Using iso 14000

Robinson is president and portfolio manager of Winslow Management Company, a Boston-based investment management firm specializing in green investing. He is on the board of directors of Spartech Corporation.

This article was first published in the April issue of the Winslow Environmental Newsletter. Show comments for this story. View the discussion thread. More on this topic. Share this article Twitter Facebook Linkedin. Emily Rabin. More by This Author. Remake a Living: Defining the Environmental Workforce.

Why Buy Renewables? Street Smarts. Management system standards Providing a model to follow when setting up and operating a management system, find out more about how MSS work and where they can be applied. ISO Environmental management systems. What you need to know about ISO What does it do and who is it for? What do the standards in the ISO family cover? With different organizational approaches to environmental management, comparisons of systems and collaboration had proved difficult.

History of ISO Cart Total: Checkout. ISO includes standards that cover aspects of management practices inside facilities, in the immediate environment around the facilities, and during the life cycle of the actual product. This includes understanding the impact of the raw materials used to create the product as well as the impact of its eventual disposal. A company's adoption of ISO standards does not guarantee that it meets all local environmental regulations.

However, the U. Environmental Protection Agency participated in the development of these international guidelines. Here are the key standards included in ISO ISO certification can be achieved by having an accredited auditor verify that all the requirements are met. Obtaining certification is a process that can take several years.

Safety Culture, a management consulting company, suggests companies conduct an internal audit to evaluate their compliance before undergoing the formal accreditation process. Obtaining ISO certification can be considered a sign of a commitment to the environment, which can be used as a marketing tool for companies. It may also help companies meet environmental regulations that are imposed by governments in which they do business. ISO certification can open the doors to new business. Some companies prefer to use suppliers that are ISO —certified suppliers.

Their customers may also pay more for products that are environmentally friendly. On the cost side, meeting the ISO standards can help reduce costs, as it stresses the efficient use of resources, limiting waste, recycling, and even finding new uses for previously disposed of byproducts.

Following the guidelines in ISO does not guarantee that an organization is meeting all of the regulations that may be imposed by the government under whose jurisdiction it operates. In the U. It includes information about environmental management systems in general, and ISO in particular, on its website.

The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, is an international non-governmental body made up of representatives from nations. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, its purpose is to develop and propose business practices and standards that are beneficial to business in all nations, particularly given the increasing globalization of economic activity.

The organization's interests include quality management, environmental impact management, health and safety, energy management, food safety, and information technology security. ISO is an environmental management system.