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As most organizations that have compiled an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) have realized, there are many elements of their Quality Management System (QMS) which can be readily integrated into their EMS. A poll conducted during October 1999 on the ISO 14000 Information Center Web Site indicated that the vast majority of organizations planned to adopt their ISO 9001 practices. In fact, 68% of the organizations that responded said they would integrate their QMS elements, while only 8% planned to develop totally separate systems.

The five areas of the current ISO QMS Standard that are most often integrated into an EMS are as follows:

• Training Systems
• System Documentation
• Document Control
• Nonconformance and Corrective Action
• Management Review

Besides the obvious simplification of effort integrating these elements of an existing quality system process is that it is already well understood throughout the organization. It makes perfect sense that if these methods have been found to be in conformance by a quality system auditor, you can assume that an EMS audit will yield similar results. Having a certified ISO 9000 system in place can translate into a good foundation for developing an EMS. The QMS provides valuable experience with management systems, coupled with a good grasp of environmental compliance, the effort to develop an EMS will be greatly simplified.

For many professionals who have worked in the field of environmental management, the integration of quality system elements into an environmental system will be a totally new experience. In the past, many environmental departments were outside of the purview of the quality department, which had set their focus on production activities. With the exception of compliance audits and regulatory inspections, the ultimate "quality" of the management of environmental affairs was not subject to oversight. The "out of sight, out of mind" concept often predominated the opinion of senior management of the environmental organization.

Many environmental managers may have to adjust to working closely with the quality department, who may not know much about the technical side of environmental issues, but should have years of practical experience on how to operate a management system. This closer working relationship between various organizational groups that an ISO system should generate may have the long-term benefit of tying together the management of the organization in to a more cohesive unit. It will also serve to raise the status of the typical environmental organization, from being a group that "just maintains compliance" to a real contributor. A well-designed EMS will provide an opportunity to reduce the cost of doing business and will contribute to continual improvement by minimizing environmental impacts. These bottom line benefits are sure to gain the attention of senior management.

Proposed changes in the ISO QMS Standards [ISO Draft International Standard (DIS) 9001] will help to foster increased correspondence with the ISO 14001 EMS Standard. In fact the ISO/DIS 9004 Guidelines for Performance Improvements actually include such elements as compliance with regulations, conservation of natural resources, and communication which have been requirements of an ISO 14001 EMS.

As with all draft standards, these are subject to change, but most experts in the field anticipate there will not be any substantial changes in the DIS for QMS Requirements. ISO/DIS 9001 is due to become final by the fourth quarter of 2000. In addition, the guidance for auditing QMS and EMS are being combined into a single document, ISO 19011 which is also due to be finalized by the end of this year. This will allow auditors the opportunity to simultaneously review both the EMS and QMS for certification or surveillance audits. This should be welcome news for those organizations who have integrated both systems, who may now be able to reduce the effort (and auditing cost) of maintaining both systems.

It is starting to become apparent that the framers of the ISO QMS & EMS Standards are attempting to align both systems into single management system. Since both systems already shared common elements, with more correspondence proposed, the effort to manage both quality and environmental improvements will become more streamlined. It is quite common today that requests from customers to suppliers will often ask the status of both the QMS and EMS. "These (certifications) are actually working in the marketplace," according to Analog Devices, Inc.'s quality systems manager Joe Castaldo. According to David Wood, Director of Purchasing and Manufacturing Services for Vectron International "ISO certifications are becoming a selective process for companies choosing suppliers, the first step is to select a vendor who has both certifications, then examine other criteria". Ultimately, this may prove beneficial to those organizations that have integrated a system to manage their business to include financial, quality and environmental issues on a single plane.

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