According to a survey conducted by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the international standardisation body, Italy, with 150,000 certified companies, tops the European rankings for Quality Management System certifications. In addition to ISO 9001, currently the best known and most widespread certification, there are, however, numerous other standards against which companies may voluntarily decide to certify. ISO 13009, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 are all indispensable certifications to respond to society’s ever more pressing demands in terms of quality, health, environment, safety and gender equality in the workplace; they are strategic tools with high added value that allow companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors and enter, with an extra gear, into new markets never before explored. Illustrating the advantages of these certifications is Manolo Valori, Technical Director of CVI Italia, the Italian branch of the Slovakian group CVI SRO, one of the most important companies in the voluntary certification sector with international accreditation.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr Valori, what is ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification and what advantages does it bring to companies in practice?
Today, successful companies are driven to promote quality in every aspect of their business. This strategic vision – oriented towards a more careful, responsible and sustainable management of their organisation – undoubtedly contributes to an improvement in terms of brand reputation, ensuring that the company has the best tools to win new opportunities in an increasingly competitive and global market. The ISO 9001 ‘Quality Management Systems’ standard is the most famous and widespread certification for corporate quality improvement. It is an international standard chosen by all those organisations that intend to equip themselves with a working tool aimed at continuous and constant improvement, that want to increase their operational and organisational efficiency, and at the same time increase customer loyalty, guaranteeing a continuous improvement in the quality standards provided. Often requested as a prerequisite or preferential requirement in tenders and public procurement procedures, this certification enables companies to obtain numerous tax breaks, such as a 50 per cent discount on the insurance premium the company has to pay when participating in tenders. Companies that have also obtained ISO 14001 certification can benefit from an additional 20 per cent discount.
You mentioned 14001 certification. What exactly is it?
The ISO 14001 Standard is the regulatory benchmark for companies that have, or intend to have, an Environmental Management System in place to control and limit the environmental impacts of their activities. Indeed, this standard provides a framework through which an organisation can deliver improved environmental performance in line with its environmental policy commitments. Adopting an Environmental Management System therefore means committing to improving one’s environmental performance, while at the same time deriving other types of economic and fiscal benefits. In order to participate in public tenders, the company must in fact certify its Environmental System: the Procurement Code, Legislative Decree 50 of 2016, in Art. 34. concerning energy and environmental sustainability criteria, reinforces the obligation for contracting stations to require the application of CAM, i.e. minimum environmental criteria in the selection of suppliers and in the choice of the most advantageous economic offers.
Let’s talk about UNI ISO 45001 ‘Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems’. What can you tell us about it?
It is the first international standard for health and safety in the workplace and was developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) with the contribution of experts from over 70 countries to try to stem the dramatic phenomenon of deaths and injuries in the workplace. The standard defines the minimum standards of good practice for the protection of workers, allows the implementation of best practices useful to prevent adverse situations and to proactively implement all corrective actions to eliminate the cause of a given accident, improving the safety and health performance of any organisation. A 2018 INAIL report clearly shows that UNI ISO 45001-certified companies have a 16% lower accident frequency rate than non-certified companies and a 40% lower accident severity index, improved efficiency of business processes, a conspicuous reduction in costs related to INAIL insurance premiums and the acquisition of additional scores in public tenders, but above all the ability to meet the organisation’s legal and regulatory obligations (Legislative Decree No. 81/2008).
Law 162/2021 introduced a new instrument to incentivise companies to adopt appropriate policies to reduce the gender gap. What exactly is it?
It is a very important tool to measure, assess and report on gender equality in the company through a key performance indicator (KPI) and, above all, to start a virtuous path of cultural change in one’s own organisation through the adoption of policies aimed at favouring women’s entry and permanence in the labour market. This certification allows organisations to access numerous tax benefits and obtain bonus scores in tenders. Private companies that have obtained the UNI/PDR125:2022 gender equality certification benefit, for the period of validity of the aforementioned certification, from a contribution exemption. In fact, the INPS authorises employers to benefit from the exemption to the extent of 1% from the payment of the total social security contributions to be paid by the employer, subject to a maximum limit of EUR 50,000 per year. In short, all these certifications represent a distinctive element with high added value that will enable companies to gain a competitive advantage in the global market and improve their brand reputation.
