The magic of ISO certificates in the economy

The ISO14000 family addresses environmental management, and particularly refers to what an organisation does to minimise harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and to achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.

Together with the ISO9001:2000/2008 certification on quality assurance of goods and services in supplier-customer relations, the two have become thoroughly integrated with the world economy.

By December 2008, 144,572 ISO14001:2004 certificates had been issued in 148 economies worldwide.

The ISO14001:2004 certification confirms its global relevance for organisations wishing to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Some of its positive roles in globalisation are a tool for major new economic players to increase their participation in global supply chains; a tool for regional integration; and increased service provision in the global economy.

In a slight twist to standardisation, Europeans issue the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification.

First published in 1995 and revised in 2001 (EMAS II), it is based on ISO14001 but with more precise rules and transparency, and certificates are renewed every three years.

Today, environment-consciousness is very high.

For the proactive manager concerned about his/her organisation’s environmental impacts, the ISO14001 can lead to benefits that include reduced cost of waste management; savings in consumption of energy and materials; improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the public; and a framework for continual improvement of environmental performance.

According to the December 2008 ISO survey, of all the Comesa economies, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Mauritius had the most ISO14001:2004 certificates with 410, 38, 28 and 12 respectively.

The rest had less than 10. Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi had 6, 3, nil and 1 respectively.

Looking at intra-trade in two African regional economic communities the EAC and Comesa, the three countries with the most environmental certifications (Egypt, Zimbabwe and Kenya) have considerable influence in intra-regional trade — collectively they cater for 82.6 per cent of all the environmental certifications in the regional blocks. By December 2008, the top five ISO9001:2000/2008 Comesa countries were Egypt, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mauritius with 410, 38, 28, 12, and 12 certificates respectively. Statistics also show more intra-regional trade than exports to Europe and the rest of the world.

International trends

As our fledgling stock exchanges in the region continue to grow, we need to pay attention to international trends and take action accordingly.

For the listed companies give a fair representation of the main players in regional and international trade.