Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ISO 9001:2008 or the criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award are not the
only guidelines to incorporate sustainability into a management system. More recently, ISO
has created a specific set of standards for the management of environmental issues known as
the ISO 14000 family (ISO, 2006a, b).
Environmental management systems
EMS and the ISO 14000 family
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The first
standard, ISO 14001:2004, list the requirements for an environmental management
system (EMS) and ISO 14004:2004 provides with the guidelines. (Chapter 4 has an
extensive description of LCAs based on ISOs 14040:2006 and 14044:2006, and Chapter
7 has an explanation of Environmental Claims and Declarations based on ISOs
14020:2000, 14021:1999, 14024:1999, and 14025:2006.) The remainder of this section
will focus on the main steps for the creation of an EMS based on ISO 14001:2004 and
14004:2004.
According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an EMS is that
section of the whole management system dedicated to environmental policy. An EMS
includes organization, planning, procedures, responsibilities, and resources needed for a
successful development and implementation of a company's environmental policy (ISO,
2004a, b). Implementation of an EMS has the dual purpose of helping with the management
of environmental aspects of a company and also provides with the framework for continuous
improvement of its environmental performance. Implementation of EMS according to ISO
standards is a voluntary action. The standards can be purchased and used to fulfill internal
objectives by:
1.
providing assurance to management that it is in control of the organizational processes
and activities having an impact on the environment; and
2.
assuring employees that they are working for an environmentally responsible organization
(ISO, n.d.);
or to accomplish a second objective — development of an EMS according to ISO stand-
ards — to satisfy external goals which includes providing assurance to external stakehold-
ers (customers, the community, and regulatory agencies), making claims and declarations,
and complying with environmental regulations. The satisfaction of the second objective
can be pursued at four different levels in which the higher the level, the more credible is
the EMS.
Level 1. Making a self-declaration. An announcement that the company has an EMS that
is in compliance with ISO standards should be made.
●
Level 2. Seeking confirmation of conformance by parties having an interest in the
organization, such as customers. In this case, customers are asked to confirm that you are
in compliance of the ISO 14001:2004 standard.
●
Level 3. Seeking confirmation of self-declaration by a party external to the organiza-
tion. Similarly to asking to a customer, you can make a request to a third-party
company.
●
Level 4. Seeking certification of the EMS by an external organization. In this case, a
third-party registrar competent in auditing 14001 management systems is hired and the
●
