Background and goal

Background

SCCM was founded in 1995 by the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment (previously VROM), the employers’ organization VNO-NCW, the certification bodies and the environmental movement, in order to arrive at a uniform procedure for the certification bodies, and an unambiguous interpretation of the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems. Since 2006, the foundation has also coordinated the certification of occupational safety/health (OHS) management systems (according to OHSAS 18001, now ISO 45001). At the request of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, SCCM has also taken care of registration for the Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) since 1995. SCCM has a unique position, as there are no comparable organizations in other countries.

Goal

The objective of SCCM is that the ISO 14001, ISO 45001/OHSAS 18001 and ISO 50001 certificates have added value in the relations between organizations and their neighbours and other parties such as the government. If this added value is lacking, it can be cause to modify the ‘ground rules’ as laid down in the certification schemes. The certification bodies use the relevant SCCM certification scheme to evaluate the implementation of the standards by organizations.