The Evolution of ISO 14001
by Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc.
While many articles may soon appear that
discuss the upcoming changes involved with the first revision to the ISO
14001 Standard, I think it would be a good time to step back and reflect
on what has been accomplished relative to this Standard. As the 8th
anniversary of the current version of ISO 14001 approaches in November,
the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) of a revised Standard is
anticipated to be distributed during August of 2004. Over the next few
months the ballots will be tabulated, concerns addressed and the first
revision to the ISO 14001 Standard should be available to the general
public by April of 2005. This article will touch on some of the
accomplishments attributable to ISO 14001 that have occurred since 1996,
and what direction popular acceptance of the Standard may take during the
next 8 years.
One measure of the
success for this Environmental Management System (EMS) model is the number
of certificates issued. According to the ISO Survey of 9000 and ISO
14001 Certificates 12th Cycle “ Up to the end of 2002, at
least 49,462 ISO 14001 certificates had been awarded in 118 countries, and
increase of 12,697 certificates (+34.54 percent) over the end of December
2001. Environmental Systems Update (ESU), a publication that provides
data for this survey for North American countries, indicates that there
were 4567 registrations in the United States, and 1258 for Canada and 418
for Mexico at the end of 2003. This represents a 43% increase in the US
and a 35% rise in North America for the past year. Clearly, both on a
worldwide scale, and in the United States ISO 14001 registrations have
been on a steady increase over the past 3 years. If these trends
continued throughout 2003, it can be projected that ISO 14001
registrations should exceed 65,000 when published in the next “ISO
Survey” due in August of 2004. Japan still leads the world in 14001
registrations by all accounts by at least a 3 to 1 ratio. Spain, Germany,
China and the US follow, all within relatively close distance to each
other in terms of numbers of certifications. It is important to consider
that much of this substantial growth in registrations has occurred during
a period (2001-2003) of a worldwide slow-down in the manufacturing
sector. As financial outlooks improve, more manufacturing organizations
will be better able to afford the initial costs associated with developing
and implementing an EMS.
In January, 2004 the
ISO14000.com website posted the following poll question: “As your EMS
matures-which do you feel best describes what it has accomplished?”
-
19% indicated it has
increased efficiency in the use of energy and materials.
-
27% stated it altered our people’s
environmental perception
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8% felt it streamlined their compliance
effort
-
25% said it improved the environmental image
of their company
-
21% indicated that there were no valuable
changes for our organization
Clearly, 4 out of 5
respondents to this poll felt that their EMS has had a positive benefit
for their organization. If you further dissect this data, the
overwhelming majority of responses (52%) were related to perception and
image. Although people who promote EMS may prefer to associate tangible
improvements, like energy efficiency with an EMS, a fundamental shift in
attitude is really the cornerstone for change. Laying the foundation that
impacts perception within an organization so that people begin to think
about running their operation in a more eco-efficient manner should occur
before or at least in conjunction with the actual engineering activities
that provide these tangible improvements. This is no small feat, and for
many organizations altering the way their people consider environmental
issues is something that evolves over many years. Short term “promotions”
do not add up to change, but rather success stories coupled with tangible
support from top management help to change attitudes, so that the majority
of people in an organization begin to understand the benefits of an EMS.
A green image can also be correlated to the bottom line for some
organizations for which this perception is important and can maintain or
even increase market share.
Opinions of experts who
are in the front lines of the ISO 14001 registration field lean towards
substantial growth in numbers of organizations that subscribe to this EMS
model. James Melloni, Environmental Business Manager and Lead Auditor for
TUV America believes that “the wave of certification has not yet crested
and is increasing, we are seeing more supply chain pressures both
domestically and internationally from the automakers, technology companies
and the medical device manufacturers”. Jim also stated that they have
experienced companies that have implemented ISO 14001 EMS because their
customers require them to. “Some have made great strides while others are
just meeting the minimum requirements, a lot depends on just how committed
the organization and its top management is to the management system.”
Barbara McGuiness, a Senior Consultant with Excel Partnership believes
that “sooner or later, ISO will be forced to adopt an Occupational Safety
and Health standard. I suspect it will look a lot like OSHAS 18001, which
is growing throughout the world.” She also has stated
“the
adoption of the chemical industry Responsible Care Management System
(RCMS) Technical Specification would bring many more organizations into
the management system loop. I've been spending much of my time on this
recently, developing a training course for RCMS auditors, and doing RCMS
and RC-14001 audits. I am also seeing more interest in both the
environmental and safety and health standards on the part of the oil
industry. If those markets do materialize, I believe the number of
registrations will grow significantly over the next 5 years.”
Most people believe
that supply chain pressures will continue to drive the next wave of new
ISO 14001 certifications. An additional driving force for EMS in the
United States is Executive Order 13148, entitled The Greening of
Government Through Environmental Leadership. This Order includes
military installations, EPA offices, research labs, and other types of
federal facilities that have environmental impacts. It requires that an
EMS be in place by the end of 2005. The U.S. Army is the largest branch
of the military and has chosen the ISO 14001 model as the blueprint for
its system. One of the primary reasons for the Army to pursue this
management system model is the perception that it will place them in a
better position to perform their mission of protecting our country. Jean
E. Sherett, a member of the staff of the Assistant Secretary of the Army
for environment, safety and occupational health stated "The system can
make us better in environmental performance but we’re working to make it
an asset for overall performance in such areas as increased training time
and lower operating costs. These are the kinds of things that are valuable
not just to environmental performance but to the Army’s long-term ability
to do its job."
Since the federal government, including the military
is highly dependent on a large number of contractors that provide vital
services at these facilities it can be anticipated that some of these
government suppliers will rush to develop an EMS in order to place
themselves in a more competitive position. This will help to fuel growth
in both the construction and service provider sector. Regardless of the
results of the Presidential Election this fall, both candidates appear to
support such initiatives and federal facilities will continue to strive
towards development of EMS, although there is no requirement that they fit
the ISO 14001 model or otherwise seek certification.
The ISO 14001 Standard
has demonstrated an expansion in registrations over the past 8 years, and
can now be considered well beyond the critical mass needed to sustain it
as the primary EMS model for the next decade. When working with this
standard as we have, one of the great features one recognizes is its
flexibility to fit a myriad of organizations. The same system model that
is used by a global manufacturer of electronics components can also work
for a local municipality or the U.S. Army. The proposed changes to the
Standard due to be enacted won’t be a drastic departure from the elements
we know today, but are simply the next small step in the evolution of a
global standard. There are many different forces coming into play that
drive this evolution, so stay tuned, maybe the next 8 years will be an
interesting ride.
For more information please call Lisa Wilk at 508-970-0033 ext. 112
or Email
lwilk@capaccio.com.
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