PROJECT REPORT ON ISO STANDARDS: 9000 AND 14000 SERIES

SUBMITTED BY: SAPNA KAPOOR- 1 SHIWANGI CHOUDHARY- 2 VIDHI MANGLIK- 23 SUBMITTED TO: Dr. SUMEET SINGH JASIAL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all those people who extended their cooperation and played an important role in successful completion of this project. It is our foremost duty to offer our service acknowledgment to those honourable personalities of the department who have been a constant source of inspiration and support for preparing this project. We are grateful to Dr. Sumeet Singh Jasial to act as an adherent source of help and motivation. This project would not have been successfully completed without his guidance and instructions. Hope our effort would be duly recognized and be a work of appreciation of from our mentor who has burnt the midnight oil to render his helping hands to amateurs like us and developed confidence in us to make this project a successful one.

THANK YOU (SAPNA KAPOOR) (SHIWANGI CHAUDHARY) (VIDHI MANGLIK)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPICS ISO ISO Standards ISO 9000 Case Study: Metflex ISO 14000 Case Study: Copley Square Hotel Difference between ISO 9000 and PAGE NO. 4 5 9 17 20 25

14000

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ISO: INTERNATIOAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDIZATION

The International Organization for Standardization widely known as ISO is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. ISO is the worlds largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 163 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is a non-governmental organisation that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its members institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. Therefore, ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of the society.

ISO STANDARDS
ISO has developed over 19000 International Standards on a variety of subjects and more than 1000 new standards are published every year. The full range of technical fields can be seen from the listing International Standards. Users can browse that listing to find bibliographic information on each standard and, in many cases, a brief abstract. The online ISO standards listing integrate both the ISO catalogue of published standards and the ISO Technical programme of standards under development. International standards are designated with the format ISO[/IEC] [/ASTM] [IS] nnnnn[p]:[yyyy] Title, where nnnnn is the number of the standard, p is an optional part number, yyyy is the year published, and Title describes the subject.

WHY STANDARDS MATTER

Standards make an enormous and positive contribution to most aspects of our lives. Standards ensure desirable characteristics of products and services such as quality, environmental friendliness, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability- and at an economical cost. When products and services meet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted and be unaware of the role of standards. However, when standards are absent, we soon notice. We soon care when products turn out to be of poor quality, do not fit, are incomplete with equipments that we already have, are unreliable or dangerous. When products, systems, machinery and devices work well and safely, it is often because they meet standards. And the organization responsible for many thousands of the standards which benefit the world is ISO. When standards are absent, we soon notice.

WHAT STANDARDS DO
ISO Standards: Make the development, manufacturing and supply of product and services more efficient, safer and cleaner. Facilitate trade between countries and make it fairer. Provide governments with the technical base for health, safety and environmental legislation, and conformity assessment. Share technological advances and good management practice. Disseminate innovation. Safeguards consumers and users in general, of products and services. Make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE AN ISO STANDARD

In paper form, an ISO Standard is published in A4 format- which is itself one of the ISO Standard paper sizes. It may be anywhere between a four page document and one several hundred pages long. ISO Standards is also available as electronic downloads and many are available as part of a collection on CDs or in handbook. An ISO Standard carries the ISO logo and the designation, International Standard.

WHAT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION MEANS

When the large majority of products and services in a particular business or industry sector confirm to International Standards, a state of industry wide standardization exists. The economic stakeholders concerned agree on specification and criteria to be applied consistently in the classification of materials in the manufacture and supply of products in testing and analysis, in terminology and in the provision of services. In this way, International Standards provide a reference framework, or a common technological language between suppliers and their customers. This facilitates trade and the transfer of technology.

