Letter from the editor

As it becomes common knowledge that climate change is fact rather than fiction, organizations the world over are faced with how best to approach this somewhat inconvenient but serious truth. Regardless of sector, carbon emissions, materiality and sustainability have all risen, quite quickly, to the top of the agenda with shareholders and customers now more aware than ever of the importance of an environmentally sound business plan.

While Paul Simpson of the Carbon Disclosure Project sheds some light on what the 500 biggest companies in the world are doing to combat climate change, Accountability’s new report is designed to help organizations identify, prioritize and review their material issues and not just from a financial perspective. As a direct result of these growing concerns, ISO 14001, the environmental standard, is fast gaining recruits on a global level. BS 8555 is a new stepped approach that can help organizations looking to implement an effective environmental management system gradually. Catherine Golds has a look at how auditors can get the best results when inspecting organizations opting for this phased approach. For a more in-depth look at the world of standards, Pandita Louram investigates the results of the latest ISO survey 2005 and finds that, while generally speaking uptake is positive, certification numbers are falling in some of the more mature markets. Does this spell the beginning of the end for ISO certification or simply signal the need for constant innovation? The Q&A panel of experts are back with another conundrum to solve on the impact of sub-letting buildings for a business trying to gain ISO certification – ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ being far from the best approach.

Environment aside, the Auditing Practices Group explains the importance of directly involving senior management in the auditing process and gives auditors some top tactics for those approaching the staff in the boardroom. Evidence that IRCA values the feedback of its readers, Robert Maddison analyzes some of your most recent opinions revealed in the latest IRCA survey.

Don’t forget to have a browse through our news section as well where you’ll discover a hand-picked selection of what’s going on in the auditing world. Find out about new security management systems for the supply chain, the latest addition to the ISO 9001:2000 guides, the most socially responsible company and much much more.

Pandita Louram
IRCA INform