If you thought environmental management was the province of industry or the big end of town, then think again. Go-ahead Tassie operation at+m integrated marketing is at the forefront of a growing number of smaller, service oriented companies intent on making – and indeed exceeding – the environmental management grade …
at+m is an integrated marketing company with 25 employees. It offers services delivered via a range of methods including advertising, graphic design, direct mail and media. The business also has an extensive print capability through its Sprinta Print arm.
Andrew Perry is at+m’s Environmental Systems Manager. He explains why a relatively small Tasmanian operation, working within a market that’s highly polarised when it comes to environmental issues, would make the leap to implement a certified Environmental Management System (EMS).
The fact that the company’s environmental certificate has just been presented by Tasmanian Minister for the Environment, the Hon Paul Wreidt MHA – with local media and customers present – is testimony to the interest and regard that the company’s achievement has attracted.
“Our initial motivation was economic,” says Andrew. “We believed there were savings to be made and that these would go hand in hand with better environmental performance. However, there were other motivations which stemmed from a customer service survey. This revealed that our customers placed high importance on good corporate governance – and that included environmentally responsible conduct.”
In a company that has been ISO 9000-certified since 1995, the processes and framework within the ISO 14000 series for environmental management that the company chose to implement were relatively easy to put in place.
The company opted to have the system certified by SAI Global. Certification was a step they felt would both help quantify their efforts and to assist them in marketing and bidding for tenders and contracts.
“The third party verification also gives an objective perspective into the EMS, especially when you have highly qualified and professional auditors such as those from SAI. It’s important to help us quantify, measure and then develop methods for improvement,” says Andrew Perry.
So now that at+m has the means to measure its environmental performance, has that performance improved?
The answer is a resounding ‘yes’, says Andrew Perry. And not only has it made significant internal savings and improvements, the company has become a leading advocate and driver for environmental responsibility in the industry. It has also registered its very own ‘environmentally responsible’ trademark: Rethink®.
“This has enabled our clients to have the recycled paper products they use branded as created using environmentally responsible processes. This in turn promotes their own reputation for environmental responsibility. It gives us a real point of difference in the marketplace and of course at the same time delivers environmental benefits.”
So what are some of those environmental benefits?
The most significant changes that at+m has made under its EMS are on the print side.
“Naturally enough, as the area that has the greatest environmental impact, it has attracted the greatest attention – and the greatest improvements and savings,” says Andrew Perry.
Use of chemical agents has been dramatically reduced and in some case eliminated – inks used are now vegetable based. Risks associated with storage have also been lessened by adopting a ‘just in time’ ordering policy.
The old film-based processes and their by-products and resource-use have been replaced by digital, waste-free methods such as computer-to-plate (CTP) technology. Other technologies are also being explored – including infra-red and thermal imaging techniques that will remove the need for chemicals altogether.
As a consequence, significant savings have already been realised. Reductions in chemical processing are in the order of 75%; reductions in set-up waste through use of a new printing press are a whopping 90% and water usage has been cut by 83%.
A further benefit, according to Andrew Perry, is the flow on effect that the system has on either side of the supply chain – both clients and suppliers are now behaving a more environmentally responsible manner.
“When you look at the improvements we have made already it shows what a difference you can make if you mobilise your resources and get your people on board,” he says. “It just goes to show everyone was doing it, the benefits would be staggering.”
How does a three-person start-up in 2004 come to boast 22 employees (and growing) and an international clientele? CQR Consulting has all the answers – including how its certified Information Security Management System System (ISMS) has helped…
David Simpson is CQR Consulting’s managing director.
“We’re an information risk management company that helps businesses understand their information-related risks and develop strategies to address them,” he says.
So exactly what types of risk does CQR’s scope encompass?
“We address risks ranging from the highest strategic level, such as reliance on business information in developing the business plan, right through to the nitty gritty of the implementation and ongoing management phase,” says David.
“Information is a key factor in business success. It offers a major competitive advantage if used properly. There has been a real change in approach to its management in recent years. Not so long ago companies were farming out their information management activities – it was seen as a side line or specialist business,” he says.
“But as more and more businesses have come to recognise the value of information – in all its forms – so have they realised that they have just as high a responsibility in regard to safeguarding information assets as they would physical assets.”
A big part of helping organisations understand the nature of the power and responsibility that information assets bring is to ask them to envisage the theoretical consequences of the loss, corruption, theft or damage to their information resources.
“Certainly a part of what we do is to highlight those issues to get to a ‘square one’ of risk management. However this educational aspect is less important now as it is becoming more accepted that safeguarding information assets in a formal way is not an option but a necessity.”
As David goes on to explain, in today’s complex multi-faceted businesses, quantifying information assets and the risks associated with them is no mean feat.
For CQR, achieving this has involved developing a methodology that involves dividing information assets into different types, then using various techniques to address them.
“So, for example, we can divide most information into broad categories of people, processes and technology,” says David. “Within that framework we can then go on to further analyse the various different strategic and operational layers across the different spheres of the business.”
Yes, it is highly specialised, yes it is very difficult and yes, it does pose challenges every day as businesses and the technology and processes that enable them continue to evolve and change.
But clearly CQR is doing something very right. This small, Adelaide-based outfit has now made the BRW Fast Starts 100 list, which ranks Australia's 100 fastest growing start-up businesses, two years in a row.
So, what is the secret of CQR’s success?
Talent, experience, dedication, know-how – sure. But another factor that has helped CQR along the way is the company’s certified Information Security Management System (ISMS).
The natural question is, of course, why would an information management specialist need the help of an ISMS?
David Simpson says there are many reasons.
“As experts in this field we are the first to realise that any system that can bring additional rigour to our processes will add benefit, and we believe our ISMS does this,” he explains.
“The system also offers strategic and business development advantages. Scalable growth was one of them – although we started small we did so with a firm ambition to grow. Having the systems in place to support that growth while allowing us to maintain rigour was important.
“Another important factor, especially as a small startup, was the ability to demonstrate our bona fides and credibility unequivocally to potential clients.
“In short, it showed that we met international Standards, have a robust system and, through the certification, that there is an objective third party willing to testify to this.”
Although first certified to the then current AS 7799 standard, the company has since made the transition to certification to the ISO 27001 standard.
“Integrity is our stock in trade. By having the certified ISMS in place we are showing to our staff, our clients and the world at large that we are living the principles we espouse, practising what we preach. We recommend the system to all of our clients. We say: ‘we have gone to the trouble of putting this in, but it is an investment, it’s good for our business and we believe that it will be good for your business, too.”
back to top