The ISO 14001 Myopia
Customers and suppliers are more environmentally aware and are increasingly demanding to know what suppliers and service providers are doing to remain environmentally friendly.
This is where ISO 14001 accreditation comes in. The ISO 14001, along with ISO 14004, provides comprehensive guidelines, requirements and advice on how to implement the standard that deals with the environment.
The first thing that ISO 14001 requires is that there is management buy-in and drive to establish a project and project team. The project team should also have the authority to implement the steps in the accreditation process.
The project team should formulate an environment policy which will form the basis of the Environmental Management System (EMS). Here the project team will have to look at the requirements for ISO 14001 accreditation and decide how best to integrate these requirements with the day-to-day operation of the organization. The important thing to remember about ISO 14001 accreditation is that the company should still be able to perform and be profitable.
Many of the objections against environmentally friendly initiatives are that the costs outweigh the benefits. ISO 14001 provides guidance on how to integrate the two objectives and make it a sustainable practice.
Another problem with ISO 14001 is that managers don't necessarily understand how to integrate the standard with existing Management Systems. Therefore they don't make the effort to keep the project viable and user-friendly. Once again the guidance provided in ISO 14004 is extremely useful. It paves the way for mainstreaming the EMS into the current operations of the business and makes good use of the existing systems to create compatible paths for implementation.
Time - the resource that cannot be bought yet is very scarce. Here one has to keep in mind that all worthwhile projects will take time to set up and become self-sustainable. ISO 14001 is no exception. However, once implemented, it will be viable with very little effort and time required from the project team. If the awareness and training of staff on conservation efforts were done properly, the EMS may need only a few hours a month to revise and make sure that it is still on the right track.
Finally: Employees are resistant to the project. This is another common problem with not only ISO 14001, but all other ISO standards. The project should be sold to the employees in a way that will make them excited and enthusiastic about participating.
The ISO 14001 accreditation is an important step for a company to take. Once certified, there will be many unexpected bonuses for the company.
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.
The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labeling, performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.
ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 and specifies the actual requirements for an environmental management system. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organization has control and over which it can be expected to have an influence.
ISO 14001 is often seen as the corner stone standard of the ISO 14000 series. However, it is not only the most well known, but is the only ISO 14000 standard against which it is currently possible to be certified by an external certification authority. Having stated this, it does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria.
This standard is applicable to any organization that wishes to: implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system assure itself of its conformance with its own stated environmental policy (those policy commitments of course must be made) demonstrate conformance ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations seek certification of its environmental management system by an external third party organization make a self-determination of conformance.
Environmental impact is becoming an increasingly important issue across the globe, with pressure to minimize that impact coming from a number of sources: local and national governments, regulators, trade associations, customers, employees and shareholders. Social pressures are also building up from the growing array of interested parties, such as consumer, environmental and minority non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and neighbors.
So ISO 14001 is relevant to every organization, including:
Single site to large multi-national companies
High risk companies to low risk service organizations
Manufacturing, process and the service industries; including local governments
All industry sectors including public and private sectors
Original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers
Customers and suppliers are more environmentally aware and are increasingly demanding to know what suppliers and service providers are doing to remain environmentally friendly.
This is where ISO 14001 accreditation comes in. The ISO 14001, along with ISO 14004, provides comprehensive guidelines, requirements and advice on how to implement the standard that deals with the environment.
The first thing that ISO 14001 requires is that there is management buy-in and drive to establish a project and project team. The project team should also have the authority to implement the steps in the accreditation process.
The project team should formulate an environment policy which will form the basis of the Environmental Management System (EMS). Here the project team will have to look at the requirements for ISO 14001 accreditation and decide how best to integrate these requirements with the day-to-day operation of the organization. The important thing to remember about ISO 14001 accreditation is that the company should still be able to perform and be profitable.
Many of the objections against environmentally friendly initiatives are that the costs outweigh the benefits. ISO 14001 provides guidance on how to integrate the two objectives and make it a sustainable practice.
Another problem with ISO 14001 is that managers don't necessarily understand how to integrate the standard with existing Management Systems. Therefore they don't make the effort to keep the project viable and user-friendly. Once again the guidance provided in ISO 14004 is extremely useful. It paves the way for mainstreaming the EMS into the current operations of the business and makes good use of the existing systems to create compatible paths for implementation.
Time - the resource that cannot be bought yet is very scarce. Here one has to keep in mind that all worthwhile projects will take time to set up and become self-sustainable. ISO 14001 is no exception. However, once implemented, it will be viable with very little effort and time required from the project team. If the awareness and training of staff on conservation efforts were done properly, the EMS may need only a few hours a month to revise and make sure that it is still on the right track.
Finally: Employees are resistant to the project. This is another common problem with not only ISO 14001, but all other ISO standards. The project should be sold to the employees in a way that will make them excited and enthusiastic about participating.
The ISO 14001 accreditation is an important step for a company to take. Once certified, there will be many unexpected bonuses for the company.
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.
The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labeling, performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.
ISO 14001 was first published in 1996 and specifies the actual requirements for an environmental management system. It applies to those environmental aspects which the organization has control and over which it can be expected to have an influence.
ISO 14001 is often seen as the corner stone standard of the ISO 14000 series. However, it is not only the most well known, but is the only ISO 14000 standard against which it is currently possible to be certified by an external certification authority. Having stated this, it does not itself state specific environmental performance criteria.
This standard is applicable to any organization that wishes to: implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system assure itself of its conformance with its own stated environmental policy (those policy commitments of course must be made) demonstrate conformance ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations seek certification of its environmental management system by an external third party organization make a self-determination of conformance.
Environmental impact is becoming an increasingly important issue across the globe, with pressure to minimize that impact coming from a number of sources: local and national governments, regulators, trade associations, customers, employees and shareholders. Social pressures are also building up from the growing array of interested parties, such as consumer, environmental and minority non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and neighbors.
So ISO 14001 is relevant to every organization, including:
Single site to large multi-national companies
High risk companies to low risk service organizations
Manufacturing, process and the service industries; including local governments
All industry sectors including public and private sectors
Original equipment manufacturers and their suppliers