What are the ISO 14000 Standards?

Wednesday January 28th, 2004

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Summary: The ISO 14000 Standards are a set of environmental standards designed by the International Organization for Standardization to assure that businesses are environmentally responsible. Implementing ISO 14000 Standards will more than likely benefit your business financially, and will help you assure that you are compliant with government environmental regulations.

What are the ISO 14000 Standards? Do they have any benefits for my business? How can I use them to gain a 'competitive edge?'

The ISO 14000 Standards were created to help meet the objective of “sustainable development” outlined at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. The ISO 14000 Standards include guidelines for waste disposal, use of natural resources, pollution control and environmental responsibility. The ISO 14000 Standards also include sets of tests and measures that help organizations and businesses measure the impact they are having on the environment. The tests and measures established by ISO 14000 Standards are also used by many governments in drafting environmental policy and keeping a watchful eye on companies that may be exploiting natural resources or polluting heavily.

The ISO 14000 Standards, however, are not just an arbitrary set of guidelines developed by a mysterious international organization. In fact, the standards were developed with the help of environmentally-concerned businesspersons the world over, and are continually evolving with the help of such businesspersons, industry experts and environmental experts. The International Organization for Standardization encourages all parties interested in crafting ISO 14000 Standards to contact them with input, suggestions and advice.

Why do business persons implement ISO 14000 Standards? Many business persons are simply concerned about the environment, and are interested in implementing a standards system that helps them control waste, pollution and resource use. Following the ISO 14000 Standards will help to ensure that your business meets governmental environment and pollution requirements, and will save you money, time and effort because they help you avoid costly penalties for violating governmental regulations and restrictions.

ISO 14000 Standards are also important to many businesses because they help to lay down guidelines for management of natural resources. For Example: If you own a business that relies heavily on timber for the output of goods or services, ISO 14000 Standards may help you develop strategies for how you will acquire timber, how you can assure that a continual supply of timber is available, and how you can help assure that timber supplies and forests and are not entirely depleted. ISO 14000 Standards let you focus both on making your business efficient, profitable and productive and on being a responsible business person showing concern for the environment and natural resources.

As the owner of a mid-sized business, you may be asking yourself how you can use the ISO 14000 Standards to gain a competitive edge in your industry. Aside from signaling that you are an environmentally-concerned businessperson going above and beyond governmental regulations, the ISO 14000 Standards can also help you save money and increase productivity. By implementing efficient waste management systems concentrated on conservation, you will be able to save on waste disposal and reinvest the money you would have spent in getting rid of your garbage on expanding your business. Putting ISO 14000 Standards in place to assist you in managing natural resources can also assure that you will always have the supplies you need for your product-and that your impact on the environment will not be harmful.

In addition, business owners know all about the importance of image-people will come to your business because of things they have heard about it; in the same respect, people might stop patronizing your business if they hear unfavorable reports. Meeting ISO 14000 Standards and having an outside agency audit and certify that you meet them can help boost your image for both consumers and others in the business world. In today's environmentally conscious world, having a positive report on your environmental impact is a sure way to attract new customers and retain old ones. It is more than likely that many of your competitors will not have implemented ISO 14000 Standards, so they offer you a relatively effective, easy and resource responsible way to gain that 'competitive edge' over your competition.

The International Organization for Standardization publishes information on ISO 14000 Standards and their implementation. You may request a copy by contacting your member body of the ISO, or by contacting the General Consulate of the ISO. Additional information, as well as more detailed descriptions of the ISO 14000 Standards themselves, can be found on .