The business implications of implementing ISO 14000

The ISO 14000 standards for environmental management systems (EMS) are voluntary standards intended to aid companies that wish to improve their environmental performance. The standards owe their existence, at least in part, to three widely shared views: (1) that existing environmental management systems are either inadequate or ineffective; (2) that companies will want to improve environmental performance for economic or social reasons; and (3) that governments and stakeholders will require companies to exercise greater control of the impacts to the environment through new regulations. ISO 14000 offers a solution—an ?integrated”? EMS, with components designed to effect sound management in any size organization and in any country. The standards are an embodiment of both the policy and practice of environmental management. This article is a consideration of the business implications of the ISO 14000 series of standards. How will a movement toward an integrated EMS be realized? Who will be in the best position to respond? ISO 14000 is a management system, and it carries with it business consequences.     

Challenges of meeting ISO 14000 auditing guidelines: Audit program gaps

At long last, the ISO 14000 environmental auditing guidelines have been issued in final form and have been accepted in the United States and elsewhere as official national standards. The auditing guidelines consist of: Guidelines for environmental auditing—General principles (ISO 14010: 1996(E)) Guidelines for environmental auditing—Audit procedures—Auditing of environmental management systems (ISO 14011: 1996(E)) Guidelines for environmental auditing—Qualification criteria for environmental auditors (ISO 14012: 1996(E)) Unlike the environmental management system (EMS) standard (ISO 14001), the auditing guidelines are just that, guidelines. The ISO 14000 auditing guidelines are not long documents: ISO 14010 is three pages, ISO 14011 is five pages and ISO 14012 is three pages.     

Using ISO 14000 for improved organizational learning and environmental management

Since the adoption of ISO 14001, companies have examined the standard and considered certification. Although the framework is useful and enhancing environmental management systems is beneficial, the adoption of ISO 14001 alone will not provide maximum company benefits. Companies must strive for an improvement in environmental performance and financial performance that can be accomplished only through significant changes in corporate culture, structure, and systems. By developing core capabilities such as skills and knowledge, physical technical systems, managerial systems, and values and norms, companies can develop organizational learning to increase sustainable competitive advantage. This article examines how the ISO 14000 series of standards can be used to improve organizational learning and environmental management.     

ISO14000系列标准及其实施

本文从ISO14000系列标准的起源、标准的制定、标准的构成、标准的特点对ISO14000系列标准进行了全面介绍,阐述了我国实施ISO14000系列标准的必要性和组织如何实施环境管理体系,介绍了环境管理体系的认证和EMS审核员的要求,供读者对ISO14000系列标准有一全面的了解。     

Evaluation of Environmental Aspects Significance in ISO 14001

The methodological framework set by standards ISO 14001 and ISO 14004 gives only general principles for environmental aspects assessment, which is regarded as one of the most critical stages of implementing environmental management system. In Estonia, about 100 organizations have been certified to the ISO 14001. Experience obtained from numerous companies has demonstrated that limited transparency and reproducibility of the assessment process serves as a common shortcoming. Despite rather complicated assessment schemes sometimes used, the evaluation procedures have been largely based on subjective judgments because of ill-defined and inadequate assessment criteria. A comparison with some similar studies in other countries indicates a general nature of observed inconsistencies. The diversity of approaches to the aspects’ assessment in concept literature and to the related problems has been discussed. The general structure of basic assessment criteria, compatible with environmental impact assessment and environmental risk analysis has also been outlined. Based on this general structure, the article presents a tiered approach to help organize the assessment in a more consistent manner.     

Registrars,Accreditation, and ISO 14001

The International Standardization Organization (ISO) will be publishing the first international environmental management system standard: ISO 14001. The ultimate impact of this standard is subject to heated debate throughout the industrial and environmental communities. This article focuses on one aspect of the standard: the process of certification/registration. ISO 14001 is a voluntary initiative. Companies will need to decide for themselves whether or not to pursue certification. As indicated in Section 1 of ISO 14001, ?This International Standard is applicable to any organization that wishes to

• a) implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system;
• b) assure itself of its conformance with its stated environmental policy;
• c) demonstrate such conformance to others;
• d) seek certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization;
• e) make a self determination and declaration of conformance with the standard.”?

As the introduction to ISO 14001 makes clear, ?the specification contains only those requirements that may be objectively audited for certification/registration and/or self declaration purposes.”? Any additional ?guidance…will be contained in other international standards.”? To avoid confusion, these other international standards tend to be called ?guidelines”?. Of particular interest to those associated with the certification and registration of systems to ISO 14001 are the three guidelines for environmental auditing. Officially these are referred to as:

• ISO 14010 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - General Principles,
• ISO 14011 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Audit Procedures - Auditing of Environmental Management Systems, and
• ISO 14012 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing - Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors.

