ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards: Their Relation to Sustainability
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 131, Issue 3
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the link between sustainable development and the ISO 14000 Environmental Management Series of Standards, with particular reference to the ISO 14001 standard. In order to do this, it was decided to evaluate the ISO 14000 series in the context of a large engineering facility; namely, the Canadian provincial Crown Corporation of Manitoba Hydro. The ISO 14000 series is in principle an effective system to manage an organization’s self-prescribed environmental goals; however, its main limitations are that it does not require the demonstration of environmental performance and it is sometimes difficult to interpret and apply due to ambiguous language. The paper closes with speculations that despite these shortcomings, the essence of the ISO 14000 series of standards is in sympathy with the notion of sustainability.
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Acknowledgments
The research for this paper was done while the senior author was affiliated with the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man., Canada. Special thanks go to Ms. Orly Loves who provided some of the fundamental background information to this study. Also thanks go to Ms. Shannon Graves who supplied some of the references. The financial assistance provided by Manitoba Hydro and the support of the EMS team at Manitoba Hydro is gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 131 • Issue 3 • July 2005
Pages: 208 - 212
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: May 19, 2003
Accepted: Aug 12, 2004
Published online: Jul 1, 2005
Published in print: Jul 2005
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