Australia’s regulatory and environmental expectations are rapidly changing, and now there is a different perception of what ISO consultants do. No longer are ISO consultants regarded as mere checkers and documenters. The top ISO consultants now regard themselves as strategists who entwine resilience, transparency, and sustainability into the very core of a business.
This is especially true in regard to ISO 14001 audits. These audits are often disregarded or considered as mere compliance, but in fact, they can serve as vehicles for innovation and tremendous growth. Unlocking this potential, however, only happens in the absence of traditional consultancy roles.
In every industry, from manufacturing to logistics, Australian companies are now being scrutinized, not only by regulatory bodies but also by investors, partners, and clients, for the impact they have on the environment. The standard ISO 14001 internal audit is a traditional one and aims to check if the company is abiding by the law. A responsive or progressive ISO consultant shifts that audit to what they refer to as the sustainability pulse-check.
They inquire: Do your environmental goals capture market opportunities such as ESG reporting, or climate risk disclosures? Does your risk register capture emerging threats such as supply chain carbon, or biodiversity loss? These are not mere exercises in futility. They are tools for strategic planning.
Many businesses, especially those trying to get ISO 14001 certification, treat internal audits as activities to check a box, after which nothing more is done. They can, and should, be used to drive innovation.
A leading ISO consultant in Australia does more than checking compliance. They get stakeholders from various departments and locations to collaborate on process improvements, finding materials, and circular economy opportunities. A good example is an audit where usage patterns of resources are reviewed. This can unveil resource reuse, closed loop systems, or alternative sourcing systems potential.
This shift of examining resources during an audit illustrates how within an internal audit's domain, there is potential to rethink resource usage and ultimately drive innovation.
ISO consultants in Australia are more and more asked to have a command of local law, environmental risks, and the pertinent issues of the industry.
For example, an internal audit of ISO 14001 for a mining company in Western Australia has to focus on land disturbance and, tailings, and EPA contact audits, while a warehousing company in Sydney would have to incorporate emissions audits which are prone to the Greenhouse and energy Reporting Scheme and fuel data integrity systems.
There is little integrity in using generic templates and recycled checklists. The best ISO consultants focus their approach within the defined industry, and to the specific geography, and operational areas, which adds value.
The role of ISO consultants in shaping the culture of an organization is an important but often overlooked function. The conduct of an internal transparent audit in which stakeholders are part of the process helps to cultivate the ownership of environmentally friendly objectives at all levels of the organization from the warehouse to the C suite.
Top-down audit approaches are not good practices. Good consultants co-develop audit programs with client internal teams and accompany them through expectation setting and motivating them to actionable steps. When employees feel cared for and supported during ISO 14001 audits they are more willing to report incidents and offer suggestions and behaviors which recognize eco functioning than would occur if the behavior was expected outside of the audit.
The days of assuming that gaps will only be closed when there is a scheduled surveillance audit, or there is a renewal for certification are gone. ISO consultants need to develop strategies that aid in the integration of audit readiness into BAU tasks. This includes:
Building digital dashboards that measure performance on compliance accountability KPIs.
Deploying trained micro teams to conduct quarterly audits rather than waiting for the annual audit.
Training people designated as internal champions to perform peer audits with external assistance.
Using audit output to enrich the ESG and invest report.
This is a powerful, yet subtle change: audits are events in the calendar, they are now mechanisms for continuous improvement.
With the contemporary Australian business landscape facing ESG challenges, more stringent environmental regulation, as well as the digital transformation, the role of ISO Consultants ought to change. Internal audits of ISO 14001 should not be the end goal. More importantly, they should be the catalyst for operational and cultural change.
If the ISO consultant is not helping you integrate environmental goals and the overarching business objectives, then the business as usual approach ought to be questioned. From 2025 and onwards, more savvy business will cease the practice of considering consultants as an expense, but rather, as an asset that multiplies value.
