THE STANDARD – ISO 14001:2004

ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard is consistent with the concept of sustainable development. It is compatible with diverse cultural, social and organizational frameworks and systems of management.

This standard can be used by organizations of all types, sizes and levels of maturity, and in all sectors and geographic locations. Accordingly, this standard can be used by manufacturing unit as well as by service organization. This standard accommodates the special needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

If we look to the contents of ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard, we find that the standard is focused on clarification of the earlier version (ISO 14001:1996) and has taken due consideration of the provisions of ISO 9001:2000 QMS Standard to enhance compatibility of these two standards for the benefit of the user community.



ISO/TC 207 is the technical committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) responsible for developing the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards and guidance documents. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee ISO/TC 207 has established various international standards.

ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard contains requirements of an environmental management system. Requirements given in this standard may be objectively audited for certification / registration purposes or for self-declaration purposes. ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard includes examples, descriptions and options that aid both in the implementation of an environmental management system and in strengthening its relation to the overall management of an organization.

In the introduction part of the ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard, a note on the application of PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) methodology has been added to make continual improvement in environmental performance more clear. On looking to the EMS model in ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard, we find that the intent of the EMS model of earlier version – ISO 14001:1996 – has been retained.

ISO/TC 207

SUBCOMMITTEES (SC), WORKING GROUPS (WG) AND TERMINOLOGY COORDINATION GROUPS (TCG)

Following subcommittees, working groups and terminology coordination groups of ISO/TC 207 are producing standards and guidance documents in the area mentioned below:

ISO/TC 207 – SC1 – Environmental Management Systems
ISO/TC 207 – SC2 – Environmental Auditing and related investigations
ISO/TC 207 – SC3 – Environmental Labelling
ISO/TC 207 – SC4 – Environmental Performance Evaluations
ISO/TC 207 – SC5 – Life Cycle Assessment
ISO/TC 207 – TCG – Terms and definitions
ISO/TC 207 – WG4 – Environmental Communications
ISO/TC 207 – WG5 – Climate Change

BASIS AND PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE ISO 14000 SERIES STANDARDS

The ISO 14000 series Standards are developed with the following objectives:
• They must result in better environmental management.
• They must be applicable in all nations.
• They should promote the broad interests of the public and the users of the standards.
• They should be cost effective, non-prescriptive, and flexible, to allow them to meet the differing needs of organizations of any size worldwide.
• As part of their flexibility, they should be suitable for internal or external verification.
• They should be scientifically based.
• And above all, they should be practical, useful and useable.


ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard is based upon the following principles:

Principle 1 – Commitment and policy: An organization should define its environmental policy and ensure commitment to its environmental management system.

Principle 2 – Planning: An organization should formulate a plan to fulfill its environmental policy.

Principle 3 – Implementation: For effective implementation, an organization should develop the capabilities and support mechanisms necessary to achieve its environmental policy, objectives and targets.

Principle 4 – Measurement and evaluation: An organization should check (monitor, measure and evaluate) its environmental performance.

Principle 5 – Review and improvement: An organization should review and continually improve its environmental management system, with the objective of improving its overall environmental performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

There is growing concern all over the world for improving the quality of environment. More and more attention has been given in recent years to what is called ‘environmental quality’. Organizations are increasingly turning their attention to environmental impacts of their activities, products and services. These organizations are of all types and sizes. There is importance of the environmental performance of an organization to internal and external parties. There is a need of organizational commitment to a systematic approach and to continual improvement of an environmental management system (EMS) to achieve sound environmental performance. An environmental management system (EMS) is part of an organization’s overall management system. It is a systematic approach dealing with the environmental aspects of an organization. Environmental management system (EMS) is a tool, which enables an organization to control the impact of its activities, product and / or services on the natural environment. Environmental management system (EMS) provides a framework to help organizations to identify those aspects of their business that have a significant impact on the environment.

ISO 14001:2004 is an international standard that provides assistance to organizations that wish to implement or improve an environmental management system (EMS) and thereby improve their environmental performance. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published this international standard.

ORIGIN OF ISO 14001

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) had already established standards for the quality of air, water, and soil. During the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Business Council for Sustainable Development suggested that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) should develop international standards for environmental performance based on the concept of sustainable development. In 1993, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) formed the technical committee 207 on environmental management to develop international standards for environmental management. Accordingly, ISO 14001 “Environmental Management Systems – Specification with guidance for use” was first published in 1996 and revised in 2004 and then published under the title “Environmental Management Systems – Requirements with guidance for use”.

