ISO 14000 Resource Directory

Abstract

This Directory provides information about current initiatives related to the developing ISO 14000 series of environmental standards. Interest in the standards among governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry and the public is high and expected to grow as the standards become finalized. A measure of this interest is the fact that even before the first of the ISO 14000 series standards was issued, over 100 government and nonprofit organizations submitted information for inclusion in this Directory. This number excludes the hundreds of private sector initiatives, not included in this Directory, that are also underway. The U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO Technical Committee 207 (the ISO Committee developing the ISO 14000 series standards), for example, consists of hundreds of members from industry, government, consulting firms, nongovernmental organizations, and academiz. Dozens of private sector organizations have emerged to offer training, consulting, and other services related to ISO 14000, while hundreds of individual companies are investigating ISO 14000 to determine its implications. The ISO 14000 is a global series of standards developed outside regulatory channels that has the potential to revolutionize both the way industrial and other organizations manage environmental affairs, the way regulatory agencies relate to the regulated community, and the way customers and society at large relate to companies and other organizations. Whether this potential will be realizes is not yet clear. Much will depend on how industry, governments, and nongovernmental organizations respond to, and use, the standards. If their potential is realized, the introduction of the ISO 14000 series standards could be one of the most significant environmental developments of our time. This Directory is an effort by EPA to contribute to an understanding of the ISO 14000 series standards. It does not attempt to promote or discourage use of the standards. Rather, it is intended to facilitate communication among the many groups or individuals examining or using the standards. A useful first step in improving our understanding of the standards is to provide a forum where interested parties can communicate and learn from each others' experience. The audience for this resource directory is anyone interested in the ISO 14000 series of International Environmental Standards. Companies from large to small and government at all levels could find the information contained in this directory useful.

Description

82 pages; available for download at the link below.

Keywords

ISO 14000 standards, environmental protection

Citation