is the online magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment by helping organizations improve quality, save money, reduce risk and be more sustainable. Features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems, standards, testing, healthcare and certification.
Seal of approval: the value of Kitemark®
06 Jan 2011
Topics: Kitemark®, Sustainability, Testing, Environment, Carbon reduction, CRC, Energy management, EN 16001
BSI's Kitemark® was named a "Business Superbrand"[1] for the third successive year in 2010, ranking 170th out of some 500 recognizable household and business names. It has stood as a strong symbol of the very highest standards in safety, reliability and quality across many sectors since 1903.
The pressure is now on for companies to adopt sustainable practices, and there is considerable support and interest in doing so, not only for the environmental benefits, but also for the impact on the bottom line. No matter the size of business, the benefits remain the same, but one of the challenges is to understand just what tools are available to help businesses adopt sustainable business practice.
According to Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General: "Standards are crucial to sustainable development, they are invaluable in helping countries develop their economies and build capacities to compete in global markets. Standards make a positive difference to our world."[2]
Standards are not about introducing bureaucracy, but about changing hearts, minds and outcomes to gain the greatest benefits and secure lasting success. They are documents that outline the most efficient and effective way to make a product or perform a task.
Management system standards are extremely useful to organizations, as they provide a roadmap for implementing sustainable development in an increasing number of areas. And with growing interest in environmental sustainability comes a rising number of management systems that are being developed to address this critical issue.
Alongside standards sits independent certification. Without such proof how can the world know for sure if an organization complies with a management system standard or whether its products and services meet these standards? How else can companies achieve this differentiation and how can the lives of everyone be enhanced and protected?
Proving it
Untested products and services can hurt people and impact an organization's reputation. They can disappoint customers and harm a brand. At worst, products that are unfit for purpose quite simply have the power to cause fatalities.
For this reason BSI has been testing and certifying products with its prestigious Kitemark for over 100 years. BSI tests products so that customers can access markets with confidence, and so that their customers are protected. Kitemark works hard to ensure the success of thousands of products and services, and the safety of millions of people.
Long considered the UK's premier symbol of product or service quality - the Kitemark is a certification mark that shows that a product or service meets the appropriate standards of quality and safety. It is also a registered trademark of BSI. If a product or service carries a Kitemark it means that it has been independently tested, is audited on a regular basis, and that it will perform in line with that consistent quality every time.
Notably, Kitemark can also certify products, services and sites across countries and cultures. It is an internationally recognizable and credible symbol of quality. For example, Aeon International secured Kitemark to certify its gas and water valves, manufactured in China and distributed in Poland and Dubai. Quality manager, Stephen Toas, said it was helping the business to increase sales "both in the UK and around the world".
Top marks
The presence of a Kitemark can help businesses to meet some of their goals in the following key areas:
Operating costs: a fundamental part of any Kitemark scheme is the embedded quality management system. This, combined with the Kitemark scheme requirements, means Kitemark products are produced with the most efficient processes and production methods, reducing material use as well as time wastage. Furthermore, as Kitemark products are more reliable they will perform for longer, and therefore contribute to minimizing product obsolescence, which in turn helps to reduce the need for disposal of products as landfill.
Quality goods and services: Kitemark is all about quality - of product, service and process. In fact, 91 per cent of UK adults state that Kitemark reassures them about quality.[3] Using quality products that have been independently certified means that they should perform more reliably, so avoiding unnecessary replacements costs and save money.
Regulatory compliance: As Kitemark is an independently operated, third-party certification, this acts as proof that a product or service meets the standard as well as Kitemark criteria. As such, where compliance is legislated or required, Kitemark licence holders can prove - without doubt - that they comply. Thus Kitemark certification can help to access new business streams, as procurement professionals and consumers are increasingly seeking reassurance and proof that products have been tested to the appropriate standards.
Accidents and incidents: Kitemark covers a very wide variety of products and industries, but one of its particular strengths lies in the personal safety arena. Kitemark certification can cover protective equipment as well as fire detection, fighting and protection products.
There are still 1.6million workplace injuries in the UK every year. However, around 70 per cent of those accidents could be prevented if employers were to put the proper safety control measures in place.[4] For those responsible for the equipment or clothing used in their buildings, just choosing to purchase Kitemark products will significantly help to address this issue, as well as enabling demonstration of best practice and duty of care under the Health & Safety (Offences) Act 2008 and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
Whether it is protective headgear or breathing apparatus, a smoke alarm or an entire fire alarm system, choosing Kitemark-certified products will benefit individuals, organizations and communities.
Brand reputation: Being associated with the UK's premier symbol of quality and safety can enhance an organization's reputation by showing that they take quality and safety seriously - and the infrastructure behind the scheme also ensures that quality is driven through every level of the business. Kitemark licence holders are permitted to use the Kitemark symbol in their corporate and promotional materials in order to benefit from the Kitemark brand. As for reputation, 88 per cent of UK adults say they think it shows the product comes from a reputable company.[5]
Increased productivity and profitability: Once all the elements of a Kitemark scheme have been adopted - covering reduction of waste, operational streamlining and increased business - Kitemark licence holders have no difficulty seeing the tangible results in terms of their boosted productivity and profitability.
Increased competitive advantage: Not everyone can gain a Kitemark. Some products are simply not good enough. This is what makes Kitemark so special and valued by those who have achieved it. It really does help products and services stand out from the competition, whether your customer is another business, a purchasing professional or a member of the general public.
Environmental action
As pressure to reduce the environmental impact of carbon emissions continues, however, one key area where BSI's Kitemark can now help organizations is through the optimization of energy usage. Efficient energy management has been given added impetus through various legislative changes in recent years, and as of April 2010 UK businesses over a certain size were required to measure, report and manage their energy carbon emissions as part of the new Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).
This innovative energy-efficiency scheme means any business that consumed over 6,000MWh of half-hourly metered electricity in 2008 will now have to provide annual records of their (non-transport) energy emissions, prepare for annual audits and put together "evidence packs" that explain their strategy and leadership for energy management.
In addition, those organizations must begin to trade in carbon as a commodity - buying enough credits for the allowance they estimate they will need each year. The trading is to move to a free market model from 2013, and the scheme will also see an annual league table published, ranking bodies by how much energy they successfully save.
An emissions-trading scheme for energy-intensive businesses also came into effect in Japanese capital Tokyo in April. Approximately 1,400 organizations in the city need to cut their carbon emissions by six per cent before 2014. If they are unable to do so they will need to buy additional carbon allowances or otherwise offset their activities through sustainable investment. As with the UK's scheme, companies that fail to comply could be publicly named as well as fined.
Kitemark® scheme for ERV
This means that there is both a financial and a branding incentive to optimize energy performance, and it was in recognition of this need that BSI recently launched its "Kitemark scheme for Energy Reduction Verification (ERV)" - independent certification that an organization has achieved a reduction in carbon emissions through lower energy use.
The scheme is the first to have been designed specifically for CRC compliance, and is based on the implementation of an energy management system in line with the standard BS EN 16001 Energy managements systems.
An energy management system enables a business to make continual improvements to its energy efficiency through planning, measuring results and making the necessary changes.
The Environment Agency has also decided that the Kitemark can be used as evidence of energy management for the CRC's "Early Action Metric" - the way in which organizations are being assessed for the scheme's first year of operation.
In September air filtration manufacturer Camfil Farr became the very first company to achieve certification to the new Kitemark for just this reason. After joining a pilot scheme, it corrected some areas of non-conformance, such as in its data collection, and completed the transition to the full ERV Kitemark in less than six months.
Managing director, Bill Wilkinson, summarized: "The ERV Kitemark is an externally recognized verification that we have saved over 14 per cent on energy in the current compliance year and also demonstrates to our stakeholders that we practice what we preach."[6]
However, BSI estimates that companies could in fact cut their energy costs by much more - potentially as much as 30 per cent.
By choosing Kitemark in general companies can be sure that products and systems will operate more efficiently, more reliably, and ultimately for longer - requiring less replacement. As with energy reduction and efficiency, this means less waste and a more sustainable platform - for business and the planet alike.
For further information on the benefits of Kitemark, please visit www.Kitemark.com.
[1] http://www.superbrands.uk.com/businessresults;
[2] http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref930;
[3] GfK NOP Consumer survey, July 2006;
[4] http://www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/adviceandinformation/facts-and-figures.aspx;
[5] GfK NOP Consumer survey, July 2006;
[6] http://www.bsigroup.com/en/About-BSI/News-Room/BSI-News-Content/Disciplines/Environmental-Management/Camfil-Farr-becomes-first-company-to-join-BSIs-energy-reduction-verification-Kitemark-scheme/
Business Standards © 2010. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with The British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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