Sioen apparel holds ISO 14001 certificates

By being ISO 14001 certified, our customers are reassured that we have an environmental management system in place that reduces our environmental impact. This contributes, among others, to achieving the goals set in SDG 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17 of the UN Social Development Goals.

ISO 14001, environmental management system

ISO 14001 is the international standard for implementation of an environmental management system (EMS) and represents a practical tool to help companies achieve this. By using this standard as a guide, we lay the foundations for continual improvement of environmental performance within our organisation. In doing so, we’re contributing to protecting our natural resources while also working towards environmental objectives.

ISO 14001, a definition

ISO 14001 is the internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS). It helps us improve our environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste, gaining a competitive advantage and the trust of stakeholders. (source)

ISO 14001 describes the procedures that have to be followed to develop an environmental management strategy in companies. Companies that implement a strategy to reduce their environmental impact are guided and can be “ISO 14001 certified” if they follow the standards pointed out by the norm.

ISO 14001 has 2 objectives:

  • To give a framework for effective environmental management
  • To work as an official recognition

The basic principle of ISO norms of PDCA is also applied in this ISO 14001 standard. It’s a search for continuous improvement, in successive cycles, according to the four-step process (Plan, Do, Check, Act).

Why Sioen chose to be ISO 14001 audited and certified

In the CSR world, ISO 14001 certification works as a guarantee of quality in the environmental management systems. When a company is certified, it is known that it has proper procedures in place to measure, reduce and manage its environmental impacts.

For Sioen, obtaining an ISO 14001 certification confirmed the fact that we’re on the right track. It’s a useful tool to add credibility, by demonstrating that our products meet the environmental protection expectations of our customers. For some public offerings, ISO 14001 certification is often a legal or contractual requirement.

Above all, it helps us to reduce our environmental impact. The Environmental Management System helps us to reduce waste, improve resource efficiency and cut the cost of waste management.

ISO 14001 is one of the most popular standards in the world. Studies show that companies that adopt ISO 14001 certification are more competitive and more efficient, win more contracts and get higher profits (source).

The entire value chain

Contrary to some other companies, that merely hold a brand (sales & marketing) and outsource all the rest, Sioen manages the entire value chain. We’re responsible for:

  • Research and Development;
  • Product Development and Design;
  • Sampling Service;
  • CE/ISO/... certification;
  • Production Instructions (Bill of Material, Bill of Works, CAD patterns, reference samples and instruction drawings);
  • Supplier Selection, Raw Materials and Purchasing;
  • Laboratory and Quality Control of Raw Materials and Finished Products;
  • Operations including raw materials and capacity planning;
  • Production in our own workshops;
  • Warehousing and logistic;
  • Sales and Marketing.

It’s relatively easy to obtain the ISO14001 certificate for a trader, retailer or a company that outsources production. At Sioen however, our HQ is ISO 14001 certified but, additionally, our production plants are also separately ISO 14001 certified.

The ISO 14001 certificates of our production site in Romania (SioRom) and our site in Finland (Sioen Ballistics Oy) can be found in the downloads section.

ISO 14001 increases our business performance

ISO 14001 certification entails quite some investment from our company. It requires time, money, external experts, focus and priority. The benefits from an environmental point of view are, of course, great. At Sioen, we’ve also succeeded in increasing our overall business performance. Being ISO 14001 certified increases our brand reputations and allows us to develop our network among clients, suppliers and vendors.

On the other hand, ISO 14001 helps us reduce costs on several levels like energy cost, waste management, raw materials cost and even logistics.

Finally, becoming ISO 14001 spurs up the engagement of all Sioen employees and forces us to act as a team.

Reciprocity

At Sioen, we ask the same guarantees (ISO 14001 or equivalent) of our suppliers and other actors in the value chain. More and more companies and governments, especially in Europe, are asking their suppliers to obtain a ISO 14001 certification in order to collaborate with them. We’re one of them. This is also the case on the public markets, where due to their sustainable development strategies, communities usually require environmental certifications in big tenders. ISO 14001 is turning into a key to access certain markets and to get and/or keep contracts.

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