     

Case studies of ISO 14001: A new business guide for global environmental protection

The intention of this article is to clarify the current status of ISO 14001, the internationally accepted voluntary environmental management system (EMS) standard, which is an effective means to generate continuous environmental performance improvement in an organization as well as significant financial benefits such as operational efficiency improvements (e.g., energy and water savings), reduction in environmental risks and liability expenses, protection of corporate asset value, and public image improvements. The number of “ISO 14001” companies in Europe and the Pacific Rim is steadily increasing with customer and governmental pressure as the driving forces. In the United States, ISO 14001 implementation has lagged behind due to the fact that, so far, the EPA has not supported ISO 14001 as being sufficient for guaranteeing a reliable environmental performance record. Most ISO 14001 certified companies in the United States have been driven by overseas demand, particularly in the microelectronics industry because customers in this industry, especially those in Europe, will simply not do business in the future with companies that are not registered to ISO 14001. It is expected that European demand will continue to push ISO 14001 certification in the United States. Six ISO 14001 case studies in the U.S. chemical, electronics, and plastics industries, along with EPA's attitude toward ISO 14001 are described in this article. The case studies contain the reasons, steps taken, costs, benefits, problems, and future trends of ISO 14001 implementation and certification.     

Environmental management: What ISO 14000 brings to the table

The field of environmental management has evolved from its beginnings as a regulation-based, compliance-driven, “command and control” regime into a continuous improvement, voluntary, environmental stewardship process aspiring to protection levels beyond those required by regulations. This change in environmental management philosophies prevalent at many regulated corporations, both in the United States and abroad, has provided a fertile ground for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in developing environmental management standards that address these corporate aspirations. This task has moved closer to fruition within the ISO through its Technical Committee (TC) 207 on Environmental Management. This article provides background on the environmental management system standards, ISO/TC 207's committees' organization, and influencing factors helping to shape these standards. Equally important, this article focuses on what the standards will mean to the regulated industries in the way business is conducted.     

A hybrid design methodology for structuring an Integrated Environmental Management System (IEMS) for shipping business

The International Safety Management (ISM) Code defines a broad framework for the safe management and operation of merchant ships, maintaining high standards of safety and environmental protection. On the other hand, ISO 14001:2004 provides a generic, worldwide environmental management standard that has been utilized by several industries. Both the ISM Code and ISO 14001:2004 have the practical goal of establishing a sustainable Integrated Environmental Management System (IEMS) for shipping businesses. This paper presents a hybrid design methodology that shows how requirements from both standards can be combined into a single execution scheme. Specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Axiomatic Design (FAD) are used to structure an IEMS for ship management companies. This research provides decision aid to maritime executives in order to enhance the environmental performance in the shipping industry.     

A study of compliance with environmental regulations of ISO 14001 certified companies in Korea

This article investigates the impact of ISO 14001 certification on the compliance with environmental regulations by Korean companies. The impact of ISO 14001 certification on the industry was studied through a questionnaire survey and the compliance of environmental regulations were investigated using government-released data. The motivation for an environment management system was a result of the current international situation and the need to maintain fair competition. ISO 14001 certification has been recognized as an essential strategy for industrial competition and to improve company/product recognition. The certified and non-certified companies' environmental regulation violation (ERV) rates were 3.5% and 11.6%, respectively, in 1997. In 1998, the ERV rate had an eight-time difference with 1.0% and 8.5% for certified and non-certified companies, respectively. Annual regulation violation rates were reduced from 3.5% in 1997 to 1.0% in 1998 with certified companies and from 11.6% in 1997 to 8.5% in 1998 with their non-certified counterparts, respectively. ISO 14001 certified companies showed more improvement than non-certified companies in regards to environmental performance.     

ISO 14001: A systems approach to managing environmental risk

The field of environmental risk management is relatively new and has developed rapidly over the past several years. There has been, however, a significant lack of integration of seemingly dissimilar disciplines into a meaningful context for top management risk decisions—until now. A new holistic approach, centered on the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems, addresses many of the issues that have kept environmental risk management focused on technical rather than strategic issues. This article describes the risk management process, illustrates how the ISO 14001 standard can be used by organizations to integrate and assess technical environmental information, and shows how to place this information in a strategic risk management context. It also explains how key ISO 14001 concepts such as policy implementation, operational control, and continuous improvement form the basis of a systems approach, and why the systems approach is the preferred, cost-effective structure for controlling environmental risk.     

Preparing for ISO 14000: An assessment guide

With ISO 14000 expected to roll out in 1996, have you begun to evaluate how well your current environmental management policy, programs, procedures, and objectives conform to published national and evolving global Environmental Management System (EMS) standards?. The ISO expects to adopt a final standard by mid-1996 which specifies requirements for an EMS (e.g., ISO 14001). In addition, national EMS standards have already been developed and published by organizations such as The British Standards Institute and, in the United States, NSF International, for example, BS 7750 and NSF 110–1995, respectively. This article shows how managers can begin assessing their operations to prepare for these new standards and improve overall environmental performance.     