HOW ISO DECIDES TO DEVELOP A STANDARD

ISO launches the development of new standards in response to the sectors that express a clearly established need for them. An industry or business sector communicates its requirement for a standard to one of ISO's national members. The latter then proposes the new work item to ISO as a whole. If accepted, the work item is assigned to an existing technical committee. Proposals may also be made to set up technical committees to cover new scopes of activity. At the end of 2011, there were 3 335 technical bodies in the ISO system, including 224 ISO technical committees. The focus of the technical committees is specialized and specific. In addition, ISO has three general policy development committees that provide strategic guidance for the standards' development work on cross-sector aspects. These committees ensure that the specific technical work is aligned with broader market and stakeholder group interests. They are: CASCO (conformity assessment) COPOLCO (consumer policy), and DEVCO (developing country matters)

HOW ARE ISO STANDARDS DEVELOPED

The national delegations of experts of a technical committee meet to discuss debate and argue until they reach consensus on a draft agreement. This is circulated as a Draft International Standard (DIS) to ISO's membership as a whole for comment and balloting. Many members have public review procedures for making draft standards known and available to interested parties and to the general public. The ISO members then take account of any feedback they receive in formulating their position on the draft standard. If the voting is in favour, the document, with eventual modifications, is circulated to the ISO members as a Final Draft International Standard (FDIS). If that vote is positive, the document is then published as an International Standard.

Every working day of the year, an average of eight ISO meetings is taking place somewhere in the world. In between meetings, the experts continue the standards' development work by correspondence. Increasingly, their contacts are made by electronic means and some ISO technical bodies have already gone over entirely to working electronically, which speeds up the development of standards and cuts travel costs.

TEN STEPS OF ISO REGISTRATION

1. Set the registration objective 2. Select the appropriate standard 3. Develop and implement the quality system 4. Select a third-party registrar and apply 5. Perform self-analysis audit 6. Submit quality manual for approval 7. Pre-assessment by registrar 8. Take corrective actions 9. Final assessment by registrar 10.Registration

ISO CERTIFICATION SERVICES

- ISO Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001) - Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001) - Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems (OHSAS 18001) - Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 22000) - Information Security Management Systems (ISO/IEC 27001)

ISO 9000 SERIES

ISO 9000 is a family of standards related to quality management systems and designed to help organizations ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National standards bodies. ISO 9000 deals with the fundamentals of quality management systems, including the eight management principles on which the family of standards is based. ISO 9001 deals with the requirements that organizations wishing to meet the standard have to fulfil. It introduces the eight quality management principles on which the quality management system standards of the ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9000:2008 series are based. These principles can be used by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance. The principles are derived from the collective experience and knowledge of the international experts who participate in ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 176, Quality management and quality assurance, which is responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 9000 standards. The eight quality management principles are defined in ISO 9000:2005, Quality management systems Fundamentals and vocabulary, and in ISO 9004:2000, Quality management systems Guidelines for performance improvements. This document gives the standardized descriptions of the principles as they appear in ISO 9000:2005 and ISO 9004:2000. In addition, it provides examples of the benefits derived from their use and of actions that managers typically take in applying the principles to improve their organizations' performance. Founded in 1946, ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) consists of approximately 90 member countries at present and this number is expected to grow. With the exception of the electrical and electronic engineering industries (which are covered by International Electro technical Commission - IEC), the ISO is responsible for the promotion and development of international standards and related activities, including conformity assessments such as testing, inspection, laboratory accreditation, certification and quality assessments.

The ISO 9000 series standards have been adopted by some 45 countries and its equivalent standard in the Indian context is the Bureau of Indian Standards' (BIS) 14000 series. In the United States, the series is known as the ANSI/ASQC Q 9000 series. The standard finds its origin in the European Community (EC) July 1985 product liability directives (also known as the single market directives) which state that for certain regulated products, manufacturers exporting to the EC and, eventually, to the European Free Trade Association, would need to have a well documented and implemented Quality Assurance System. The ISO 9000 series standards provide the requirements to which organisations desirous of certification must conform. One very important aspect of the standards is that they were very generic in nature and ingenuity is required while interpreting the standards' applicability to the industry or firm in question. The ISO 9000 family addresses "Quality management". This means what the organization does to fulfil: The customer's quality requirements Applicable regulatory requirements, while aiming to Enhance customer satisfaction, and Achieve continual improvement of its performance in pursuit of these objectives