ISO – INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION

‘ISO’ is ‘International Organization for Standardization’. It is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, comprising 163 members (as on 31 August 2010), one each country. The object of the ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. The results of ISO technical work are published as INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO has developed over 18,000 International Standard on a variety of subjects and some 1100 new ISO standards are published every year.

OBTAINING COPY OF THE STANDARD

Copy of ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard and other ISO 14000 family Standards can be obtained from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, Switzerland. The Address of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is as under:

International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
ISO Central Secretariat,
1, rue de Varembe, Case postale 56,
CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Email: sales@iso.org

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS – a national standards body of India) has also published Indian Standard IS/ISO 14001:2004 and other ISO 14000 family Standards as Indian Standards. The address of the Bureau of Indian Standards is as under:

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
Manak Bhavan, 9, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,
New Delhi – 110002, India.

It is suggested to have a copy of ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard from the ISO, Geneva (Switzerland) or IS/ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard from the sales counter of Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.


THE ISO 14000 SERIES

ISO 14000 is a series of international, voluntary environmental management standards. Developed under ISO Technical Committee 207, the ISO 14000 series of standards address the following aspects of environmental management:
• Environmental management systems (EMS)
• Environmental auditing and related investigations (EA&RI)
• Environmental labels and declaration (EL)
• Environmental performance evaluation (EPE)
• Life cycle assessment (LCA), and
• Terms and definitions (T&D)

A set of international standards ISO 14000 series – published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – provides a focus to the environment. These standards encourage a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for us all. With the implementation of these standards, organizations may focus on environmental efforts against internationally accepted norms. The ISO series of standards effectively address the needs of organizations worldwide by providing a common framework for managing environmental issues, they promise to effect a broadly based improvement in environmental management, which in turn can facilitate trade and improve environmental performance worldwide.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published a document “Environmental Management – The ISO 14000 family of International Standards”. This document can be downloaded from the ISO website or obtained from the central secretariat of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The ISO 14000 series of standards contains following standards –

• ISO 14001:2004 – Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• ISO 14004:2004 – Environmental management systems – General guidelines on principles, systems and support techniques
• ISO/DIS 14005 – Environmental management systems – Guidelines for the phased implementation of an environmental management system, including the use of environmental performance evaluation
• ISO/DIS 14006 – Environmental management systems – Guidelines for incorporating eco-design
• ISO 14015:2001 – Environmental management – Environmental assessment of sites and organizations (EASO)
• ISO 14020:2000 – Environmental labels and declarations – General principles
• ISO 14021:1999 – Environmental labels and declarations – Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labeling)
• ISO 14024:1999 – Environmental labels and declarations – Type I environmental labeling – Principles and procedures
• ISO 14025:2006 - Environmental labels and declarations – Type II environmental declarations – Principles and procedures
• ISO 14031: 1999 – Environmental management – Environmental performance evaluation – Guidelines
• ISO/AWI 14033 – Environmental management – Quantitative environmental information – Guidelines and examples
• ISO 14040:2006 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework
• ISO 14044:2006 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines
• ISO/WD 14045 – Eco-efficiency assessment – Principles and requirements
• ISO/TR 14047:2003 – Environmental management – Life cycle impact assessment – Example of application of ISO 14042
• ISO/TS 14048:2002 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Data documentation format
• ISOP/TR 14049:2000 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Examples of application of ISO 14041 to goal and scope definition and inventory analysis
• ISO 14050: 2009 – Environmental management – Vocabulary
• ISO/DIS 14051 – Environmental management – Material flow cost accounting – General framework
• ISO/TR 14062:2002 – Environmental management – Integrating environmental aspect
• ISO 14063:2006 – Environmental management – Environmental communications – Guidelines and examples
• ISO 14064 – 1:2006 – Greenhouse gases – Part 1: Specifications with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals
• ISO 14064 – 2:2006 – Greenhouse gases – Part 2: Specifications with guidance at the project level for quantification , monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission reductions or removal enhancements
• ISO 14064 – 3:2006 – Greenhouse gases – Part 3: Specifications with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions
• ISO 14065:2007 – Greenhouse gases – Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation and other forms of recognition
• ISO/CD 14066 – Greenhouse gases – Competency requirements for greenhouse gas validators and verifiers document
• ISO/WD 14067 – 1 – Carbon footprint of products – Part 1 - Quantification
• ISO/WD 14067 – 2 – Carbon footprint of products – Part II - Communication
• ISO/AWI 14069 – GHG – Quantification and reporting of GHG emissions for organizations (Carbon footprint of organizations) – Guidance for application of ISO 14064 - 1
• ISO 19011:2002 – Guidelines for quality and / or environmental management systems auditing
• ISO Guide 64:2008 – Guide for addressing environmental issues in product standards
(Source – ISO Website)

PROFIT FROM ISO 14001 EMS

K. R. Singhal

When I was addressing participants in a training programme on “ISO 14001:2004 EMS Awareness” and saying, “Comply with ISO 14001 EMS requirements and profit from the compliance”, one participant raised a question, “How EMS can save money?”

