The Dorset-based firm, which handles waste management for more than 2,000 printers and publishing houses, said it has seen a major increase in customer enquiries about how to gain the standard.

“We estimate that the number of companies we deal with seeking ISO 14001 has risen by around 50% in the past 18 months,” said general manager John Haines.

“It’s a good indication of how environmental management is now being taken seriously across the whole industry.”

Gaining the standard helps companies show their customers how their operations minimise environmental impact.

Sustainable waste management is a key element of the standard’s requirements. Companies have to demonstrate that they have administrative systems in place to record the amount of waste collected, who handles it, where its final destination will be and how much of it is recycled.

“Back in the 1990s, environmental pioneers in the industry soon realised that having the standard gave them a competitive edge when bidding for business, but for many it was more of a public relations vanity project,” said Haines.

“But having ISO 14001 has now become a business necessity because of the number of potential customers with formal green supply chains in place. The fact that so many of our own customers now aspire to the standard shows that the message is getting through.”