Family Of ISO 14000 Standards

Family of ISO 14000 include standards as follows:

1. ISO 14001: Environmental management systems—Requirements with guidance for use.

2. ISO 14004: Environmental management systems—General guidelines on principles, systems and support techniques.

3. ISO 14015: Environmental assessment of sites and organizations.

4. ISO 14020: Include series (14020 to 14025) Environmental labels and declarations.

5. ISO 14031: Environmental performance evaluation—Guidelines.

6. ISO 14040: Include series (14040 to 14049), Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, discusses pre-production planning and environment goal setting.

7. ISO 14050: Terms and definitions.

8. ISO 14062: Discusses making improvements to environmental impact goals.

9. ISO 14063: Environmental communication—Guidelines and examples

10. ISO 19011: which specifies one audit protocol for both 14000 and 9000 series standards together.

The Development of EMS Standards

The world’s first standard for environmental management systems (EMS) – BS 7750 – wasdeveloped and published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1992. This standard was the model for the ISO 14000 Series developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO 14001, which establishes the requirements for an EMS, was finalized in 1996. BS 7750 was also the basis for the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit scheme, known as EMAS.

ISO is an international standard and therefore must incorporate the different interests ofmany countries. This standard clearly has the weakest requirements. By contrast, EMAS is the most stringent and detailed standard reflecting the high environmental standards of German interests and companies which played a key role developing it.

Because ISO 14001 and EMAS are both based on BS 7750, all three standards arequite similar in their approach. If your organization complies with BS 7750 today, little effort will be needed to fullfill the requirements of ISO 14001 or EMAS. Be aware however, that EMAS emphasizes public environmental reporting.

Today there are two major areas in the evaluation of environmental management practice.One area focuses on organizational issues, and the other on products, services and processes.

1. Organization Evaluation

a. Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001, 14004)

b. Environmental Performance Evaluation (ISO 14014, 14015, 14031)

c. Environmental Auditing (ISO 14010, 14011, 14012, 14013, 14014)

2. Products, Services and Processes

a. Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040, 14041, 14042, 14043)

b. Environmental Labeling (ISO 14020, 14021, 14022, 14023, 1402X)

c. Environmental Aspects in Product Standards (ISO 14060)

Evaluation Of Compliance Of ISO 14001 EMS

The requirement to establish a procedure for periodically evaluating compliance with applicable legal and other requirements falls short of specifically requiring regulatory compliance audits but, in fact, a system of regular regulatory compliance audits may be the most practical means for meeting this requirement of the standard. In the U.S., determination of whether to conduct a compliance audit will be governed in part by the particular jurisdiction’s approach to allowing a legal privilege for the self-assessment audit.

Evaluation vs. Audit – The difference between an evaluation and audit can only be determined by looking outside of ISO 14001. Consulting a dictionary reveals that an evaluation involves a determination of value or worth and that an audit is an examination of accounts done by persons appointed for the purpose. A better definition `is the more specific ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines for Quality and/or Environmental Management Systems Auditing, which defines an audit as a “systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled.” Many organizations do not have a system for evaluating regulatory compliance other than their own records and the inspections of regulatory officials. This lack of a verification system can be a risky way to operate. Reports of enforcement actions and consent agreements show that many organizations are blindsided by rogue employees who violate rules and falsify documents to cover up environmental misdeeds. Although ISO 14001 does not prescribe a specific approach to evaluation of regulatory compliance, organizations should consider methods for going beyond verification of records by collecting and evaluating physical evidence.