Although ISO 14001 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 14001. There are wo particular areas in which government action would be useful:
(a) providing information on he sectors and markets where ISO 14001 certification s a significant issue and assisting sector rganizations to develop appropriate responses, and
(b) helping to establish a certification framework, ased 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.
The implementation of an ISO 9001 conformant system must recognize that it is but a step in a long-term development of a continually improving QMS. Unfortunately, it is often the case that ISO 9001 is taken as a means to an end, where the implementation of a QMS is not the primary objective, rather certification is. As a result, SMEs may end up with stacks of documentation waiting to be processed that adds no value, but cost.
According to the requirements of ISO 9001, an organization must develop only six documented procedures: (1) control of documents, (2) control of quality records, (3) internal audits, (4) control of non-conformities, (5) corrective action, and (6) preventative action. A quality manual and several records are also required. The development of other procedures, work instructions, and other documents is largely at the discretion of the organization. From the very beginning of the process, it is therefore essential that SMEs establish a balanced view between a short-term focus (marketing/sales) and a long-term focus (achieving company-wide quality awareness through TQM). ISO documentation should be considered as an enabler along that way and SMEs must guard against the creation of unnecessary documentation.
However, even when such a view is adopted, many SMEs struggle to move from their initial state to a fully functional ISO 9001 QMS. Over the last several years, we have been involved in ISO 9001 implementation projects in seven different SMEs. The SMEs have ranged in size from approximately 20 employees to 500 employees. The SMEs have been drawn from a variety of sectors in Virginia, including manufacturing, distribution, and services. Based on our experience, we developed a schematic of initial states of an organization in terms of the
existence and functionality the documentation required by the standard while functionality is equated with an effectively operated QMS that leads to increased customer satisfaction and continuous improvement of business results. A successful QMS must be fully functional and appropriately documented. With that in mind, there are four main states in which SMEs can be located in the beginning of the implementation process:
1. Complete Death: No documentation, no functioning This is the state in which there is no indication of the existence and functionality of the QMS. No documentation exists and no processes are in place to help ensure the quality of the product. Relatively few companies will find themselves in this situation.
2. Informally Alive: No documentation, some level of functioning Many SMEs exhibit an organic structure characterized by an absence of standardization and the prevalence of loose and informal working relationships. SMEs operating in this state are more likely to rely on people rather than a system. In such situations, key personnel may resist documentation for two key reasons “(1) documentation is considered a waste of time and (2) documentation of processes and procedures makes the individual less dependable” . SMEs in this state perform some or all of the processes required by ISO 9001 and the QMS may function fairly well. However, they are not willing and ready to document those processes unless there is a cultural change lead by top management.
3. Formally Death: Some level of documentation, no functioning SMEs categorized in this state have documented processes and procedures at some degree, however, the documents are generally not followed and do not necessarily reflect the actual manner in which the organization undertakes its operations and management. This situation highlights the fact that the mere existence of documentation does not necessarily lead to a functional QMS. Moreover, such a situation may help perpetuate the view that ISO 9001 is a way for SMEs to market their products and services but that implementation of the standard requires stacks of documents that offer no value.
4. Formally Alive: Some level of documentation, some level of functioning Each SME considered in this state, achieves a unique combination of the existence and functionality of processes and procedures that may or may not be required by ISO 9001. As illustrated in Figure 2, this situation is closest to the desired state of full functionality (100%) of the ISO 9001 QMS and full documentation (100%) of this functionality.
This reference guide was developed to help you understand the nature of the changes to the ISO 9001 standard.
Clause Change/Emphasis Not Auditable
0.1 General Added language emphasizing statutory and regulatory requirements are a concern as it relates to products for this international standard.
0.4 Compatibility with Other Management Systems Standards – Emphasis was added on the consideration given to ISO 14001:2004 to ensure that the standards are compatible.
1.1 General
1.2 Application Statutory was added in certain paragraphs to ensure the user is aware that these requirements must be taken into consideration. Additional notes were added to explain that where the word product appears, it refers to every stage of its existence, from raw material received to the final product being shipped to the customer.
2. Normative Reference Reference to ISO 9000 (vocabulary and concepts) was updated to refer to the current revision (i.e. ISO 9000:2005).
