What is Five Star Environmental Sustainability Audit?
An in-depth examination of an organisation’s entire environmental sustainability policies, procedures and associated arrangements against best practice and recommending improvements.
The audit goes beyond the requirements of traditional environmental management systems such as ISO 14001:2015. The audit will help you demonstrate your environmental sustainability credentials to your stakeholders including customers, supply chain and other stakeholders.
2022 specification.
DOWNLOAD: Five Star Environmental Sustainability Audit 2022 Specification
Want to know more about the changes? Download our summary of change document.
Who is it for?
Organisation’s within any sector (of any size) who:
- require a status assessment of their current environmental sustainability policies, processes and practices against best practice.
- require a structured route toward implementing environmental sustainability within the organsistaion
The audit can be undertaken by any organisation of any size whatever stage of the environmental management journey they are on. For organisations starting out on their journey of implementing environmental management, the audit can be used as a road map for both short and long-term plans for environmental performance improvement.
For organisations with a long-standing commitment to environmental management, the audit provides a robust third party validation of your organisation’s current policies, processes and practices. It includes recommendations aligned with best practice that allow you to continually improve.
Why the audit is right for your organisation
- External recognition of Environmental Management Systems to best practice standards
- Demonstration to stakeholders and other interested parties (including regulatory bodies) of commitment toward environmental responsibility
- Structured route toward continual improvement and best practice standards
- Monitor current and changing environmental legislation
- Improve your environmental management systems
- Improve resource efficiency
- Assess your current systems allowing you to action plan to meet the revised ISO 14001:2015 standard
- Demonstrate your commitment to customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and the local community
- The exclusive certificate and logo can be used to demonstrate your success
Keith Whitehead, Senior Consultant, talks about recent changes to the audit.
The audit at a glance
- Five best practice indicators
- Four sections
- Forty-nine (49) elements
How does it work?
- On site review of relevant documentation
- Interviews / discussions with relevant stakeholders (including top management)
- Operational sampling
What your organisation will receive from the audit
- Detailed report
- Detailed recommendations and action planning
- Quantified outcome in all 49 elements
- Benchmarking across different aspects of the specification
- Eligibility for globe of honour (if five-star achievers)
- Certification of achievement
Why choose us?
Our audit and consultancy services are internationally recognised and are the best way to ensure your health, safety and environmental management systems (and associated arrangements) are suitable for your business requirements, promote continual improvement and are effectively implemented.
As part of our own quality control processes, we ensure:
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Our audit and consultancy products are regularly reviewed to meet customer needs, expectations and sector best practice
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Consistently high standards of service are achieved through a robust quality assurance process including auditor standardisation, training and performance monitoring
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Our technical specialists serve on strategic committees for occupational health, safety and environmental standards
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We have a unique internationally recognised best practice (five star) audit process
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Industry recognition from awards such as the prestigious Sword or Globe of Honour
Eligibility for 'Best of the best' Awards
Achieving a five star rating gives you the opportunity to apply for the prestigious Sword or Globe of Honour award and be recognised as the ‘best of the best’.
FAQs
Here is a list of common questions that people ask us. If you can’t find what you’re looking for please email [email protected] or call us on +44 (0)20 8741 1231.
What consultancy services do you offer?
Our health and safety and environmental consultancy services are based entirely on customer needs and involve one of our experts helping to support improvements in performance in general or more specific areas (for example: risk assessments, training needs analysis, legionella surveys, asbestos management, permit to work processes, strategic planning, culture surveys, etc.).
What audits does the British Safety Council offer?
We currently offer a range of audit products and services including our best practice Five Star Wellbeing, Five Star Occupational Health and Safety, Five Star Environmental and Sustainability and Five Star Integrated audits. We also offer certification audits to the ISO 14001 (2015) standards and the ISO 45001 standard (when issued). A bespoke sector-specific systems review service (safety and environmental) is also available and provides a baseline indication of how effectively your safety, health and/or environmental systems are being implemented across multiple sites or within specific departments.
Five Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit - what is it?
Our Five Star Audit is an internationally recognised, quantified and comprehensive audit process used by organisations to compare their health and safety management system against best practice technique and current trends.
Five Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit - what is changing?
The current specification continues to offer you the opportunity to progress toward a best practice occupational health and safety management system(s) and the business benefits this can produce. The specification aligns best practice safety management indicators (including leadership and stakeholder engagement) against a Plan - Do - Check - Act management model.
As part of the British Safety Council’s commitment to the continual product-improvement, together with a recognition of recent developments in legislative and safety management trends, our five-star audit specification(s) are reviewed on an annual basis.
Five Star Environmental Audit - what is it?
Our Five Star Environmental Audit is an internationally recognised audit process used by leading organisations to compare their environmental performance against best practice and current trends.
What is the Sword of Honour?
The Sword of Honour is an award scheme available to organisations that have achieved a five-star rating in our Five Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit. A separate award process is independently adjudicated and only those submissions from five star organisations, which meet defined criteria, are awarded the sword of honour status. A true recognition of excellence in health and safety management.
What is the Globe of Honour?
The Globe of Honour is an award scheme available to organisations that have achieved a five-star rating in our Five Star Environmental Audit. A separate award process is independently adjudicated and only those submissions from five star organisations, which meet defined criteria, are awarded the globe of honour status. A true recognition of excellence in environmental management.
ISO 45001 - What is it?
A new international health and safety standard management system standard that is expected to eventually replace BS OHSAS 18001. ISO 45001 reflects contemporary health and safety management requirements and is currently due to be published in late 2017.
You might also be interested in
Five Star Integrated Audit
Our Five Star Safety, Health and Environmental (ISHE) Audit provides an integrated audit process, which combines all the features and primary components of the Five Star Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Audit into one product.
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ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard
BS EN ISO 14001:2015 is the world’s most recognised standard used to assess the status of an organisation’s environmental management system against defined requirements.
Five Star Occupation Health and Safety Audit
The most comprehensive, contemporary, quantified audit process available, which allows you to test your health and safety performance against the latest legislation, recognised standards and best practice techniques.