Sustainability Standards and Accreditations
During your journey towards Net Zero you will come across many different standards, bodies and acronyms. The Green Charter has been designed to be appropriate for your business size therefore you will come across more or less of these depending on your level.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals
17 ambitious targets adopted by all UN member states in 2015 as a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, for now and the future recognizing that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
NHS Evergreen
Sustainability program for NHS suppliers.
SBTi – Science-Based Targets Initiative
Partners with UN, CDP and has Technical Council of independent members creating the targets to reduce GHGs in line with targets set by the Paris Agreement.
PAS2060
Standard written by BSi to guide companies on how to measure, reduce and offset their emissions.
B-Corp
B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.
Self-certification tools
If you are completing a Leaf level you may want to use these tools to perform a self-assessment.
- Xtonnes - xtonnes.com
- GHG Protocol - ghgprotocol.org
Reporting programs
Green Charter Silver & Bronze members may need to provide additional reporting to these bodies. This is in line with NHS Evergreen.
- RE100 - there100.org
- CDP - cdp.net
- EcoVadis - ecovadis.com
ISO and other certifications
Depending on your level or any NHS requirements you may be required to achieve ISO certification. This is a list of ISO and other standards related to sustainability and are constantly evolving with new standards added frequently.
ISO 14001 Environmental Management family of standards
ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS)
Provides a framework through which you can measure and continually improve your environmental performance in a way that meets the specific needs of your business. This system helps identify and mitigate environmental risks, reduce resource consumption, and foster an eco-responsibility culture, accelerating progress towards a greener, more sustainable future. To achieve certification the company must meet the requirements of six clauses;
ISO 14064
GHG quantification & reporting. If you require a CRP report as part of the Green Charter you should ensure your supplier provides reporting to this level.
ISO 14067
Quantification for Carbon Footprint reporting.
TCO Certified
Certification for sustainability in IT & technology sectors
ISO Certification services
The companies listed below provide audit services for ISO14001 / 14064 / 14067 / 14068 / 59028 and additional carbon footprint reporting services to PAS2060 that may be required for Silver and Bronze members.
- SGS - sgs.com
- TUV - tuvsud.com