3. Terms and Definitions The supplier/organization/customer model was removed. These relationships, in reality, are not always linears.
The Auditable Requirements
Clause Change/Emphasis
4.1
In 4.1 a, identify was replaced with determine to emphasize that an organization must give careful consideration to what processes are needed in order to fulfill requirements.
A link is drawn to 7.4 in the additional note. This was done to show that the supplier approval, evaluation, and re-evaluation process is where evidence of controlled outsourced processes should be demonstrated.
4.2.1
References to records and documents were consolidated.
Also, the organization can require records not specified in this international standard that are created and maintained.
4.2.3
Clarification is given to the requirement for outsourced documents. Only those needed for the planning and operation of the QMS need to be controlled. This could exclude documents related to occupational health and safety since ISO 9001 contains requirements only concerned with product (see 0.1).
4.2.4
Rephrased, but no additional clarifications or emphasis added. Editorial change only.
5.5.2
The management representative must be from the organizations management. This would exclude consultants and other individuals external to the organization (e.g. a management representative from the corporate entity). The purpose of this is to ensure that this individual, entrusted with the responsibilities of championing the quality management system, is not out of touch with the organization.
6.2.1
The boundaries of competence only extend to individuals who impact product conformity. However, this does not just include those who are directly involved in production. The decisions made by management affect product conformity; therefore, they must be competent as well.
6.2.2
If said personnel have not yet attained the competence needed to perform the assigned job, then the organization must provide training or some other remedy to ensure that competence is achieved. The organization must also have a mechanism to ensure that personnel have been evaluated based on how well they demonstrate their knowledge and skill (i.e. competence). It is not enough to merely provide training or consider an individuals experience. The organization must prove to itself that this person can, in fact, perform.
The major reasons that company leadership or management decides to seek ISO 9000 certification are to gain continued or increased business and to maintain effective operations.
A company can maintain a relationship with customers, as well as get increased business through complying to the ISO 900 standards or becoming certified. This comes from satisfying customer demands, the desire for European business, and to advertise.
The Introduction to ISO 9001:2008 DVD covers 3 major areas, which will help companies in the process of implementing ISO 9000 Standards. It consists of:
First, to describe some basic information on ISO 9000 Standards. It will specifically refer to ISO 9001:2008 Standards. The video will explained on topic like what is ISO 9000 Standards, The origin, history & evolution, Series of ISO 9000, version & certification in ISO 9000 Standards.
Then, the DVD will go into the introduction on quality management. It will explained on topics like what is quality, quality characteristic, quality management, Quality Management Principles, ISO 9000 vs. Quality, what is Quality Management System & etc.
Finally, the DVD will technically highlight the requirement of Quality Management System in ISO 9001:2008. It also going through in details the steps in implementing Quality Management System in ISO 9001:2008.
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.
If you are someone who is looking into getting an ISO 14001, then you may be wondering exactly why it is that you have to get this accreditation. First, you have to understand that ISO stands for the International Organisation of Standardisation. This is a series of standards that have been developed with a singular level of guidance for all companies to measure up to. The particular 14001 deals with the requirements that you will need to have in order to measure up to the environmental standards that have been set forth by the ISO.
While you do not necessarily have to get the ISO 14001 accreditation to operate your business, it is something you can do to prove to your clients and customers that you are doing your part to help out with the environment. However, you may be confused on how to go about getting this important accreditation, but it is not as difficult to attain as you might think, and most businesses should be able to get the certification within a year of the application. You should know that they will want to make sure that you have been following some form of environmental standards for at least three months prior to your application. To do this you can write an environmental review of your company’s environmental impact as it is in its current operating state. You will then want to make sure that you provide this information when you send off your initial paperwork to begin the overall process.
In order to help prove that your company is doing its part to be environmentally aware you will have to go through an initial audit once the application has been filled out and filed. After the audit has been completed you will get a list of issues that the auditor feels you need to resolve before you can be certified for the ISO 14001. You will need to work on and correct these issues before the second audit is conducted, and they will give you a time period (usually three to six months) when they will return to check on your progress.
