Environment Awareness – Implement Environmental Management System

Save OUR EARTH!!! Go For ISO 14001 Standards – Environmental Management System. If all companies implement ISO 140001 Standards – Environmental Management System in the organization, it will help us to protect our environment.

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.

ISO 14001 Standards

ISO 14001 is in fact a series of international standards on environmental management. It provides a framework for the development of an environmental management system[/url] and the supporting audit programme.
The ISO 14001 series emerged primarily as a result of the Uruguay round of the GATT negotiations and the Rio Summit on the Environment held in 1992. While GATT concentrates on the need to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade, the Rio Summit generated a commitment to protection of the environment across the world.

After the rapid acceptance of ISO 9000, and the increase of environmental standards around the world, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) assessed the need for international environmental management standards. They formed the Strategic Advisory Group on the Environment (SAGE) in 1991, to consider whether such standards could serve to:

Promote a common approach to environmental management similar to quality management;
Enhance organizations ability to attain and measure improvements in environmental performance; and
Facilitate trade and remove trade barriers.
In 1992, SAGEs recommendations created a new committee, TC 207, for international environmental management standards. This committee and its sub-committees included representatives from industry, standards organizations, government and environmental organizations from many countries. What developed was a series of ISO14001 standards designed to cover:

-environmental management systems
-environmental auditing
-environmental performance evaluation
-environmental labelling
-life-cycle assessment
-environmental aspects in product standards

ISO 14001 was first published as a standard in 1996 and it specifies the actual requirements for an environmental management system. It applies to those environmental aspects over which an organization has control and where it can be expected to have an influence.

ISO 14001 is often seen as the corner-stone standard of the ISO 14000 series. It specifies a framework of control for an Environmental Management System and is the only ISO 14000 standard against which it is currently possible to be certified by an external certification body. However, it does not in itself state specific environmental performance criteria.

The Environment For A Healthy Business In ISO 14001 Standards

the Environment For A Healthy Business In ISO 14001 Standards

Growing scrutiny toward industry’s effects on the environment has made conformance with ISO 14001:2004 – a voluntary, internationally recognized Environmental Management Systems(EMS) standard – more important than ever. As more companies pursue ISO 14001 certification to demonstrate environmental commitment to their customers, shareholders and government agencies, many are discovering the benefits of partnering with Intertek. As one of the first accredited certification bodies, Intertek offers expertise, experience and know-how that no one else can deliver. Your certified EMS can help you reap the benefits of:

Improved overall performance
Your ISO 14001 certified EMS can help make your business more efficient and productive. Lower energy and raw materials use, reductions in waste and pollution, and mitigated risks of accidents and emergency situations translate into greater profitability and productivity.

Expanded market access
Your company’s environmental credibility and commitment to quality are established from day one. It will take less time to demonstrate the effectiveness of your EMS and earn your prospective customers’ trust and confidence, and you’ll enjoy access to markets you might not otherwise penetrate.

Improved corporate image
Your certification demonstrates your company’s commitment to environmental responsibility, fostering improved relationships with the community, shareholders, and governmental and environmental organizations.

Enhanced competitiveness
While helping you to operate more efficiently and profitably, your ISO 14001 certified EMS can instill additional confidence in shareholders, investors, insurers and your customers – making your business the clear choice in a highly competitive market.
Plus, you can maximize your human and financial resources by using your existing Quality Management System (QMS) as a basis for your EMS, taking advantage of the synergies between ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Role of Governments In ISO 14001 Standards

Role of Governments In ISO 14001 Standards

Although ISO 14000 is a set of voluntary standards that individual companies may or may not choose to adopt, governments can clearly have a role in providing information, establishing the necessary framework and infrastructure, and, in some cases, helping companies to develop the basic capabilities to adopt ISO 14000. There are two particular areas in which government action would be useful: (a) providing information on the sectors and markets where ISO 14001 certification is a significant issue and assisting sector organizations to develop appropriate responses, and (b) helping to establish a certification framework, based on strengthening national standards organizations and encouraging competitive private sector provision of auditing and certification services. At present, the World Bank is having discussions with a number of countries about how assistance could be provided with these issues.

Governments should see EMS approaches as part of a broad environmental strategy that includes regulatory systems, appropriate financial incentives, and encouragement of improved industrial performance. Such encouragement can really only be effective where there is cooperation at the government level between the relevant departments, including industry and trade, as well as environment. There is a growing interest in integrating environmental management issues into productivity or competitiveness centers designed to promote SME performance, but little information exists on experience to date.

ISO 14001 Standard & Environmental Issues

ISO 14001 Standard & Environmental Issues

ISO 14001 is a systematic tool that enables an organization in any market sector to focus on their situation, identify the relevant environmental issues and to lessen their impact to their benefit and the environment. It is part of a global response to the recognition that we are damaging the environment in which we all live. The cause and effect of the foremost world environmental issues, which are all due to mankind, are generally too vast and too intangible for us to grasp and so the slightly cliché expression ‘think global, act local’ is very relevant. Once the EMS is implemented and to become registered to ISO 14001, the external auditor will assess your EMS in two separate stages, on site. The first stage to understand your business activities and determine formal readiness for assessment and the second to check practical compliance with ISO 14001. After registration he will return at regular intervals every year to verify continual improvement and regulatory compliance, against your set objectives and your EMS. The external auditor should be seen as a wise friend, not a policeman. He should certainly explain his findings and assist the company to find ISO 14001 registration is not a cure for all environmental problems but I hope I’ve demonstrated that it is a worthwhile, if not essential business initiative that could enable your management to better manage your business, gain commercial advantage and minimize its environmental impact.

ISO 14001 Standards Video Clip