Management systems update: The future of ISO 14000

The ISO 14001 standard, published in September 1996,,provides a model for establishing a management system that is focused on controlling and improving a company's impacts on the environment. In September 1999, two major automotive manufacturers issued a mandate to their direct suppliers to become registered to the ISO 14001 standard within the next few years. Automotive suppliers should find this session helpful in preparing to meet this requirement. In this session, environmental management systems, tools, and techniques are described as a framework for continual improvement of environmental performance, including compliance to environmental regulations. Effectively applied, ISO 14001 promises cost savings, waste reduction, energy efficiency, resource productivity, and improvements in public relations and liability. This session will also address the commonalities between ISO/QS-9000 and ISO 14000, as well as what companies should consider when starting their implementation of an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS).