Template:ISO Aug-07

From Lauraibm

Full article: ISO 9001, What Next? (15-Aug-07)

The Geneva-based International Standards Organization has developed ISO-14000, a set of voluntary international environmental quality standards designed to promote sound corporate management of environmental compliance matters. ISO-14000 is the second major undertaking of the International Standards Organization in developing international quality management systems for business enterprises. In the mid-1980s the Organization adopted its ISO-9000 series of standards for corporate quality management. The idea behind extending the ISO quality management principles into the environmental arena arose out of the historic United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

The overriding goal of ISO-14000 is to develop a comprehensive system of universally accepted corporate standards to ensure that companies will be in a position to successfully manage their environmental compliance matters. ISO-14000 calls for the development of corporate Environmental Management Systems (EMSs).

ISO-14000 spells out in detail the guiding principles for the development of effective EMS programs:

• First and foremost, ISO-14000 acknowledges that environmental management must be among the highest corporate priorities. ISO-14000 also acknowledges that a company and its highest levels of management must demonstrate their commitment to the EMS process.
• Additionally, for effective implementation of EMS programs, ISO-14000 recognizes the importance of adequate resources, including proper employee training, to the success of any EMS.
• Finally, ISO-14000 recognizes that standardized and comprehensive procedures must be in place in order to correctly assess the effectiveness of these EMS programs and ensure the accountability of responsible corporate managers for the success or failure of these endeavours.

ISO-14000 also details the critical elements of an effective EMS. It requires companies to perform an "Initial Environmental Review" of their operations. In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted a "wait and see" attitude on ISO-14000.