green and sustainable at the same time, the two terms have their separate definitions, and even differences. 

Going green means using environmentally friendly products and services. Sustainability means using products or services in a way that does not damage the future generations’ resources. 

Hence, while a final product may be green, its manufacturing or production process may not be sustainable at all. For example, products that require a lot of energy to be produced cannot be considered sustainable. If the same products are made from renewable resources, they can be considered green.

To sum up, when discussing the impact of green sustainability on future generations, both green and sustainability have their own importance, since green products would help to reduce wastes, while sustainable production would help in maximizing the resource efficiency. 

How Is Green Sustainability Achieved?

Strategies for achieving green sustainability should be encouraging for organizations, employees, citizens, governments, etc. There is no one-size-fits-all green strategy, but there are common elements to consider when building one. An environmentally aware organization takes into consideration more than their profit; they consider their impact in the environment and society. Such organizations are considered sustainable.

Some ways of achieving green sustainability include:

• Buying less plastic products
• Using energy-efficient light bulbs
• Relying less on driving cars and walking or using alternative transport as much as possible
• Switching to green energy, if possible
• Avoiding plastic food packages that are not recyclable
• Trying to make shopping and purchases that have environmental benefits
• Refusing products that endanger the wildlife

ISO 26000 is an international standard that provides detailed guidance on how to behave in a socially responsible way. PECB offers training courses and certifications in several fields, including social responsibility. A PECB ISO 26000 certification proves that you are able to deliver services and products in a way that promotes environmentally friendly behavior and demonstrates sustainability.

If you want to know more about sustainability-related PECB certifications and training courses, contact us at marketing@pecb.com.

About the author: 

Vesa Hyseni is a Senior Product Marketing Manager for GRC at PECB. She is in charge of conducting market research while developing and providing information related to ISO standards. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact her: marketing.grc@pecb.com.