Interactions between quality management and sustainability

The topic of sustainability is on everyone's lips. It is extensive, diverse and sometimes urgent. How can it be integrated into quality management?

ISO 9001:2015 already states that the organization should have an open and substantive exchange with its stakeholders, the relevant interest groups. The pressing issues of climate change, sustainable production of products and services or the threat of resource scarcity have put sustainability high on the agenda of organizations. This also has serious implications for quality management. For organizations, acting sustainably means making changes in numerous segments

Environmental protection in the company

First and foremost, the term sustainability is associated with environmental protection. This is where every organisation should start in order to prove its credibility with regard to sustainable action. The main goal is to minimize the impact of the organization's activities on the environment. This is based on concrete environmental goals. These can be recycling quotas, energy savings, efficient use of resources or the avoidance and recycling of waste. The main task in this complex is to encourage employees to act in an environmentally conscious manner.

Diversity management

This aspect has become increasingly important in the past. Diversity management refers to all activities in the organization that aim to prevent every conceivable form of discrimination. Equal opportunities should be created for all employees. Interaction with each other must also be based on this guiding principle.

Employees

In general, a responsible approach to employees should have the highest priority in the organization. Offering family-friendly and flexible working hours is one of the most important measures here. Home office, flexitime, part-time and parental leave or sabbaticals are among these. Health protection and occupational safety are also important points in order to keep the workforce healthy and satisfied in the long term. Voluntary annual medical examinations or training courses can make a significant contribution here.

Sourcing and distribution market

In the procurement of resources and the sale of products, there are also many ways in which an organization can act sustainably. This includes, for example, fair dealings with suppliers and competitors. In addition, fairness should also be the primary objective in procurement, production and marketing. Suppliers should therefore also comply with sustainability standards and of course, not violate human rights.

Society

The organization can also demonstrate sustainability orientation by getting involved in society. This commitment not only addresses regional issues, but also national and international concerns. For example, it can set up scholarships or sponsorships for social and ecological issues. The organization also can support the construction of hospitals or schools.

Integrating sustainability into quality management

How can an organisation integrate sustainability issues into the already existing quality management system? First, a sustainability mission statement should be added to the organisation's quality philosophy. Sustainability objectives should also be added to the quality objectives. An organisation's sustainability management is only credible if binding sustainability goals are defined and ways of achieving them are explained. In the meantime, there are numerous standards that provide orientation for organizations in this regard:

• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Organisations
• Environmental standard ISO 14001 (certification standard)
• EMAS Regulation -ISO 26000 (Guide)
• IQNet SR 10 (specification for certification)
• Social Accountability 8000 (certification standard)

Responsibility for all aspects of sustainability must be clearly defined. It is therefore advisable to designate a person responsible for this in the organisation, a sustainability officer. Once designated, this officer can then analyse the areas of sustainability in which the organisation wishes to be active. This applies in the case that no elaborated sustainability plan exists yet. In this case, it is advisable to start with a narrowly defined area and then gradually expand the activities into further fields of action.

Go through PDCA cycle

Some experts recommend that the expansion of fields of activity be carried out according to the so-called PDCA cycle. In this cycle, topics are processed in four steps: PDCA stands for Plan, Do, Check, Act. In the first step, an analysis of the current situation is carried out after the problem has become an issue. Then a goal is set. In the Do phase, the decided measures are implemented. This happens on a small scale at first. The steps in this phase are precisely documented. In the following Check phase, the results achieved so far are reviewed and analysed. This is also the place for any necessary corrections. In the last phase of the cycle, the entire process is put to the test. Target and actual status are compared, optimization potential is sought. If it is determined here that the goal has not been achieved, the PDCA cycle starts again.

Audit and communicate

Organizations should not fail to monitor their sustainability activities. Sustainability audits should therefore be added to the organization's audit program. In addition, the organization can survey the stakeholders about its sustainability activities. In addition, the organization should communicate its sustainability activities. They are becoming increasingly important to the image of an organization. Essential here is that no greenwashing is done, the organization does not present itself better than it is. This can permanently undermine credibility.