ISO 14001 certification in Brazil: motivations and benefits

Why do firms seek the ISO 14001 certification? This study presents a survey with 63 Brazilian companies from the chemical, mechanical and electronic industries. A Structural Equations Model (SEM) analyzed the relations between motivations and benefits related to the certification. An exploratory factor analysis identified four sources of motivation: reaction to pressures from the external stakeholders; proaction in expectation of future business concerns; legal concerns; and internal influences. Four dimensions characterized the benefits of an ISO 14001 certification: operational changes; financial impacts; relationship with business stakeholders (customers, competitors, suppliers); and relationship with societal stakeholders (government, society and NGOs). The motivations appear in two levels. Internal and legal motivations are the first level (antecedents), while reactive and proactive motivations are second level (consequents). Internal motivations explain reactive and proactive motivations and production benefits. Legal motivations explain proactive motivations, financial benefits, and benefits in relationships with societal stakeholders.     

ISO 14001 certification and financial performance: selection-effect versus treatment-effect

The paper explores the bi-directional relationship between ISO 14001 certification and financial performance with the aim of shedding light on whether better performance is due to the beneficial effects of ISO 14001 or due to selection-effects where better performance precedes accreditation. The study uses a five year longitudinal analysis to compare the financial performance of firms in Spain before and after certification. The results of a multivariate panel data analysis find that firms with better than average performance have a greater propensity to pursue accreditation but there is no evidence that improvements in performance follow certification. This suggests that the inference that environmental variables cause improved financial performance may be unwise in research studies that can only measure association.     

The state of ISO 14001 certification in Greece

Consideration is given to the evaluation of the present state of ISO 14001 implementation, as determined by the penetration of certifications and of certification agencies within industries in Greece. After identifying nearly all certified enterprises by the end of year 2004, a large cluster of 153 enterprises (circa 80.5% of all certifications), for which published information was available, are analysed. The data used concern both individual enterprises and demographic averages for respective industrial activities (determined by industry and sector). Analysis reveals ISO 14001 to be mainly accepted in manufacture, with both services and commerce to seriously lag behind. Analysis by sector, a more detailed activity indicator, shows marked ISO 14001 penetration differences between sectors, suggesting the influence of activity-related practices as a major certification driver. Evidence is also provided for the existence of a sector-related certification culture associating ISO 14001 certification decisions with ISO 9000 sector penetration levels. In addition, relatively larger enterprises, but not necessarily more profitable, seem to seek ISO 14001 certification in most sectors. Finally, analyses of all main certification agencies identified in Greece demonstrate that, with one exception, the choice of agency is mostly independent of industrial activity as well as certified enterprise size and profitability.     

The effect of ISO 14001 certification on toxic emissions: an analysis of industrial facilities in the north of Spain

During recent decades, the impact of industrial organisations on the environment has become clearly evident. It has also become more difficult to hide and more expensive. Globally, this has caused many enterprises to put all their efforts into seeking management instruments that allow them to reduce their negative impact on the environment as well as improving their economic efficiency. This environmental interest is either voluntary or forced by customers or by legal pressure. Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) are among the many tools that have appeared to fulfil that goal and that have drawn international researchers’ attention. The most popular system and the one most often used is the ISO 14001 standard.This paper examines empirically the influence that this certification exerts on the company’s pollutant emission policy. The analysis was carried out in four regions of Spain: Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and Castilla-León and includes 126 industrial organisations. The goal of this paper is to investigate the behaviour of the companies according to their emissions policies once they have achieved the ISO 14001 certification. In the paper the Toxics Release Index of 56 certified companies is compared with the Index of 70 non-certified companies. Through a statistical analysis based on the Student’s t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test, it was concluded that ISO 14001 does not represent an environmental proactivity signal clearly enough to result in a reduction of the company’s environmental polluting index.     

Comparative analysis of diffusion of the ISO 14001 standard by sector of activity

In recent years there have been many approaches to understand the cross-country diffusion rate of the most common environmental management standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization, the ISO 14000 series, due to their spectacular growth around the world, even though a certain saturation has been detected in some countries. However, few studies have shed light on the diffusion process of these standards across sectors of activity. Therefore, the present paper examines whether there are patterns of diffusion of the ISO 14001 standard that are singular at specific sectors of economic activity. The analysis was carried out using a logistic curve that fits quite well to explain the nature of this growth, and instability and concentration indexes were calculated to analyze the evolution of the rankings of the sectors attending the number of certifications ISO 14001. It concludes that the diffusion among sectors is quite homogeneous: all sectors have experienced similar behavior. Moreover, the article proposes some suggestions for future research.     

