What is ISO 14000?

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards that have been developed to incorporate environmental aspects into business operations and product standards. ISO 14001 is a specific standard in the series for a management system that incorporates a set of interrelated elements designed to minimize an organization’s impact on the environment. Similar to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001 defines the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). In addition, ISO14001 incorporates the QMS ISO 9001 management system philosophy, terminology, and requirement structure, providing system compatibility.

What Does ISO 14001 Require?

Originally issued in 1996 and later revised in 2004, the ISO 14001 EMS standard is intended to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products, or services that interact with the environment. The ISO 14001 methodology is a systematic approach for continually improving environmental management through identification and evaluation of aspects and impacts, development of objectives and measurable targets, implementation of programs, and on-going monitoring and review.

What Is an Environment Management System (EMS) ?

An EMS can be described as a program of continuous environmental improvement that follows a defined sequence of steps drawn from established project management practice and routinely applied in business

management. In simple terms these steps are as follows:

• Review the environmental consequences of the operations.

• Define a set of policies and objectives for environmental performance.

• Establish an action plan to achieve the objectives.

• Monitor performance against these objectives.

• Report the results appropriately.

• Review the system and the outcomes and strive for continuous improvement.

Not every system will present these steps in exactly the same way, but the basic principles are clear and easily understandable.

The ISO 14000 series is a series of standards for different aspects of environmental management. A number of these standards relating to environmental management systems have been adopted formally by

the members of the ISO, while others are in different stages of preparation.

The standards that have been adopted are (as of early 1997):

ISO 14001-1996 Environmental management systems:

specification with guidance for use

ISO 14004-1996 Environmental management systems:

general guidelines on principles, systems, and supporting techniques

ISO 14010-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

general principles of environmental auditing

ISO 14011-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

audit procedures; auditing of environmental management systems.

ISO 14012-1996 Guidelines for environmental auditing:

qualification criteria for environmental auditors Standards currently available as draft international standards:

ISO 14021 Environmental labels and declarations:

self-declaration environmental claims; guidelines and definition and usage of terms.

ISO 14040 Environmental management: life cycle assessment; principles and framework

ISO 14050 Environmental management: vocabulary More than half a dozen others in this series have been drafted and are under discussion.

What is ISO 14000?

ISO 14000 is a series of international standards that have been developed to incorporate environmental aspects into business operations and product standards. ISO 14001 is a specific standard in the series for a management system that incorporates a set of interrelated elements designed to minimize an organization’s impact on the environment. Similar to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001 defines the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). In addition, ISO14001 incorporates the QMS ISO 9001 management system philosophy, terminology, and requirement structure, providing system compatibility.

What Does ISO 14001 Require?

Originally issued in 1996 and later revised in 2004, the ISO 14001 EMS standard is intended to address the identification, evaluation, and continual improvement of an organization’s activities, products, or services that interact with the environment. The ISO 14001 methodology is a systematic approach for continually improving environmental management through identification and evaluation of aspects and impacts, development of objectives and measurable targets, implementation of programs, and on-going monitoring and review.

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 sets out a system that can be audited and certified. In many cases, it is the issue of certification that is critical or controversial and is at the heart of the discussion about the trade implications.

Certification means that a qualified body (an “accredited certifier”) has inspected the EMS system that has been put in place and has made a formal declaration that the system is consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001.

The standard allows for “self-certification,” a declaration by an enterprise that it conforms to ISO 14001. There is considerable skepticism as to whether this approach would be widely accepted, especially when certification has legal or commercial consequences. At the same time, obtaining certification can entail significant costs, and there are issues relating to the international acceptance

of national certification that may make it particularly difficult for companies in some countries to achieve credible certification at a reasonable cost. For firms concerned about having certification that carries real credibility, the costs of bringing in international auditors are typically quite high, partly because the number of internationally recognized firms of certifiers is limited at present.2

The issue of accreditation of certifiers is becoming increasingly important as the demand increases.

Countries that have adopted ISO 14001 as a national standard can accredit qualified companies as certifiers, and this will satisfy national legal or contractual requirements. However, the fundamental purpose of ISO is to achieve consistency internationally. If certificates from certain countries or agencies are not fully accepted or are regarded as “second class,” the goal will not have been achieved. It is probable that the international marketplace will eventually put a

real commercial value on high-quality certificates, but this level of sophistication and discrimination has not yet been achieved. It is essential to the ultimate success of the whole system that there be a mechanism to ensure that certification in any one country has credibility and acceptability elsewhere.

The ISO has outlined procedures for accreditation and certification (Guides 61 and 62), and a formal body, QSAR, has been established to operationalize the process. At the same time, a number of established national accreditation bodies

heavily involved in ISO have set up the informal International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to examine mechanisms for achieving international reciprocity through multilateral agreements (MLAs). However, these systems are in the early

stages, and many enterprises continue to use the established international certifiers, even at additional cost, because of lack of confidence in the acceptability of local certifiers.

