Recognition

ECAP recognises that achieving ISO 14001 and EMAS is a big commitment and therefore has a staged recognition system in the form of certificates.

ECAP recognises organisations that develop an environment action plan and move toward the requirements of ISO14001 or EMAS and demonstrate environment improvement. 
The stages are:

1. Environment Action Plan
2. Recognition of Improvement
3. Achievement Award

As a part of the process, organisations are provided with a guide on how far towards ISO14001 and EMAS they have progressed. This guide will be expressed as a percentage.

Stage1:  Environment Action Plan ( pdf download)
Organisations can start their sustainability journey simply by implementing an Environment Action Plan. This comprises completing the first 11 steps of EcoMapping®, plus prioritising the environmental aspects and business to develop a three-year action plan. Typically, this is done in three training sessions, facilitated by an ECAP consultant. At the end of the training, the organisation receives:

• An Environment Action Plan recognition certificate, stating that the organisation has a fully functioning plan 
• An assessment on progress towards ISO14001, expressed as a percentage
• Recognition on the ECAP website of the business or organisation’s achievement.

Recognition of the certificate expires one year after the date of issue, and certificates are not renewed. Organisations are expected to improve performance and progress to the Recognition of Improvement stage.

Stage 2: Recognition of Improvement( pdf download)
Once a valid Environment Action Plan is in place, the organisation progresses by:

• Completing actions set out in the Environmental Action Plan
• Improving elements of the Environmental Action Plan, thus progressing toward an environmental management system and possible ISO14001 compliance.

Progress will need to be verified by a trained EcoMapping® consultant or by an ECAP representative.  Once ECAP is satisfied that Environmental Action Plan actions are being implemented, ECAP provides:

• A Recognition of Improvement Certificate, stating that the organisation has a fully functioning action plan and is implementing it
• An assessment of progress towards ISO14001, expressed as a percentage
• Recognition on the ECAP website of the organisation’s achievement.

The certificate expires one year after the date of issue, and certificates are not renewed. Organisations are expected to progress to an industry certification, ISO14001 or EMAS.

Stage 3: Achievement Award( pdf download)
Once an organisation has achieved a recognised certification level, such as an industry certification, ISO14001 or EMAS, ECAP provides a Certificate of Achievement. 

In addition, the business or organisation’s achievement will be recognised on ECAP’s website, providing exposure internationally.

The certificate is valid for one year and is subject to satisfying the requirements of the certification standard.

Verification of Awards

The recognition awards will need to be verified by ECAP.
 
ECAP’s aim is to provide a cost-effective means of verifying the awards. ECAP is committed to a high standard of quality of the audit process.

ECAP will audit at least one company in 20, to establish that the Environment Action Plan is valid and being implemented as stated.

Self-declaration to ISO14001

For small organisations, the cost implication of certification to ISO14001 is prohibitive.  Therefore, ECAP intends to offer a service to organisations that use the EMAS Easy™ tool with the aim of self declaring to ISO14001.

This process is a work in progress, and will be developed on an ‘as-needs’ basis. Features will be:

• Acceptance of clusters ie, a group of similar organisations that wish to self-declare, which will result in shared implementation costs
• Reduced auditing times, which will also cut costs. ECAP expects common methods of implementation of the auditing and EMAS Easy ™ tool so that organisational approaches are similar.

Fees
ECAP’s intention is to provide cost-effective verification and recognition costs for organisations self-declaring to ISO14001.

ECAP requires that EcoMapping® Consultants go to the site of an organisation for a few hours to review the action plan and verify actions, as well as establish and review actions for the next year.  While there will be a discounted fee for ECAP recognition, it is intended that the consultant will pay this fee.

For organisations that wish to ‘do it themselves’, ECAP will have an internal process and requirements.  This fee will be at full price. Costs will reflect the work required for verification and self-declaration, and are thus subject to the size of the organisation—in turnover and number of employees.

Recognition Systems

Consultants