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Introduction Since January 1993, the International Standards Organization (ISO) has been working to develop international standards on environmental management. Significant portions of these standards, known as the ISO 14000 series, are about to be released as final standards and will be formally adopted in the United States by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). According to W. M. von Zharen, author of ISO 14000 Understanding the Environmental Standards, the international effort is designed to "provide a systematic approach to continual improvement of an environmental management system." As the standards begin to reach the final stages of development, environmental managers must be aware of their scope and assess the potential impact of ISO 14000 on their operations. The ISO 14000 series of standards are VOLUNTARY international environmental management standards developed through the ISO's Technical Committee (TC) 207. These standards:
According to a recent article, ("Environmental Management, ISO 14000 Offer Multiple Rewards," Pollution Engineering Magazine, June 1996) 60 percent of the people polled agreed there should be an international set of environmental management standards. However, 63 percent of people in the same poll were not aware that international management standards are already under development. This fact sheet provides an overview of the ISO, the standards setting procedure, and the scope of ISO 14000.
What is the ISO? ISO is a non-governmental, international standards body located in Geneva with members from over one hundred nations. ISO promotes standardization and related activities in order to facilitate international exchange of goods and services. ISO has promulgated internationally accepted standards for everything from film speeds to quality assurance (ISO 9000). The United States is a full voting member of the ISO and is officially represented by ANSI.
How does the ISO develop standards? The development of an ISO standard is a complex process involving all ISO members interested in participating in the standard development. The standards setting procedure occurs in five steps: Step One - The Proposal: When a potential need for an international standard has been recognized, an ISO technical committee (TC) is formed. All member countries of the TC review the proposal and vote on whether to develop a standard. In the case of ISO 14000, the need was identified primarily as a result of the Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations and the 1992 Earth Summit of the United National Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. TC 207 was formed in January 1993 and voted to develop the ISO 14000 series of standards. Step Two - The First Draft: If the proposal is accepted for development, a working group facilitator is appointed and the TC forms its work structure including subcommittees (SC) and working groups (WG). Experts are designated to work on developing draft documents. After a review and revision process, the draft documents are accepted as "committee drafts" (CD). TC 207 established six subcommittees and one working group to develop the ISO 14000 series of standards. Step Three - Draft International Standard (DIS): The CD is registered and the document is circulated within the TC for further review, comment, and revision. Upon reaching a consensus within the committee, the "Final" draft is accepted by the TC as a draft international standard (DIS). Five ISO 14000 standards have been released as draft international standards. Step Four - Approval: The DIS is coordinated with all member bodies for voting and comment. If a two-thirds majority of the participating members of the TC vote approving the DIS and not more than one-quarter of full ISO member body vote negatively, it becomes an international standard. Several ISO series 14000 standards are expected to be approved by the ISO in the near future. Step Five - Publication: Once the DIS is approved, a final version is submitted for publication. Every five years the responsible TC/SC reviews the standard and decides if it needs reconfirmation, revision, or withdrawal.
What is the Scope of ISO 14000? According to von Zharen, the six subcommittees established by TC 207, one for each environmental management focus area, and one working group are developing "management standards that would allow an organization to check whether it has systems in place to prevent or detect environmental violations. The areas include:
The two key areas most likely to affect Air Force operations are Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Auditing and Related Environmental Investigations.
Which standards are expected to become final in the near future? Five of the numbered ISO standards listed in Table 1 have reached the DIS stage and are expected to be finalized by the end of 1996. They are ISO 14001, 14004, 14010, 14011, and 14012. ISO 14001 is a specification standard outlining the minimum requirements that must be adopted for an entity to be considered in compliance with the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards. ISO 14004 is a guidance document that provides advice on how to implement the specifications in ISO 14001. ISO 14010, 14011, and 14012 are guidance documents on auditing procedures. The ISO intends to recognize corporations and entities who have successfully incorporated the ISO 14000 series of standards into their environmental management system. The resulting registration or certification will be granted if it is demonstrated that the entity is complying with the minimum requirements of an environmental management system as specified in ISO 14001, EMS-Specification with Guidance for Use. ISO 14001 is the only specification document and thus the only document against which award of registration or certification can be measured. The core elements of ISO 14001 are:
ISO 14004, EMS-General Guidelines on Principles, Systems, and Supporting Techniques is a guidance document. The document is organized around five principles. Each principle mirrors the specification requirements found in the core elements of ISO 14001. The five principles in ISO 14004 provide guidance on how to establish a program to meet the requirements of the core elements in ISO 14001. The principles are: Principle 1: An organization should define its environmental policy and ensure commitment to its EMS. Principle 2: An organization should formulate a plan to fulfill its environmental policy. Principle 3: For effective implementation, an organization should develop the capabilities and support mechanisms necessary to achieve its environmental policy objectives. Principle 4: An organization should measure, monitor, and evaluate its environmental performance. Principle 5: An organization should review and continually improve its EMS with the objective of improving its overall environmental performance. ISO 14010, 14011, and 14012 are a series of auditing guidance documents. Together, the documents provide guidelines on how to audit programs for compliance with ISO 14001 while ensuring the audits are independent, objective, and accurate. ISO 14010, Guidelines for Environmental Auditing (GEA) -General Principles lists the general principles of auditing to include basic auditor qualifications, general procedures, confidentiality, audit scope and client relationship, and the general contents of the audit report. ISO 14011, GEA: Audit Procedures-Auditing of EMS is a guidance document that provides procedures to audit an environmental management system. The document specifies responsibilities of the lead auditor, auditing team, and client. It establishes a recommended audit process that includes scope, resources, pre-site visit, reporting, documentation, and record retention. The guidance document also provides samples of typical audit objectives. Finally, ISO 14012, GEA-Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors, provides guidance on the qualification criteria for auditors. The document applies to both internal and external, third party auditors. Criteria for auditors are specified including education level, work experience, auditor training, and general auditor attributes such as communication skills, knowledge, and leadership qualities.