Given the variability in the design of individual EMS and the substantial costs of the ISO 14000 certification process, there is a growing tendency for large companies that are implementing EMS approaches to pause before taking this

last step. After implementing an EMS and confirming that the enterprise is broadly in conformance with ISO 14001, it is becoming routine to carry out a “gap analysis” to determine exactly what further actions would be required to achieve

certification and to examine the benefits and costs of bringing in third-party certifiers.

ISO 14001 Standards Certification

ISO 14001 Standards sets out a system that can be audited and certified. In many cases, it is the issue of certification that is critical or controversial and is at the heart of the discussion about the trade implications.

Certification means that a qualified body (an “accredited certifier”) has inspected the EMS system that has been put in place and has made a formal declaration that the system is consistent with the requirements of ISO 14001 Standards.

The standard allows for “self-certification,” a declaration by an enterprise that it conforms toISO 14001 Standards. There is considerable skepticism as to whether this approach would be widely accepted, especially when certification has legal or commercial consequences. At the same time, obtaining certification can entail significant costs, and there are issues relating to the international acceptance

of national certification that may make it particularly difficult for companies in some countries to achieve credible certification at a reasonable cost. For firms concerned about having certification that carries real credibility, the costs of bringing in international auditors are typically quite high, partly because the number of internationally recognized firms of certifiers is limited at present.2

The issue of accreditation of certifiers is becoming increasingly important as the demand increases.

Countries that have adopted ISO 14001 Standards as a national standard can accredit qualified companies as certifiers, and this will satisfy national legal or contractual requirements. However, the fundamental purpose of ISO is to achieve consistency internationally. If certificates from certain countries or agencies are not fully accepted or are regarded as “second class,” the goal will not have been achieved. It is probable that the international marketplace will eventually put a

real commercial value on high-quality certificates, but this level of sophistication and discrimination has not yet been achieved. It is essential to the ultimate success of the whole system that there be a mechanism to ensure that certification in any one country has credibility and acceptability elsewhere.

The ISO has outlined procedures for accreditation and certification (Guides 61 and 62), and a formal body, QSAR, has been established to operationalize the process. At the same time, a number of established national accreditation bodies

heavily involved in ISO have set up the informal International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to examine mechanisms for achieving international reciprocity through multilateral agreements (MLAs). However, these systems are in the early

stages, and many enterprises continue to use the established international certifiers, even at additional cost, because of lack of confidence in the acceptability of local certifiers.

Given the variability in the design of individual EMS and the substantial costs of the ISO 14000 certification process, there is a growing tendency for large companies that are implementing EMS approaches to pause before taking this

last step. After implementing an EMS and confirming that the enterprise is broadly in conformance with ISO 14001 Standards, it is becoming routine to carry out a “gap analysis” to determine exactly what further actions would be required to achieve

certification and to examine the benefits and costs of bringing in third-party certifiers.

General Description of ISO14001 Standards

General Description of ISO14001 Standards

ISO14001 Standards requires an Environmental Policy to be in existence within the organisation, fully supported by senior management, and outlining the policies of the company, not only to the staff but to the public. The policy needs to clarify compliance with Environmental Legislation that may effect the organization and stress a commitment to continuous improvement. Emphasis has been placed on policy as this provides the direction for the remainder of the Management System.

Those companies who have witnessed ISO9000 Assessments will know that the policy is frequently discussed during the assessment, many staff are asked if they understand or are aware of the policy, and any problems associated with the policy are seldom serious. The Environmental Policy is different, this provides the initial foundation and direction for the Management System and will be more stringently reviewed than a similar ISO9000 policy. The statement must be publicised in non-technical language so that it can be understood by the majority of readers. It should relate to the sites within the organisation encompassed by the Management System, it should provide an overview of the company’s activities on the site and a description of those activities. A clear picture of the company’s operations.

The preparatory review and definition of the organization’s environmental effects is not part of a ISO14001 Assessment, however examination of this data will provide an external audit with a wealth of information on the methods adopted by the company. The preparatory review itself should be comprehensive in consideration of input processes and output at the site. This review should be designed to identify all relevant environmental aspects that may arise from existence on the site. These may relate to current operations, they may relate to future, perhaps even unplanned future activities, and they will certainly relate to the activities performed on site in

the past (i.e. contamination of land).

The initial or preparatory review will also include a wide-ranging consideration of the legislation which may effect the site, whether it is currently being complied with, and perhaps even whether copies of the legislation are available. Many of the environmental assessments undertaken already have highlighted that companies are often unaware of ALL of the legislation that affects them, and being unaware, are often not meeting the requirements of that legislation.

