Customer Story: DENR Becomes the First ISO:14001 2015 Certified Public Agency in the Philippines

The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) has become the first public agency in the Philippines to be ISO 14001:2015 certified.

DENR is the primary Philippine government agency responsible for the conservation, management and proper use of the country's environmental and natural resources. It is tasked with formulating and implementing policies, guidelines, rules and regulations relating to environmental management and pollution prevention and control.

On February 10, 2016, DENR's central office in Quezon City was awarded ISO 14001:2015 certification, making DNER Central the first public agency in the Philippines to be certified under the new version of ISO's environmental management system (EMS) standard. SGS was DENR's partner throughout its journey toward certification.

SGS recommended that DENR Central become ISO 14001:2015 certified in 2015, during an external audit. By becoming certified, the agency aimed to:

• Improve environmental performance
• Prioritize environmental issues that needed to be addressed
• Ensure that processes, operations and activities comply with good environmental practice and management
• Ensure that clear objectives and operational goals are set
• Comply with legal and policy requirements
• Obtain a strong commitment from top management

DENR began working toward certification by conducting a workshop for interested parties and by verifying employees' understanding of stakeholder needs, their attitude toward the standard and their current practices. DENR then implemented the following strategies to achieve certification:

• Installing an electric submeter in each building to ensure efficient consumption of electricity
• Monitoring fuel consumption
• Using wall mounted thermometers
• Installing green walls in the workplace
• Reusing and recycling paper, with the goal of eventually going paperless
• Reducing waste and implementing an improved and stringent waste segregation process

Top management demonstrated leadership and commitment to ISO 14001:2015 by allocating funds for the continual improvement of the EMS.

DENR is now looking at rolling out a training program for all regional offices to become ISO 14001:2015 certified.

We offer a suite of solutions to help your organization transition from ISO 14001:2004 to ISO 14001:2015. Learn more

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About SGS

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 85,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,800 offices and laboratories around the world.