Better by design

Quality systems, the frameworks that ensure products and services meet specified requirements, have long been a cornerstone of effective business operations. However, in recent years, there has been a growing recognition of their critical role in supporting organisations in achieving the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In this article, I want to explore the intersection of quality systems and SDGs, highlighting how they can work together to create a more equitable, prosperous and environmentally friendly world.

The interconnectedness of quality and sustainability

The concept of sustainability encompasses economic, environmental, and social dimensions. When implemented effectively, quality systems can contribute to all three aspects:

• Economic sustainability: Quality products and services enhance customer satisfaction, leading to increased market share and profitability. A lower number of defects and rejects means less is spent correcting those aspects and therefore lower expenditure on rework.
  
  This economic stability can then be invested in sustainable initiatives, such as research and development of environmentally friendly technologies.
   
• Environmental sustainability: Quality systems can incorporate environmental management practices, reducing waste, energy consumption and pollution. This helps to protect natural resources and mitigate climate change.
  
  Indeed, earlier this year, an amendment was made to 31 ISO management standards, including ISO 9001, to ask that consideration be given to environmental issues in the aspect of ‘needs and expectations of interested parties’.
   
• Social sustainability: Quality systems can ensure that products and services are safe and meet the needs of consumers. This contributes to public health and wellbeing.
  
  Additionally, quality systems can promote fair labour practices and working conditions, improving the lives of employees.

The role of quality standards in attaining SDGs

Quality standards provide a framework for organisations to implement quality systems. These can be adapted to address specific sustainability goals. For example:

• SDG 2: Zero hunger: Quality standards can be used to ensure food safety and prevent food waste. This can help to address global food insecurity.
• SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing: Quality standards can be applied to medical devices and pharmaceuticals, ensuring their safety and efficacy, in turn improving public health outcomes.
• SDG 4: Quality education: Quality standards can be used to assess the quality of educational institutions and ensure they meet the needs of students. This ensures a better future for individuals and their communities.
• SDG 5: Gender equality: Quality standards can promote gender equality in the workplace by ensuring fair hiring, promotion, and compensation practices.
• SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth: Quality standards can help to create decent jobs by promoting fair labour practices and working conditions.
• SDG 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure: Quality standards can support innovation and economic development by ensuring products and services meet high-quality standards.
• SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production: Quality standards can encourage responsible consumption and production by promoting sustainable practices and reducing waste.

In this regard, it is important to remember that an organisation's quality management systems are defined and designed to respond to specific requirements of that organisation. If the organisation's goal is exclusively to meet the requirements of its customers or those implicit in the standard itself, it will be a functional and correct quality management system but limited to those scopes.

If, on the other hand, the organisation's top management uses its quality management system to respond to a greater number of requirements, including, for example, SDGs, the management system will consequently be more useful, robust and comprehensive.

This will allow it to respond to social, environmental or labour issues that definitely contribute not only to the manufacture of good products or the provision of good service but also to a better corporate image and an effective contribution to these global objectives.

Challenges and opportunities

While the integration of quality systems and SDGs offers numerous benefits, there are also challenges to overcome. These can include:

• Lack of awareness: Many organisations may not be aware of the potential benefits of integrating quality and sustainability.
• Resource constraints: Implementing quality systems and sustainability initiatives can require significant resources.
• Resistance to change: Employees may resist changes to existing processes or practices.

However, despite these challenges, the opportunities for integrating quality and sustainability are significant. By working together, organisations can create a more sustainable and equitable world for future generations.