Number 3

ISO 14000 - INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR  ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international standards' federation based in Geneva, Switzerland which was founded in 1946.  The organization promotes the development of voluntary, consensus-based international manufacturing, trade, and communication standards.  The ISO Standards are issued by ISO after review by more than 120 full-voting member countries, and several other observer member countries.  American National Standards Institute (ANSI) represents the United States at ISO.  The ISO is subdivided into a number of technical committees and subcommittees for the production and development its standards. 

The ISO 14000 Environmental Management System (EMS) Standards currently under development are a series of standards that are intended to provide organizations with a system for managing the environmental impact resulting from their operations.  These standards can be classified into (1) Organization Evaluation Standards and (2) Product Evaluation Standards.  Organization evaluation standards include environmental management systems, environmental auditing, and environmental performance evaluation.  Product evaluation standards include environmental labeling, life-cycle assessment, and environmental aspects in product standards.  Various standards proposed by ISO 14000 are presented in table 1.


OBJECTIVES 

The aim of ISO 14000 series standards is to recommend the critical management processes that must be followed during the manufacturer of a product, and to control the impact a company will have on the environment. These standards do not tell companies how to run their businesses.   It is up to the company to specify what processes will be exercised and what environmental impacts will be acceptable.  ISO 14000 series standards will provide a mechanism / tool for better management of environmental affairs and are expected to reduce emissions, provide cost savings, offer reduced liability, and assure compliance with applicable regulations. 

These standards can essentially be categorized into two types: ëguidance standards' and ëspecification standards'.  The guidance standards are descriptive and do not prescribe any requirements whereas the specification standards are used in evaluating the environmental management systems of the registered organizations.


ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, GENERAL GUIDELINES 

The basic ISO 14000 guidance document is entitled "ISO 14000: Environmental Management General Guides on Principles, Systems and Supporting Techniques" and explains fundamental environmental management concepts, defines key terms, and provides guidance using principles, statements, and a step-by-step walk-through on tailoring and EMA for a particular company.  Before deciding if a facility should pursue a standard, the guidance document recommends that a company  should conduct a pre assessment which includes:

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGMENT SYSTEM, GENERAL GUIDELINES

The basic ISO 14000 guidance document is entitled "ISO 14000: Environmental Management General Guides on Principles, Systems and Supporting Techniques: and explains fundamental environmental management concepts, defines key terms, and provides guidance using principles, statements, and a step-by-step walk-through on tailoring and EMA for a particular company.  Before deciding if a facility should pursue a standard, the guidance document recommends that a company should conduct a pre-assessment which includes:

• Identification of legislative and regulatory requirements;
• Identification of environmental aspects, significant environmental impacts, and liabilities;
• Evaluation and documentation of significant environmental issues;
• Evaluation of performance compared with relevant internal criteria, external standards, regulation, codes of practice, and sets of principles and guidelines;
• Existing environmental management practices and procedures;
• Identification of the policies and procedures dealing with procurement and contracting activities;
• Feedback from the investigation of previous incidents of the noncompliance;
• Opportunities for competitive advantage;
• The views of interested parties; and
• Functions or activities of other organizational systems that can enable or impede the company's environmental performance.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SPECIFICATION STANDARDS 

Among the ISO 14000 series standards, only ISO 14001 standards are specification type standards (become mandatory if the company needs registration and certification) which will be used in judging the performance of the companies that seek registration and certification. 

ISO 14001 standards are organized into five sections: (1) introduction, (2) scope, (3) references, (4) definitions, and (5) Environmental Management System (EMS).  These standards also have an appendix which provides information that aids the companies in utilizing the specifications.  The contents of EMS section, the core of ISO 14001, are elaborated below: 

Elements of an Environmental Management System (EMS)

General 

• Main elements of the EMS that an organization must maintain.

Environmental Policy

• The environmental policy that is supported / endorsed by the top management. 

Planning

• Various elements that must be adhered to in planning for an environmental management system: 
  • Environmental aspects
  • Legal and other requirements
  • Objectives and targets
  • Environmental management programs

Implementation and Operation

• Implementation methods and procedures of environmental management system.  The important elements are:
  • Structure and responsibility
  • Training, awareness and competence
  • Communication
  • EMS documentation
  • Document control
  • Operational control
  • Emergency preparedness and response

Checking and Corrective Action

• The requirements to monitor the performance of a company against the established EMS and the recommendation of corrective actions in case of any deviations from it.  The critical elements are:
  • Monitoring and measurement
  • Non conformance and corrective and preventive action
  • Records
  • EMS audits

Management Review

This section includes the organization's top management review process to ensure continuing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the EMS.  The management review process is expected to ensure that the necessary information is collected to allow the management to carry out this evaluation. 

The ISO 14001 certification period and process are yet to be worked out.  The cost of implementing a EMS varies with the size of the company and the environmental system it has in place.  It is expected that the benefits of implementing would normally exceed the cost.  If ISO 14000 follows ISO 9000 processes, which is likely, the certification registration will be valid for three years usually, and would consist of the six basic steps: (1) application, (2) document review, (3) pre-assessment. (4)  assessment, (5) certification, and (6) surveillance.  This is an international standard and is accepted worldwide. 


ANTICIPATED BENEFITS

ISO 14001 is comparable to the ISO 9001 quality system standard, and is more comprehensive including core elements for managing a company's processes and activities.  It commonly applies to manufacturing or processing industries, but can also be applied to service industries such as construction, architecture and engineering.  A company that has achieved ISO 14001 system certification can claim that it has a documented EMS that is fully implemented and consistently followed.  This does not imply it produces products that are more environmentally sound than those of its competitors, nor does it imply product conformity.  This standard essentially requires a company to state what it does in environmental management and to do what it states.  The benefits of adopting an environmental management system include:

• Improved compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements, including requirements that certain information relating to environmental performance be made public;
• Reduction in liability/risk;
• Pollution prevention and waste reduction;
• Profit in the market for "green" products;
• Improved internal management methods;
• Gaining the confidence of shareholder and stakeholder groups;
• Community goodwill;
• Attraction of high quality work force; and
• Better insurance coverage

 

CONCLUSIONS

ISO 14000 series of standards, both  guidance type and specification type, are aimed at providing agencies with management systems / tools that will help achieve their environmental  goals and targets. The standards do not suggest a level of control on emissions of wastes / pollutants but rather suggests a method of setting goals based on the applicable regulations and achieving them methodically.  The companies registered under ISO 14001 need not have the same level of environmental control when they are located in two different regulatory regions, but are expected to comply with applicable local and federal regulations at the respective locations.   However, the regulatory agencies may choose to offer some auditing and reporting relaxations to the companies that are registered under ISO 14000.  Considering the anticipated benefits of developing and implementing the Environmental Management Systems which are expected to outweigh the costs, it is evident that companies will benefit in registering with these standards.  If not willing to undertake the additional burden of auditing requirements immediately, the companies should at least follow the EMS guidelines to reap the benefits.

The contents of this publication reflect the views of the MERIC staff and are based on information obtained from the literature.  The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or the policies of MERIC or the Gulf Coast Maritime Technology Center.  This publication does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.  MERIC does not endorse products, equipment or manufacturers.  Trademarks or manufacturer's names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of this publication.