My answer is simple. A good EMS can save money:
· By not generating pollutants, otherwise the organization has to incur cost on disposal of pollutants
· By converting wastes into saleable goods
· By economizing on raw materials

The recovery and recycling of waste materials (examples – Metal Shavings, wood scrap, and paper wastes) is an obvious way to recover some money.
To save money, the organization must identify all process inputs and outputs, including energy and waste products, to force material and energy waste to become visible. The organization should use lean manufacturing techniques (example – Design for manufacturing) that can help reduce or eliminate material waste, including recyclable materials, pollutants. Here, it is important that disposal of pollutants adds to the cost of production to the organization. Implementing ISO 14001 EMS helps in reducing the cost of production.

HOW TO HANDLE WASTE

K. R. Singhal

In business waste means cost. Handling waste in a proactive manner means saving money. Disposal of waste in a useful way can have a positive impact on the environment and it can also save organization’s money. Organization implementing ISO 14001:2004 EMS and / or OHSAS 18001 recognizes high standards of health and safety that can contribute to the success of the organization by preserving and developing human and physical resources and by reducing necessary costs and liabilities.

When I was addressing participants in a training programme and discussing requirements of ISO 14001:2004 EMS Standard with regard to Emergency Preparedness and Response, one participant raised his point with regard to post accident fire fighting and asked, “How to dispose of burnt waste?” His question was specific to burnt waste, but I deal here with a broader question and a vital question – “How to handle waste?”

For handling waste, most organizations are unaware of waste management practices। The objective of this paper is to create awareness about waste management. Waste management practices may differ in organizations (due to size and type), for urban and rural areas, and for residential and industrial, producers. Management for non-hazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while management for non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator.

By having a waste management procedure, an organization can attach a great importance to the health and safety of its employees, members of public and others who use the premises of the organization or may be affected by the activities of the organization। Organization implementing ISO 14001:2004 EMS and / or OHSAS 18001 recognizes high standards of health and safety that can contribute to the success of the organization by preserving and developing human and physical resources and by reducing necessary costs and liabilities. It must be a policy of the organization to establish and maintain as far as its reasonably practicable, non-hazardous working conditions for all aspects of health and safety at work including the commitment to allocate appropriate resources.

The organization should have a “Waste Management Procedure” for the safe handling, disposal and recycling of waste.Waste management procedure includes collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste management is also carried out to recover resources from it. Waste management can involve solid, liquid, gaseous or radioactive substances, with different methods and fields of expertise for each.

All waste produced and / or developed within the organization by staff or visitors or contractors should be handled and disposed of completely in accordance with the set procedure. The procedure should be applicable to staff as well as contractors working for and on behalf of the organization.

While preparing a waste management procedure, we should keep in mind the following aspects in general:
Handling and disposal of waste must not cause any harm to the environment,
Handling and disposal of waste must not violet any legal requirements. The disposal should be accordance to the statutory and legal requirements. The procedure should address to the statutory and legal requirements.
If recycling of waste is possible, we should incorporate procedure to handle such waste.

The waste management procedure should deal with the following aspects:
Handling of waste,
Disposal of waste, and
Recycling of waste, where possible.

Types of waste

While dealing with the procedure, greater emphasis should be given to the type of the waste. Waste can be of different types, such as,
General household waste
Clinical waste
Contaminated waste
Sharp waste
Pharmaceutical waste
X-ray films
Confidential waste
Cardboard waste
Catering waste
Building and engineering waste
Fluorescent tubes and high pressure mercury lamps
Electrical equipments
Batteries and toners
Furniture and equipments
Computer equipments
Refrigerators
Asbestos
Scrap metal
Waste to drains
Chemical waste

The above list is indicative. There may be other types of waste.

