British Telecom has achieved ISO 14001 certification for its UK operations. The company says it is one of the largest organisations in the world to receive this stamp of approval for an environmental management system (EMS).

ISO 14001 sets out how an EMS should be defined and implemented, starting with compliance with all relevant legislation. In both its structure and regular assessment, it seeks to ensure that a company understands how business activities impact the environment.

The British Standards Institution, one of two certifying bodies BT is using, says that in its experience companies adopting an EMS "see positive, and often very rapid, bottom line benefits".

This seems to be a message in need of stronger communication. Last autumn, technology company ICL reported on the results of its survey of corporate attitudes towards the environment. Then, 95% of those questioned said the force of legislation would be the most likely cause for adopting green policies. Most companies said they feared that going green would mean added costs.

Elliott Chase