Certificates of Success: A necessary evil or a real opportunity?

Sustainability is the buzzword of our time. Companies that want to be seen as environmentally conscious and socially responsible often resort to sustainability certificates such as ISO 14001 or EcoVadis. These Certificates of Success are intended to provide credible proof that a company meets certain environmental and social standards. But how useful are these Certificates of Success really? And what challenges do companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), face in obtaining them?

Certificates of Success as proof of “innocence”

A central problem with many sustainability certificates is that companies have to prove their innocence in a kind of “reversal of the burden of proof” – similar to criminal proceedings. The focus is on demonstrating compliance with certain standards rather than promoting continuous improvement. This often leads to companies seeing certification as a chore to be completed rather than an opportunity to really question and improve their sustainability practices.

ISO 14001: A complex standard

ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. At first glance, this certification appears to be a good way to improve a company’s environmental performance. However, reality shows that the path to ISO certification can be lengthy, complex and expensive.

Costs and effort:
The costs for certification vary greatly, but can quickly amount to between 3,000 and 10,000 euros for an SME, including the audits. In addition, there is a considerable internal effort, which can take several months and often requires extensive adjustments to the company structure and processes. For many SMEs, this expense can hardly be justified, especially if the actual benefit in day-to-day business is minimal.

The benefits often remain limited:
Many companies see ISO 14001 as a necessary evil in order to meet certain market requirements, but the actual added value often remains unused. The focus is on fulfilling the certification criteria without striving for real improvements in environmental management.

EcoVadis: High costs, limited transparency

EcoVadis is a platform that offers sustainability assessments for companies. Certification by EcoVadis can be beneficial for companies when it comes to meeting the requirements of major customers or partners. However, there are also significant challenges here.

Costs and effort:
The costs for EcoVadis certification are between 1,000 and 6,000 euros per year, depending on the package. The internal effort involved should not be underestimated: Companies have to submit extensive documentation and complete detailed questionnaires. Additional internal or external resources are often required to fully meet the requirements.

Transparency problems:
Another point of criticism of EcoVadis is the limited transparency of the assessment criteria. Outsiders often have no insight into the exact evaluation processes, which makes the credibility and comparability of the results more difficult. For companies, this can mean that they go to a lot of effort without really knowing how the assessment is arrived at and what actual benefit they derive from it.

Certificates of Success as a chore?

In many companies, sustainability certificates are therefore unfortunately seen as a compulsory exercise rather than a real opportunity to operate more sustainably. The processes for obtaining Certificates of Success are often bureaucratic, expensive and time-consuming. The actual intention – namely the promotion of sustainable practices – is easily pushed into the background. Instead of real improvements, it is often about ticking a box on a list in order to survive on the market.

Tip:
Focus on what really counts. Certificates of Success are not an end in themselves, but should be the result of real improvements in the company. Focus on the economic and ecological benefits. Think carefully about which measures will make you more efficient and sustainable – the Certificate of Success should then only be the logical consequence. Only pursue Certificates of Success if they are really necessary, for example to meet customer requirements or open up new markets. Make sure that they are cost-efficient and easy to implement. Simple, low-cost measures such as internal optimizations or digital tools are often just as effective – and will get you further faster.