ISO 14000
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ISO 14000 is a set of standards that can be used to certify that an organization maintains an environmental management system, comprised of Environmental Policy, Planning, Implementation and Operation, Checking and Corrective Action, and Management Review. In short, the purpose of adopting an environmental management system, as described in ISO 14000 [ISO 14001:1996(E)] is to prove that the organization is informed and knowledgeable, capable, and committed to improving environmental performance within the organization’s range of activities.
“The system should enable an organization to”
- establish an environmental policy appropriate to itself;
- identify the environmental aspects arising from the organization’s past, existing or planned activities, products or services, to determine the environmental impacts of significance;
- identify the relevant legislative and regulatory requirements;
- establish a structure and (a) programme(s) to implement the policy and achieve objectives and targets;
- facilitate planning, control, monitoring, corrective action, auditing and review activities to ensure both that the policy is compiled with and that the environmental management system remains appropriate;
- be capable of adapting to changing circumstances
[ISO 14001:1996(E)]
ISO 14000 is, however, an ‘open’ standard. The organization is responsible for investigating and defining the relationship of its activities to the environment, and constructing goals and a plan to achieve those goals based on specific criteria (i.e. economics, best available technology, legal and regulatory environment, organization structure, etc.).
Process guidelines for life cycle assessment are described in ISO-14000.