Waste Management Representative

One personnel in the organization should be given specific responsibility and authority with regard to waste management. In the waste management procedure, responsibilities of personnel dealing with waste should be defined. There should be nominated personnel, who should have responsibilities including the following:
To be aware of statutory and legal requirements (legislations and regulations) with regard to storage, handling, transportation and disposal of waste
To keep under review and propose improvements to waste handling and disposal procedure
To devise, maintain and implement, in consultation with staff, operational procedures and organizational arrangements
To monitor methods of handling and disposing of waste
To promote awareness among concerned people by using effective communication methods
To identify training programmes for waste management and taking actions to organize such programmes
To develop guidelines for waste management procedures
To review guidelines for waste management procedures
To report matter of importance to the top management

Waste Management Methods

Waste management methods vary widely between organizations for many reasons, including type of waste material, nearby land uses, and the area available.

Some of the waste disposal methods include:
Landfill
Incineration
Recycling methods
Physical reprocessing
Biological reprocessing
Energy recovery
Avoidance and reduction methods

Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying waste to dispose of it, and this remains a common practice. A properly-designed and well-managed landfill can be a hygienic and relatively inexpensive method of disposing of waste materials. Older, poorly-designed or poorly-managed landfills can create a number of adverse environmental impacts. Another common byproduct of landfills is gas (mostly composed of methane and carbon dioxide). This gas can create odor problems, kill surface vegetation, and is a greenhouse gas. Many landfills also have landfill gas extraction systems installed to extract the landfill gas. Gas is pumped out of the landfill using perforated pipes and flared off or burnt in a gas engine to generate electricity.
Incineration is a disposal method that involves combustion of waste material. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are sometimes described as "thermal treatment". Incinerators convert waste materials into heat, gas, steam, and ash. Incineration is carried out both on a small scale by individuals and on a large scale by industry. It is used to dispose of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. It is recognized as a practical method of disposing of certain hazardous waste materials (such as biological medical waste). Incineration is a controversial method of waste disposal, due to issues such as emission of gaseous pollutants. Incineration is common in countries such as Japan where land is scarce.
The process of extracting resources or value from waste is generally referred to as recycling, meaning to recover or reuse the material. There are a number of different methods by which waste material can be recycled: the raw materials may be extracted and reprocessed, or the calorific content of the waste may be converted to electricity. New methods of recycling are being developed continuously.
The popular meaning of ‘recycling’ refers to the widespread collection and reuse of everyday waste materials such as empty beverage containers. These are collected and sorted into common types so that the raw materials from which the items are made can be reprocessed into new products. Material for recycling may be collected separately from general waste using dedicated bins and collection vehicles, or sorted directly from mixed waste streams.
Waste materials that are organic in nature, such as plant material, food scraps, and paper products, can be recycled using biological composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. The resulting organic material can be recycled as mulch or compost for agricultural or landscaping purposes. In addition, waste gas from the process (such as methane) can be captured and used for generating electricity. The intention of biological processing in waste management is to control and accelerate the natural process of decomposition of organic matter.
The energy content of waste products can be harnessed directly by using them as a direct combustion fuel, or indirectly by processing them into another type of fuel.
An important method of waste management is the prevention of waste material being created, also known as waste reduction. Methods of avoidance include reuse of second-hand products, repairing broken items instead of buying new, designing products to be refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of plastic shopping bags), encouraging consumers to avoid using disposable products (such as disposable cutlery), and designing products that use less material to achieve the same purpose.
Training and Awareness
Education, training and awareness in the area of waste and waste management are increasingly important from a global perspective of resource management. The organization should take steps to create awareness in this area. All staff connected with segregation, collection, storage and disposal of waste must be trained to be aware of and capable of performing the following:
· Safe and careful handling of waste
· Understand and carry out waste management procedures
· Implementation of appropriate health and safety policies and incident reporting methods
· Record maintenance

Conclusion
Each organization should have a “Waste Management Procedure” for the safe handling, disposal and recycling of waste.Waste management procedure includes collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials. The organization should take all suitable steps for the effective waste management and its continual improvement. Today we can not afford to ignore the environmental aspects of business. In business, waste means cost. Saving energy means saving money. Handling waste in a proactive manner means saving money. Disposal of waste in a useful way can have a positive impact on the environment and it can also save organization money. Waste management and energy savings starts with the application of ISO 14001:2004 EMS. Implementing ISO 14001:2004 EMS can expand organization’s business and market opportunities, increase profits and ensure compliance with environment legislations. By implementing OHSAS 18001 the organization recognizes high standards of health and safety that can contribute to the success of the organization by preserving and developing human and physical resources and by reducing necessary costs and liabilities and handling waste bin an effective manner can contribute to a great extent in that way.

Courtesy: Various magazines, books, articles on the subject।