环境影响评价中贯彻ISO14001标准的探讨

本文将ISO14001标准中有关环境因素识别、关注相关方、污染预防、持续改进、先进的环境管理体系思想应用到环评工作中,不仅可以提高环评工作水平,而且可以为企业通过ISO14001认证提供帮助.     

Environmental performance evaluation of an industrial port and estate: ISO14001, port state control-derived indicators

This study integrates procedures of ISO14001 and port state control to establish environmental performance indicators (EPIs), specific to industrial ports and estates. Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), an owner of Map Ta Phut industrial port and estate, was used as a case study. Twelve EPIs were developed to assess 5 environmental management aspects being success, awareness, determination, preparedness, and environmental policy coverage. IEAT's deficiencies in managing the environment were identified for each management aspect. At the end of the study, suggestions on how to improve IEAT's environmental performance were recommended.     

建筑企业实施ISO14001系列标准的必要性与具体操作

建筑业的飞速发展，直接危害着人们的身体和身心健康问题逐渐显现出来，目前建筑业的发展趋势就是提倡绿色环保型建筑，建筑材料提倡采用环保型建筑材料。根据建筑行业的特点，结合本企业实施IS014001标准的实际情况和建立环境管理体系的具体过程，介绍了建筑企业实施环境管理体系的必要性和具体操作步骤。     

论街道/社区建立ISO14001环境管理体系的程序和特征

阐述了街道 /社区引入ISO1 4 0 0 1环境管理体系的意义、程序和特征。其程序主要包括前期准备、体系策划及体系运行等阶段 ,其特征为外延广泛、点面兼顾和与行政管理紧密结合。     

天津港ISO 14001环境管理体系的建立与前景展望

ＩＳＯ１４００１环境管理标准体系在企业环境管理方面的应用正逐步开展起来。通过对天津港环境保护管理工作的总结，提出了ＩＳＯ１４００１环境管理体系在天津港建立的必要性及构想，探讨了港区进行环境管理的思路、特点和运行程序，提出了在建立ＩＳＯ１４００１环境管理体系，建设生态化港口是切实可行的。     

上海市实施ISO14001环境管理体系标准的回顾与展望

建立ISO14001环境管理体系、开展ISO14001认证工作已在我国全面展开，如何发挥环境保护行政主管部门的作用，对深入推进ISO14001标准认证至关重要。从实施ISO14001标准，促进环境保护工作发展的角度回顾了上海市实施ISO14001环境管理体系标准的历程，探讨了上海市实施 标准的未来发展趋势，并对实施过程中出现的问题提出了对策和建议。     

Diffusion of ISO 14001 environmental management systems in China: rethinking on stakeholders’ roles

Since the release of ISO 14001 in 1996, China has witnessed a surge in the number of ISO 14001 certification. As an international environmental standard, ISO 14001 has two basic functions: one is playing as an environmental management instrument, while the other as a signal of firms’ better environmental performance to stakeholders. Based on the stakeholder theory, we have examined the effects of community, regulatory and some organizational stakeholders on the diffusion of ISO 14001 certification at Chinese provincial levels. Using a panel data of ISO 14001 certification from each province for the period of 2004-2008 in China, empirical evidence of such relations is found. The finding reveals that signaling to foreign customers and community stakeholders plays a dominant role in encouraging diffusion of ISO 14001 certification. However, as an important organizational stakeholder, foreign investors have shown no significant effect on the diffusion of ISO 14001 in China.     

ISO14001标准中环境因素的识别与评价方法研究

全面识别组织的环境因素,准确评价重要环境因素是建立与保持ISO14001环境管理体系的基础.目前中国已有多个城市、开发区和风景区建立了区域性环境管理体系(简称REMS),该体系所涉及的环境因素范围广泛且数量众多,因此单独使用任何一种方法都难以达到对这种复杂体系的环境因素识别与评价的需要.在厦门鼓浪屿建立环境管理体系的过程中,提出了适合于REMS的环境因素分类与识别方法,并建一套由环境因素的法律法规符合性、可控制、重要度三个评价因子和多个评价准则构成的,定性与定量方法相结合的评价体系.     