Voluntary environmental management system standards: Case studies in implementation

Many anticipate that over the next decade, voluntary environmental management system (EMS) standards will take on the same importance in the marketplace as the ISO 9000 quality standards; the draft international EMS standard (ISO 14001) is on pace to be completed by mid-1996. In the United States, despite rapidly growing interest in EMS standards, most companies and regulatory agencies are uncertain about their potential benefits and about the process of developing an EMS. Case studies of EMS implementation, particularly in small and medium-sized companies, are needed to demonstrate the process and identify areas in which further EMS guidance is needed for environmental managers. This article presents seven case studies of EMS implementation in small, medium-sized, and large companies. Each company is participating in an EPA-sponsored Demonstration Project in which a variety of organizations are piloting the implementation of EMS standards (the project is being coordinated by NSF International, a not-for-profit company specializing in environmental and public health standards and certification). The case studies, written by the companies themselves, share experiences of EMS assessment, planning, and implementation, and discuss challenges that are special to particular industries.     

ISO 14000: A return to command and control?

Over the last few years, commentators on all sides of the environmental debate have (with a few exceptions) joined hands to pillory the traditional model of environmental regulation in this country. The catch phrase “command and control” has become emblematic of everything that was seen as being wrong with the old system. The current push for “reinvention” of environmental regulation reinforces the concept that although traditional methods have produced progress, they have outlived their usefulness. At the same time, ISO 14000 has emerged as one of the hottest topics in the environmental field—a form of reinvention of environmental management that has been embraced by many as the solution to an array of problems. While it is still early in the game, initial results indicate that when used effectively, ISO 14000 can be a powerful tool for the environmental manager. However, misuse of ISO 14000 could represent a throwback to command and control rather than a management tool for the new millennium. This article examines how this new tool fits into the evolving picture of environmental regulation and management.     

The challenge of implementing ISO 14001 for small- and medium-sized enterprises—surviving in the new global jungle

Conceptually, the five key elements in ISO 14001—policy, planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action, and management review—were designed to be simple enough for any business owner or manager to understand. Environmental Management Systems, aligned to ISO 14000, were originally set up toprovide a harmonized approach for organizations regardless of size, sector, or geographical situation. This article details the many challenges SMEs must confront in implementing the new standards.     

Social-environmental certification: Sustainable development and competitiveness in the mineral industry of the Brazilian Amazon

This article examines the relationship between increased metal mining and sustainable development in the eastern section of the Amazonian state of Pará in Brazil. Since the early 1980s, mining has grown rapidly in Pará and local mining operations have become global leaders in the production of iron, manganese, bauxite, aluminum, gold, copper and — in the near future — nickel. To stay in tune with global standards, these companies have committed themselves to the principles of sustainability and have obtained certification for both social and environmental aspects of their activities. The article looks into whether such certification is linked to sustainable development of the relatively poor regions where these companies operate. The main findings are that: (1) there is a visible association between certification and improved performance by the companies, but not with the development of nearby areas; and (2) social‐environmental certification processes place more emphasis on ecological variables than on social ones.     

The electric utility business case for investigating EMS: ISO 14000 and beyond

This article will focus on how a systems approach can be used as a strategic tool for environmental improvement that makes sense from a perspective of bottom-line financial performance. The author will discuss some real-world experience concerning how electric utilities are attempting to align environmental management more closely with business management theory and practice. The ISO 14000 standards have been proposed and, in many instances, finalized as global voluntary standards. How important will they be to the U.S. electric utility sector? ISO 14001, the EMS standard, has been promoted as a necessary “certificate” for those who sell products and/or services overseas. In fact, to be of value to most organizations, the standard must show that it can make a positive financial contribution, whether the service or product is marketed globally, nationally, or locally. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

企业可持续发展与ISO14000环境管理体系标准初探

本文主要讨论了企业可持续发展与ISO14000环境管理体系标准的关系。该文分析了企业可持续发展的问题,介绍了ISO14000环境管理体系标准的内涵,指出了ISO14000环境管理体系标准是企业实现可持续发展的基础。     

Implementing ISO 14000: Overcoming barriers to registration

The new environmental standard, ISO 14000, is due for issue in January 1996. The standard is designed to address environmental management systems, life-cycle assessments, and international labeling and auditing standards. A major issue facing ISO 14000 advocates is “How can proponents of ISO 14000 get their enterprise to implement it?” And once implementation is started, “What can be done to enhance its chances of success?” The answers to both of these questions may be discovered by examining the self-interest of the parties within the enterprise. These parties will rightly ask, “Why should I support ISO 14000 registration? What's in it for me?”. Today's business climate is more competitive than ever. This is particularly true in the international arena. As a result, the competition within an enterprise for funds (the budget process) is becoming tougher than ever. Management is not going to register under ISO 14000 because they are altruistic. Companies will decide to register only if it is in their own best interest. That means, only if the decision maker can defend the decision to critics. This article presents approaches to gain support within an organization for implementation of ISO 14000 and to improve the chances of success once implementation has begun.     

Characterization of ISO 14001 implementation

Environmental degradation caused by human activities is of concern to society, government, industry, companies, and the people who are able to enjoy improved lifestyles because of industrial activities. However, all of these parties also have a responsibility to support and conserve the environment and act responsibly toward the earth. This article, which includes a systematic literature review and draws upon the authors’ practical experience, summarizes the benefits, motives, and difficulties in implementing environmental management systems using the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) 14001 framework.