When the second audit occurs they will once again assess the overall business and then they will address the issues that were laid out in the previous audit. If everything goes well then your company will have proven that they are doing what they can to meet the standard set forth in ISO 14001, and they will then receive accreditation. However, this is not the end of the process. Even though you are now recognised as having environmentally conscious policies that are congruent with the international standards, you will have to go through periodic audits every three years to make sure that you are still operating correctly. Not only this, but every three months partial aspects of your company will be analysed to see that they are still working within the standards as well. As long as you remain within the compliance terms you will continue to receive your ISO 14001 certification.
Is Green Business Really Environmentally Sustainable ?
Green Business is about a good management of a range of issues including reduced carbon footprint and good energy management but also including a broader environmental sustainability, within a practical environmental management system. The most effective system is ISO 14001. Many other approaches are less than effective
There is a wide variety of concepts that are understood by some as environmental management systems or EMS and this varies in different industries. The concept has evolved over time. Essentially the name says it all – A system to enable the business owner or manager to manage environmental problems both real and potential.
Owners and managers setting out to have a green business do not always achieve their aim of environmental sustainability and may not even include reduced carbon footprint and good energy management.
Many industry groups have developed industry wide simplistic programs that they call EMS that actually miss the S for system and some really only have a checklist approach that is based on an “average” or “typical” business in that industry. So effectively they also miss much of the environment. Many do not really involve any management either. Some are very superficial in the way that they select the environmental aspects they manage because they have been drawn up to be generic and cut out the need for the business owner to stop and think. In this case it is difficult to understand how any process of continual improvement can result.
One of these programs are as simple as a checklist, or what many involved call a “tick and flick” exercise. These are barely even educational for the business owner and have no ongoing benefits like reduction of costs or legal protection.
Even where the business owners and or managers spend a lot of time filling in forms and communicating with neighbours, there is often a real lack of understanding of how to identify and varied environmental risks in an individual businesses and why these need to be manage. They can easily miss things and even find they are risking legal implications in areas that are not typical and so not covered by the so called system..
An effective management system needs individual businesses to identify and understand what their environmental risks are or may be. These risks need to be managed and there also needs to be a feedback system going into a regularly reviewed system for continual improvement. This can be enhanced with auditing by qualified independent auditors, whether internal or external; although the greatest benefit does come from employing and independent external auditing body such as a certification body.
There were some early ISO 14001 systems that gave the system a bad name because they were based on outdated engineering and military approaches to ISO systems are overly paper heavy and full of jargon. These were not suitable for small business and farms. These systems have given ISO 140001 a bad name in some circles.
Unfortunately many consultants have come from an old style quality management background without any real understanding of or training in the environment. The training to upgrade from quality auditing only involves doing a three day seminar with a minimal assessment by a training organization. Then they audit with a rigid paper based approach and do a serious disservice to both their clients and to the auditing industry.
Small to medium businesses benefit from a simpler approach based on a real understanding of the issues involved and a genuine understanding of risks. Such systems are based on ISO 14001 and have a real emphasis on keeping things simple and minimizing paperwork. These give very real benefits to the businesses involved.
The ISO 14001 aims to reduce the environmental carbon footprints that many businesses leave behind today because of not taking the right steps to be environmental sustainable. This standard promotes the decrease in the waste of necessary business resources and also reduces the pollution that can sometimes be a by product of a business.
About ISO 14001
The most updated version of the ISO 14001 was released in the year 2004 by the International Organisation of Standardization (ISO), which was attended by members from all the committees from around the world. In order for a company to be awarded the ISO 14001 standard certificate, an external auditor has to audit the company by an audit body that has been accredited by an accreditation body. The certification auditors are required to be accredited by the International Registrar of Certification Auditor and the certification body has to be accredited by the Registrar Accreditation Board in the USA or by the National Accreditation Board in Ireland.
The structure of ISO 14001is very much like the ISO 9000, which is management standard, so these two standards can be implemented side by side to achieve the best results. As a part of the ISO 14000 family, which deals with different aspects of environmental issues, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14002 deal with environmental management system (EMS). ISO 14001 gives the requirements for the
EMS and ISO 14002 gives the basic guidelines for EMS.
