The Basics of ISO 14001: ISO 14001 is an international Environmental Management System (EMS) standard established in 1996 by the International Organization of Standardization. Just five pages long, it describes what an organization must do to become registered to the ISO 14001 specification. Once a company decides to become registered, the process is relatively simple:
Step 1: A gap analysis is performed using either internal or external resources to determine how the company's EMS compares to the ISO specification.
Step 2: The company develops an EMS to fill the nonconformance identified in the gap analysis.
Step 3: The company develops and implements the remainder of the EMS elements.
Step 4: A third party registrar, selected by the company, assesses conformance to ISO 14001.
The company can expect the registrar to return for surveillance audits on a semi-annual or annual basis for the next three years, especially if there are non-conformances that must be corrected to achieve full registration.( Ammenberg, J., B. Borjesson and O. Hjelm (2000))
The Motivation: Why would a foundry be interested in implementing such a standard? Many have little choice-automobile manufacturers are requiring foundries to become registered to 14001 if they wish to remain suppliers. With 35% of the U.S. metal castings going to automobile and light truck manufacturers, a significant part of the foundry industry will be affected by ISO 14001 registration.( W. Lee Kuhre, (1995)) Even if a facility is not an auto supplier, there is additional motivation for considering ISO 14001. An effective EMS can yield tangible internal and external benefits.( Ammenberg, J., B. Borjesson and O. Hjelm (2000)) Internally, identifying and reducing by-products or wastes or increasing energy efficiency creates cost savings.
Employees also benefit from increased awareness of how their jobs may impact the environment, enhancing compliance due to better equipment maintenance and reporting. Externally, the benefits include enhanced customer satisfaction, potential competitive advantage and market share, along with improved image with regulators and the community. So automobile suppliers, should take heart! Development and registration to ISO 14001 is not just piece of paper they need to obtain to satisfy their major customer; it can actually benefit their operations.
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