Non-linear pathways of corporate environmental management: a survey of ISO 14001-certified companies in Brazil

A study was conducted to verify whether the theory on the evolution of corporate environmental management (CEM) is applicable to organizations located in Brazil. Some of the most important proposals pertaining to the evolution of CEM were evaluated in a systematic fashion and integrated into a typical theoretical framework containing three evolutionary stages: reactive, preventive and proactive. The validity of this framework was tested by surveying 94 companies located in Brazil with ISO 14001 certification. Results indicated that the evolution of CEM tends to occur in a manner that is counter to what has generally been described in the literature. Two evolutionary stages were identified: 1) synergy for eco-efficiency and 2) environmental legislation view, which combine variables that were initially categorized into different theoretical CEM stages. These data, obtained from a direct study of Brazilian companies, suggest that the evolution of environmental management in organizations tends to occur in a non-linear fashion, requiring a re-analysis of traditional perceptions of CEM development, as suggested by Kolk and Mauser (2002).     

Alternative models for environmental management in SMEs: the case of Ekoscan vs. ISO 14001

In the case of SMEs, ISO 14001 and EMAS have been the most used models of reference for implementing Environmental Management Systems (EMSs). Their success has eclipsed that of other alternative SME models deployed in the European Union and Japan. In this paper the authors analyze the content and objectives of one of these models, the Ekoscan model, and compare it to the ISO 14001. Furthermore, a survey composed of 262 participating companies is presented, where motivations, obstacles and benefits of adopting both models in SMEs are compared. The article concludes that only the drivers differ in a significant way, since the perceived obstacles and benefits of adopting the respective models by the SMEs are similar (although their respective signaling and market value are different).     

ISO14001环境管理体系认证在环境监测部门的应用

组织运行ISO14001环境管理体系对环境保护与可持续发展有重要意义。环境监测部门作为环境保护的重要部门,运行该体系有特殊的意义。本文在介绍了管理体系的前提下,阐述了环境监测部门建立ISO14001环境管理体系的必要性及重要性,并分析了环境监测部门运行管理体系时不同于其他组织的特殊性。研究指出,环境监测部门通过建立和运行ISO14001环境管理体系,可评估可能出现的环境风险,制定防范制度和应急响应措施,降低环境风险和责任;通过采取实验室分析废水达标排放、垃圾分类存放、绿色办公措施,实现了资源能源的合理使用;通过建立有关运行控制程序,使能源资源管理、化学品管理、固体废弃物与垃圾管理、绿色采购、车辆管理等日常管理规范化、程序化;通过文件记录、审核评审保证了监测行为的科学规范及数据的质量保证。     

大型冶金企业建立ISO14001环境管理体系之实践与创新

通过对福建三纲集团有限责任公司开展ISO14001环境体系认证分析，对CIS理念、生命周期评价思想、清洁生产方法学在建立体系中的应用进行了探讨，并提出建立和保持环境体系应注意的关键性问题。     

物质流分析方法在固体废物管理领域的应用综述

近年来,我国在固体废物管理领域出台了一系列政策措施,如修订《固体废物污染环境防治法》、创建"无废城市"建设试点等。末端治理已不能满足固体废物管理需求,科学、全面和系统地管理固体废物应提上日程。当前我国固体废物管理仍面临一系列难题,如绿色生产和生活方式尚未形成,资源化利用水平不足,固体废物环境风险大等。在此背景下,物质流分析方法可以成为我国提升固体废物管理水平的一个重要抓手。基于欧美国家已有经验,以及国内外学者的广泛实证研究,本文主要以固体废物管理源头减量、资源化利用、环境影响最小化三个方面目标为导向,梳理物质流分析方法应用的具体领域,并对未来物质流分析在固体废物管理领域的应用提出如下展望:基于地区经济、环境实际情况,探索物质流分析与投入产出分析、生命周期评价等方法相结合的混合政策工具;加强对物质流动驱动因素的识别与机理分析;推动中小尺度经济系统固体废物数据收集与应用。