ISO 14000: Will It Work For You

An effective environmental management system (EMS) can not only help manage current environmental issues and costs, it can provide a comprehensive and systematic plan for a business to manage all of the environmental aspects of its operations.

"It's only logical for a company to want to organize and manage the variety of environmental components that impact how it does business," says Steve Lederer, an EMS expert at Harding Lawson Associates. "An environmental management system like ISO 14000 provides a framework and guidelines that can cut costs, improve a corporation's credibility with stakeholders and others in the community, and increase global market share."

Since formal adoption last fall, the ISO 14000 EMS, and the third-party certification option that accompanies it, is rapidly being adopted as a tool for promoting and providing incentives for improved environmental standards worldwide. The benefits of undergoing the ISO 14000 certification process can also bring benefits to businesses that conduct little or not business overseas. "A systems approach to environmental management is stronger and more efficient than the purely reactive compliance strategies that have existed previously," Lederer notes. "Adopting an ISO 14000 EMS can make you more attractive to large corporations who are driving their suppliers to undergo the certification process, and to government agencies eager to promote environmental compliance," he continues. Some companies are deciding to implement ISO 14000 without seeking third-party certification.

The Component Parts
The ISO 14000 standards are a series of voluntary environmental standards intended to guide an organization in managing the immediate and long-term impact that its products and operations have on the environment. It is a process oriented system that provides an alternative to existing "command-and-control" environmental regulatory schemes.

The ISO 14000 series of standards consists of a specification standard ISO 14001 - and several guideline standards. Areas covered by the ISO 14000 EMS include policy development, setting of goals and objectives, implementation of the system, monitoring and auditing, and management review, among others. ISO 14001, the specification standard, outlines the planning and operational elements of an acceptable EMS as well as requirements for review and improvements (see box).

An ISO 14000 EMS can go a long way toward ensuring that your business is in compliance with existing regulations and other legislation. "While it does not provide a 'bright line' or a guarantee of being in compliance, adopting the standards and undergoing the third-party certification process will likely be viewed favorably by regulators," Harding Lawson's Lederer notes.

California Leads The Way
In the United States, both federal and state environmental agencies, including the California Environmental Protection Agency, are investigating strategies as to how the standards may provide opportunities to develop more flexible and effective regulatory schemes.

Cal/EPA recently initiated a series of pilot projects to test the strengths and weaknesses of the ISO 14000 EMS. The purpose of the projects are to assess the feasibility of using the standards as a way to achieve more efficient compliance with current regulatory standards. Though still in the early stages, officials at Cal/EPA are enthusiastic about the prospects of an ISO 14000-based EMS. "We are expecting very positive results form the initial pilot project," says Kim Wilhelm of the Department of Toxic Substances Control's ISO 14000 EMS program.

Conforming to ISO 14000 can lead to an increase in global market share and reduce liability risks and compliance costs. Incorporating this type of environmental planning into overall strategic business planning can ultimately enhance your bottom line.

In the same issue of Environmental Insights:

• Biotech, Medical Device Companies Encounter Prop 65
• Top Environmental Resources

With the introduction of ISO 14000 standards, business have yet another reason to enhance their environmental management systems (EMS). Even organizations with highly technical expertise such as Teledyne Inc. can use expert advice in developing an effective EMS.

Teledyne recently called on Harding Lawson Associates to conduct a benchmarking study and analysis of a cross sectionof its companies to evaluate existing environmental systems. HLA then was able to make thorough recommendations for an EMS, including the following:

• Organization, Responsibility & Authority
• Waste Identification & Characterization
• Environmental Compliance Evaluation
• Incident/
  Observation/
  Exception Reporting
• Management of Change
• Education & Training
• Auditing & Verification

According to HLA, the Teledyne EMS demonstrates a highly effective tool for managing risks and integrating environmental systems with other corporate functions. With this tool, the Teledyne companies become more efficient and profitable.