Brazil Missionary Headquarters Acquires ISO14001 Certification
First Overseas Organization to Acquire the Certification
On December 23 of last year, the Seicho-No-Ie Brazil Missionary Headquarters in Sao Paulo acquired the ISO14001 certification, an international environment management standard.
According to an international evaluation organization, RINA (headquartered in Genova, Italy), there is no precedent among religious organizations in South America to acquire the certification.
The sites which acquired the certification were the Brazil Missionary Headquarters, its annex building, and the South American Spiritual Training Center. The certification covers workshops on the teachings, spiritual training seminars and other events, advertising activities, and sales of books and magazines at these sites.
With the objective of acquiring the ISO14001 certification, the Brazil Missionary Headquarters approved the establishment of the “committee to study the acquisition of ISO14001 certification” at the board of directors meeting held in October 2007. In order to actually promote it, the Environment Protection Office was established in March 2008. In April 2008, the Brazil Missionary Headquarters Environment Policy was formulated and approved at the board of directors’ meeting held in the same month. From June, ISO study classes were held for all employees. In November, the Environment Management Manual was completed.
In June 2009, the first evaluation was made by RINA. After its second evaluation in early December, the ISO14001 certification was granted as of December 23.
According to the Brazil Missionary Headquarters, in order to raise the employees’ awareness, the newly-established Environment Protection Office, Planning Office and Administration Section conducted 12-35 hours each of employee study classes, international auditor study classes and fire drill group study classes and so forth. At the all-employee weekly morning meetings, the employees recited the Environment Policy.
The Brazil Missionary Headquarters plans to expand the ISO14001-certified sites within Brazil to the Santa Tecla Spiritual Training Center in Rio Grande do Sul by 2011, the Santa Fe Spiritual Training Center in Bahia by 2012 and from 2013 it will be expanded to 118 Missionary Branches across the country.
Members’ comments have been received, such as “I am proud to be a member of Seicho-No-Ie, which is the first among all religious organizations and business companies to acquire the ISO14001 certification as proof that it deals with environmental protection for the future of humanity.”
REMARKS BY REV. YOSHIO MUKAI, BISHOP OF SEICHO-NO-IE LATIN AMERICA
“In Brazil, we have acquired ISO14001 certification, which was our most important objective, since the International Headquarters announced it for overseas organizations in its 2007 Movement Policy. We set our goal of two years and received the first evaluation in June 2009. At that time, it was pointed out that facility improvement was needed. We scheduled the second evaluation for the end of 2009. After the second evaluation in December, we acquired the certification. I believe that this helps deepen the awareness about environmental protection not only among Headquarters’ employees but all the members, and I am glad. I would like to expand this effort to other spiritual training centers and Missionary Area buildings.”