If you have paid attention to any industry news right now, there are two specific topics that come up in every meeting; Environmental Justice, and Insurance.

While these two things are very different in nearly every way, they are similar in that they are tied to risk. For insurance, a facility has risks, and their ability to manage those risks will have an impact on the premium and coverages available to that facility.

For environmental justice, the question is “what is the risk to the community?” While I have never advocated that a management system can solve all of the problems within a facility, it can help deal with these two specific issues. By investing in a risk based management system, a facility is able to proactively, and definitively demonstrate to outside stakeholders that they care, that they actively manage risk, and that they have invested in being a positive contributor to their partners.

These two issues have the ability to bring the industry to its knees. They will, if allowed, divide the industry between those who have been forward thinking in the area of risk management, and those who have not. With a tool like RIOS—or an equivalent combination of ISO standards—facilities can change the narrative for themselves, and for the industry. Recycling is a positive contributor to the community, and the industry can take steps to demonstrate that.