The EMS, as per the requirements of the ISO 14001, enables the company, may it be of any size, location and income to:
It helps the company improve its environmental strategy and this positively affects their environmental performance.
It helps in identifying and controlling the environmental impact that the activities, services or products of the company might have.
And it helps in carrying out a systematic approach to set environmental targets and objectives, to achieve these and also to demonstrate that they have been achieved.
How does it work?
ISO 14001 does not specify or chalk out a definite level that each business has to reach. If the performance was determined, then it would have to be done for every specific business. But that is not how it works and has a very different approach, like:
The ISO has various standards dealing with environmental issues. ISO 14001 deals with a framework provided for a strategic and holistic approach to the businesses environmental policy, actions and plans.
It gives the general requirements for the EMS.
This also states the reference to the communication requirements for the communication of the environmental management issues between the company, stakeholders, the public and the regulators.
As these standards are not company specific, any and every business can undertake them as long as they are dedicated to the continued and improved environmental performance and they have a commitment to comply with the set norms.
ISO 14000 is primarily concerned with “Environmental Management”. In plain language, this means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities.
The efficient and effective management of processes of the ISO 14000 is going to affect whether or not everything has been done to ensure a product will have the least harmful impart on the environment, at any stage in its life cycle, either by pollution, or by depleting natural resources.
What is ISO 14000 – Environment Management System (EMS)
Improving the environmental performance of corporations is one way of limiting environmental damage. Environmental management systems (EMS’s), such as ISO 14001, provide a framework for organizations that wish to effectively manage their environmental affairs. Implementing an EMS that conforms to the ISO 14001 standard may help businesses integrate environmental values into their operations.
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.
ISO 14000 is a group of standards covering the following areas:
Environmental Management Systems (14001,14002, 14004)
ISO 14001 is the only standard intended for registration by third parties. All the others are for guidance. ISO 14001 is a management standard, it is not a performance or product standard. The underlying purpose of ISO 14001 is that companies will improve their environmental performance by implementing ISO 14001, but there are no standards for performance or the level of improvement. It is a process for managing company activities that impact the environment.
Some unique and important characteristics of ISO 14001 are:
It is comprehensive: all members of the organization participate in environmental protection, the EMS considers all stakeholders, and there are processes to identify all environmental impacts.
It is proactive: it focuses on forward thinking and action instead of reacting to command and control policies.
It is a systems approach: it stresses improving environmental protection by using a single environmental management system across all functions of the organization
The Environmental Management System (EMS) contains the following elements:
An environmental policy supported by top management.
Identification of legal and other requirements
Environmental goals, objectives, and targets that support the policy.
An environmental management program
Definition of roles, responsibilities, and authorities
Training and awareness procedures
Process for communication of the EMS to all interested parties
Document and operational control procedures
Procedures for emergency response.
Procedures for monitoring and measuring
operations that can have a significant impact on the environment
Any manager will try to avoid pollution that could cost the company a fine for infringing environmental legislation. But better managers will agree that doing only just enough to keep the company out of trouble with government inspectors is a rather weak and reactive approach to business in today’s increasingly environment-conscious world.
There is a better way. The ISO 14000 way. The ISO 14000 standards are practical tools for the manager who is not satisfied with mere compliance with legislation – which may be perceived as a cost of doing business. They’re for the proactive manager with the breadth of vision to understand that implementing a strategic approach can bring return on investment in environmentrelated measures. Implementing an ISO 14000-basedenvironmental management system, and using other tools from the ISO 14000 family, will give you far more than just confidence that you are complying with legislation.
The ISO 14000 approach forces you to take a hard look at all areas where your business has an environmental impact. And this systematic approach can lead to benefits like the following:
a. Reduced cost of waste managementb. Savings in consumption of energy and materialsc. Lower distribution costsd. Improved corporate image among regulators, customers and the publice. Framework for continuous improvement of your environmental performance.
The manager who is “too busy managing the business” to listen to good senseabout environmental management could actually be costing the business plenty. Just think, for example, of the lost opportunities for achieving benefits like those above.
The ISO 14000 standards are management tools that will help your businessachieve environmental goals that go way beyond acquiring a mere “green sheen”.