How will ISO 14000 Certification/Registration be recognized in the US? Although there are many ISO 14000 standards being developed, registration only applies to ISO 14001. If an organization implements ISO 14000 and wants to receive recognition for their EMS, they can seek registration. This recognition can be awarded by a third party auditor. There are many reasons for being ISO 14000 registered including demonstrating commitment to environmental protection; reducing regulatory oversight and fines; and realizing cost savings in prevention, production and disposal. Currently, nations around the world are putting into place the necessary mechanisms for ISO 14000 third party certification/registration. One of the first steps towards establishing a registration program is the accreditation of registrars and certification of auditors. European nations have moved first in this arena. The United Kingdom is the first nation to accredit auditors. In the United States, ANSI and the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) announced in October 1995 that they will not pursue a joint program for accreditation of ISO 14000 registrars as they had for ISO 9000, Quality Management. Instead, as the official United States member body to the ISO, ANSI announced that it will establish a national program to accredit ISO 14000 registrars, auditor certifiers, and training course providers. The RAB will continue to be responsible for administering the existing joint RAB/ANSI ISO 9000 program, the American National Accreditation Program for Registrars of Quality Systems. According to ANSI, registrars already accredited to the ANSI/RAB ISO 9000 program will only be required to demonstrate compliance with any additional requirements that apply specifically to EMS activities to be accredited under ISO 14000.
How will ISO 14000 Certification/Registration assessment be performed? The assessment will most likely be a formal and independent examination of your environmental management system to determine whether environmental activities are implemented according to the specifications in ISO 14001. The results of this assessment will determine whether registration will be granted. The on-site assessment will probably take five days involving a team of two or more auditors. A typical audit will begin with an opening meeting between the audit team and the installation. A summary of the scope of the assessment and procedures to be followed will be discussed. During the audit, qualified auditors will interview employees, review records and conduct an overall assessment of the installation's environmental management system and procedures. The audit team will conclude the assessment with a closing meeting and summary of the audit results. If any deficiencies are noted, the installation will be given an opportunity to correct them. When the environmental management system is found satisfactory and there are no outstanding deficiencies, an approved auditor will grant an EMS Certificate. Periodically, an announced follow-up assessment will be conducted to verify continued compliance with the ISO 14001 specifications. Once the environmental management system is registered, these audits will keep the registration valid.
What is the potential impact of ISO 14000 on the Air Force? According to Major Bill Kontess, HQ USAF/CEV, the DoD is currently evaluating all Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), including ISO 14000. They are particularly concerned about applying EMSs to the acquisition process. The DoD is also co-directing a NATO pilot study on the applicability of EMSs in the military sector. The Air Force is chairing the subgroup of the NATO pilot study evaluating experiences, expectations, and case studies among participating countries. HQ USAF/CEV is actively exploring policies required to implement an Air Force-wide EMS. These policies will link the various component programs, including the Environmental Compliance Assessment and Management Program (ECAMP), Compliance Tracking, and Education and Training.
Conclusion ISO 14000 takes a total quality management approach to environmental protection. The environmental management standards specify a constant cycle of reviewing performance, identifying problems or opportunities, making changes, reporting results and starting again. ISO 14000 series standards do not establish numerical standards. Instead, ISO 14000 is a series of voluntary standards and guideline reference documents which include environmental management systems, eco-labeling, environmental auditing, life cycle assessment, environmental performance evaluation, and environmental aspects in product standards. The standards are designed to help an organization establish and meet its own policy goals. The Environmental Management Systems specification document calls for environmental policies which include a commitment to both compliance with environmental laws and pollution prevention. Implementation of a USAF-wide environmental management system is currently being evaluated. Whether ISO 14000 is the chosen method remains to be seen. PRO-ACT will provide updates on the status of the USAF EMS as they occur.
Points of Contact Mr. Scott Newquist, Environmental Quality Directorate, HQ AFCEE/EQP, DSN 240-3517. Lt. Col. Richard Stonestreet, HQ USAF/ILEVQ, DSN 327-0193
References
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