Despite being a recent standardization in the world (July 1995), ISO 14000: ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATION, has become one of the most important due to the impulse given by the European countries led by Great Britain and the Asians at the head of Japan
Large companies such as Sony, Toyota and Canon in Japan have adopted the ISO 14000 standard, as they have realized its importance when marketing their products in the European Union. It is that the environmental aspect is becoming more relevant every day and the race so that companies do not harm nature is becoming more and more dizzying. This race has always been led by Europe and Canada, while the United States, the world's superpower and perhaps the most industrialized country in the world, has not been as concerned about the environment as its northern neighbors and their neighbors have. ancient colonizers.
The organization that has tried the most so that the world's industries stop attacking nature and establish voluntary environmental control programs is the World Trade Organization (WTO), which since 1995 has promoted the plenary sessions of TC 207, the technical group responsible for global ISO 14000 series.
Legislative framework
It is not enough for an organization to individually undertake a series of environmental audits or reviews, to investigate how it is performing in this field, if they are not done within an organized system and included within the global administration of the company., this effort must be accompanied by an external verification that will be carried out by a competent entity such as the General Directorate of Standards in Mexico, the National Institute of Standardization in Chile, the Colombian Institute of Technical Standards in Colombia or the regional body internationally endorsed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which operates in a certain country.
Each of the entities mentioned, as well as all those attached to ISO, have 6 subcommittees specialized in the creation, updating, dissemination and implementation of ISO 14000, which, through the great acceptance of ISO 9000, has achieved that something similar be done worldwide for its implementation.
Some of the benefits generated by receiving ISO 14000 certification are:
- Increased productivity Increased consumer satisfaction Human resource motivation Reduced environmental costs Increased competitive advantage
The safeguarding committees
The first subcommittee deals with the aspects of the Administration of Environmental Management Systems and its assignment focuses on the ISO 14001 standard, which is the only certifiable standard in the 14000 series, which involves a process by which the requirements of the Environmental Administration Systems (SAA). This process is made up of the following stages:
- Planning: directed to the environmental policy of the firm, the legal aspect, the objectives, strategies and programs. Implementation: has to do with training and organizational education on the environmental issue, its dissemination and documentation Verification: measures, corrects, records and audits the progress of the implementation Review: is carried out continuously once the standard has been implemented, also includes updating the standard
In addition to being in charge of the SAS process, the first subcommittee is responsible for the 14002 series, which refers especially to SMEs, and the 14004 as a guide to support the SAS.
The second subcommittee is in charge of the environmental audit, ISO 14010, 11, 13, 14 and 15, it is one of the most critical due to the legal implications that it entails for companies that do not pass it, since it can result in the sanction of the competent state entity.
Subcommittee three is in charge of environmental seals, ISO 14020, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, which is subject to consumer satisfaction and their purchase decision process.
Subcommittee four is in charge of evaluating environmental performance, for which it uses a series of indicators, ISO 1031.
Subcommittee five evaluates the life cycle of products and services from the perspective of environmental impact, studies the process from the procurement of raw materials to their disposal, through production and use.
The sixth clarifies the terms and definitions of the standard.
The perspectives
It is expected that during this decade, ISO 14000 will reach application levels similar to those of ISO 9000 on quality management, especially in countries with emerging economies such as Southeast Asia and Latin America, which are also the largest members (in ISO number). From this step, the two standards will be unified, creating a new world series that will seek environmental quality.
Bibliography
Business Class Magazine, October 1997, pp. 82-86
