The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators.
It is important to look for this logo when evaluating a company's environmental status. This logo confirms that ISO 14001 (in the context of this website) has been gained via a regulated auditor. Unfortunately it is possible to gain ISO 14001 via a non-regulated auditor.
The gaining of ISO 14001 takes printing companies, on average, around one year when a UKAS regulated auditor is used. Contrast that with the 'ISO in 45 days' offered by a non-UKAS regulated auditor.
ISO 14001 is not a superficial sales tool, when done correctly it changes the company culture and acts as a framework for environmental awareness and improvement.