Environmental management standard
An environmental management standard is a general guide with the help of which organizations (companies, authorities, etc.) can operate systematic environmental management or set up a structured environmental management system.
background
Based on international agreements, the Technical Committee "Environmental Management" (ISO / TC 207), a body of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), determines the need for standardization in the area of environmental management and translates it into standards .
A whole series of environmental management standards, the so-called ISO 14000 standards, have now been developed. Like all other ISO standards, the ISO 14000 standards are reviewed and updated if necessary within five years of their publication.
Examples of environmental management standards
-
ISO 14001 : Environmental Management Systems - Requirements with guidance for use
- It is the best-known environmental management standard and was published for the first time in 1996 and on November 15, 2004 in an updated version by the ISO. It is one of the few standards in this series on the basis of which certification by an independent environmental verifier is possible. Most of the standards in the 14000 family are guides of advice; In other words, they should provide assistance in setting up and maintaining environmental management or the environmental management system without stipulating requirements.
- ISO 14004: Environmental Management Systems - General Guide on Principles, Systems and Support Tools
- An updated version of this standard was published by ISO at the end of 2004.
- ISO 14015: Environmental management - environmental assessment of locations and organizations
- ISO 14020: Environmental labels and declarations - General principles
- ISO 14031: Environmental management - Environmental performance assessment - Guidelines
- ISO 14040: Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles and general requirements
- ISO 14051: Environmental management - Material flow cost accounting - General framework conditions
- ISO 14064: Environmental management - Measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions
Classification of environmental management standards
The standards of the 14000 series can be divided into two categories:
- organization-oriented norms
- product-oriented standards
Table 1: Examples of organizational and product-oriented standards
| standard | applies to / refers to | organization-oriented | product-oriented |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 14001 | Environmental management system | Yes | No |
| ISO 14004 | Environmental management system | Yes | No |
| ISO 14010 (a) | Environmental audit | Yes | No |
| ISO 14020 | Environmental labels / declarations | No | Yes |
| ISO 14031 | Environmental performance assessment | Yes | No |
| ISO 14040 | Life cycle assessment | No | Yes |
| ISO 14051 | Material flow cost accounting | No | Yes |
| ISO 14064 (b) | Environmental management system | Yes | No |
(a) replaced by ISO 19011 (guidelines for audits of quality management and / or environmental management systems)
(b) This standard is still in the draft stage (as of February 2005). It covers the measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions.
Since integrated management systems , i.e. management systems that at least cover environmental and quality requirements together, have now been set up in many organizations , some guidelines of the 14000 family have been replaced by ISO 19011.
literature
- René Gastl: Continuous improvement in environmental management. The CIP requirement of ISO 14001 in theory and business practice . vdf-Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-7281-3034-6 . cmrg.ch
- René Gastl: For the good of the environment and organization. Guide for the practical implementation of ISO 14001 . Quality and Reliability 48 (6), 2003, pp. 608-609, ISSN 0720-1214
- René Gastl: CIP demand for standardized environmental management systems in practice: Unbridled drive into the green or a break for the ecological dead end? . UWF Umweltwirtschaftsforum 1/06, 2006, pp. 41–45, ISSN 0943-3481
- Stephan Volkwein: Methodical accounting. New environmental management standards close the gap. Quality and Reliability, 44 (12), 1999, pp. 1511-1515, ISSN 0720-1214
- Anonymous: ISO 14001 lifted: Eliminate conceptual and systematic fuzziness. In: UmweltMagazin , 34 (12), 2004, pp. 30-31, ISSN 0173-363X