Environmental Quality Management ISO14000
The ISO 14000 family of International
Standards on environmental management is a relative newcomer to ISO’s portfolio – but environment-related standardization is far from being a new departure for ISO. In fact, ISO has a two-pronged approach to meeting the needs of business, industry, governments, non-governmental organizations and consumers in the field of the environment.
On the one hand, it offers a wideranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed more than 350 International Standards (out of a total of more than 12 000) for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and soil. These standards are a means of providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic acitivity. They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations. On the other hand, ISO is leading a strategic approach by developing environmental management system standards
that can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sectors (companies, administrations, public utilities). To spearhead this strategic approach, ISO established a new technical committee, ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, in 1993. This followed ISO’s successful pioneering experience in management system standardization with the ISO 9000 series for quality management.
ISO’s direct involvement in environmental management stemmed from an intensive consultation process, carried out within the framework of a Strategic Advisory Group on Environment (SAGE), set up in 1991, in which 20 countries, 11 international organizations and more than 100 environmental experts participated in defining the basic requirements of a new approach to environment-related standards.
This pioneering work was consolidated with ISO’s commitment to support the objective of “sustainable development” discussed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Today, delegations of business and government experts from 55 countries participate actively within TC 207, and another 16 countries have observer status. These delegations are chosen by the national standards institute concerned and they are required to bring to TC 207 a national consensus on issues being addressed by the committee. This national consensus is derived from a process of consultation with interested parties. From its beginning, it was recognized that ISO/TC 207 should have close cooperation with ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, in the areas of management systems, auditing and related terminology.
Active efforts are under way to ensure compatibility of ISO environmental management and quality management standards, for the benefit of all organizations wishing to implement them.
ISO and the environment
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The International Organisation for Standards web site has details of the ISO standards |
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