The company will declare its primary environmental objectives, those that can have most environmental impact. In order to gain most benefit these will become the primary areas of consideration within the improvement process, and the company’s environmental program. The program will be the plan to achieve specific goals or targets along the route to a specific goal and describe the means to reach those objectives such that they are real and achievable. TheEnvironmental Management System provides further detail on the environmental program. The EMS establishes procedures, work instructions and controls to ensure that implementation of the policy and achievement of the targets can become a reality. Communication is a vital factor, enabling people in the organisation to be aware of their responsibilities, aware of the objectives of the scheme, and able to contribute to its success.

As with ISO 9000 the Environmental Management System requires a planned comprehensive periodic audit of the Environmental Management System to ensure that it is effective in operation, is meeting specified goals, and the system continues to perform in accordance with relevant regulations and standards. The audits are designed to provide additional information in order to exercise effective management of the system, providing information on practices which differ to the current procedures or offer an opportunity for improvement.

In addition to audit, there is a requirement for Management Review of the system to ensure that it is suitable (for the organization and the objectives) and effective in operation. The management review is the ideal forum to make decisions on howe to improve for the future.

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)

Conducting An Initial Environmental Review For EMS

Conducting An Initial Environmental Review in ISO 14001 EMS
An initial environmental review covers all the aspects of an EMS. As a result of this review the organization knows its strengths and weaknesses, risks and opportunities regarding the current status of its EMS. The gap between the requirements of the EMS standard and the actual status of the organization shows which aspects the organization should focus its efforts on to improve the system. This leads directly to the development of an environmental management program that should fill the gaps.
The Environmental review should focus on three key areas:
- Examination of existing environmental management practices and procedures
- Identification of significant environmental impacts and their priority
- Identification of legal and regulatory requirements
1. Examination of Existing Environmental Management Practices and
Procedures
The methodology for assessing existing environmental management practices and procedures is proposed here using a questionnaire. The review team fills out this questionnaire by interviewing appropriate people, by analyzing existing documents and procedures dealing with environmental issues and by collecting information about environmental aspects of the organization’s operations, products and services.
By conducting the initial environmental review, an organization-specific profile of strengths and weaknesses can be drawn up. Because the score in each EMS area shows the effort needed in terms of financial and human resources,the organization knows where to focus its efforts when building up an EMS and where the largest effort is needed.

2. Identification of Significant Environmental Aspects and their Priority
An environmental policy requires top management to set priorities regarding environmental aspects. An initial review clearly shows where to set priorities regarding the EMS itself. But, it does not help to set priorities among different environmental problems. Many top managers feel pressure to do something for the environment and thus embark on some form of ?Eenvironmental activism?E often containing many isolated activities, but no clear direction. One way to solve this problem is to develop a so called ?Environmental exposure portfolio?E
The first step of this portfolio analysis is to assess the exposure and therefore the importance of different environmental aspects for an organization’s overall performance.
The appropriate perspective and priorities of the environmental policy will differ depending on this preliminary analysis. The analysis should be conducted from the perspective of the stakeholders of the organization, their needs and their importance for the success of the organization. The degree of exposure to different environmental aspects should guide the involvement and perspective of an organization when implementing an EMS. Evaluating exposure to environmental aspects is important, because this exposure is likely to influence the organization’s success sooner or later, either through new legislation, public or consumer perception and behavior or otherwise.
The analysis of the expected exposure of an organization to different environmental problems and the weight given to these aspects by various stakeholders enables management to focus on environmental issues that are a high priority to the organization. This is represented in the quadrant in the upper right corner of the environmental exposure portfolio. However, the two quadrants on the left must also be observed, although less vigorously. Issues with low public priority, to which the firm contributes heavily become a problem as soon as the perception of the stakeholders and the public environmental policy changes (the quadrant in the upper left corner of the portfolio). That this can happen very rapidly is obvious, for example from Shell`s ?Brent Spar?Edumping case (detailed information about this case is available from Shell or Greenpeace at their respective WWW-sites). Investments in new production technology, products and services can increase the environmental impact of the organization when not anticipated early enough. In this case, a problem ranked in the lower right corner of the portfolio would shift to the field with the highest priority. Problems ranked in the lower left corner are of no priority. No measures should be taken here.

3. Identification of Legal and Regulatory Requirements
The identification of legal and regulatory requirements assesses two levels of an organization:
- production-related environmental regulations
- product- and service-related environmental regulations
The former addresses the production department while the latter addresses the marketing
and R&D departments. Basically, three questions must be answered:
- Which are the relevant environmental regulations? (= target)
- Is the current situation in the organization known? (= actual)
- Does the organization comply with relevant regulations? (=gap)
The methodology used here is a questionnaire. To obtain information about environmental regulations the following information sources can be used:
- governmental authorities
- industry associations
- daily newspaper
- university publications (law departments)