ISO-9000 currently has three quality standards: the ISO-9000:2000, the ISO-9001:2000, and the ISO-9004:2000. Of these, only the ISO-9001:2000 outlines specific requirements for compliance, while the ISO-9000:2000 and the ISO-9004:2000 merely present information or guidelines. All of these quality standards are process-oriented, and not product-oriented. This means that ISO-9000 is more particular about how a company conducts its processes, and not what products it ships or level of product quality it has. The main objective of ISO is to facilitate international trade by providing a single internationally-accepted set of standards for everybody's reference.

ISO9000-2000's Standards and Guidelines: Standards and guidelines ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management Systems Fundamentals and Vocabulary Purpose

- Establishes a starting point for understanding the standards - Defines the fundamental terms and definitions used in the ISO 9000 family to avoid confusion in their use

ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems Requirements - Defines the requirements for assessing the ability to meet customer and applicable regulatory requirements and thereby address customer satisfaction - Now the only standard in the ISO 9000 family against which third-party certification can be carried out

ISO 9004:2000 Quality Management Systems Guidelines for performance improvements - Provides guidance for continual improvement of the quality management system to benefit all parties through sustained customer satisfaction

The first ISO standards were published in 1987, which were revised in 1994 as the ISO9000:1994. The next and latest revision of ISO standards was released in 2000, and is therefore referred to as "ISO-9000:2000 Standards". The ISO-9000:2000, being processoriented, can be applied to virtually any industry worldwide, and is certainly widely embraced in the semiconductor industry. The ISO-9000:1994 had 3 standards: the ISO-9001:1994, the ISO-9002:1994, and the ISO9003:1994. ISO-9002:1994 and ISO-9003-1994 had been dropped, so companies who are certified to any of these two standards only should be re-certified to the ISO-9001:2000.

Companies certified to the ISO-9001:1994 need to update their quality systems to the ISO9001:2000 requirements for future recertification. Getting ISO-certified will not only brings about customer orders, it will also bring about efficiency and cost-effectiveness as a result of better process controls, operational systems, and problem resolution mechanisms. The process of getting ISO 9000-certified generally consists of the following steps: 1) development of a quality management system that meets the ISO 9000 standards; 2) conduct of internal audits to ensure that the quality system is working as planned; 3) invitation of an accredited external auditing body to audit the quality system and its implementation; 4) receipt of accreditation if the external auditor approved of the system; and 5) conduct of regular surveillance audits to maintain the certification.

ISO 9000 ESSENTIALS

The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards. ISO 9001:2008 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector. It is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified although certification is not a compulsory requirement of the standard. The other standards in the family cover specific aspects such as fundamentals and vocabulary, performance improvements, documentation, training, and financial and economic aspects.

HOW DOES ISO 9000 WORK

ISO 9000 is set up as a collection of guidelines that help a company establish, maintain, and improve a quality management system. It is important to stress that ISO 9000 is not a rigid set of requirements, and that organizations have flexibility in how they implement their quality management system. This freedom allows the ISO 9000 standard to be used in a wide range of organizations, and in businesses large and small. One important aspect of ISO 9000 is its process-oriented approach. Instead of looking at a companys departments and individual processes, ISO 9000 requires that a company look at the big picture. Once this process-oriented approach is implemented, various audits can be done as a check of the effectiveness of your quality management system. There are three main types of audits 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party audits. An internal audit is a 1st party audit. ISO 9000 encourages (and requires) this type of audit so that an organization can get feedback quickly from those who know the company best. However, this audit process cannot be viewed as impartial. Therefore, 2nd party audits allow for a consumer to evaluate the performance on an organization. As an alternative to a 2nd party audit, many companies choose to become certified with ISO 9000 through a 3rd party audit. In this case, an independent certification body comes into an organization and evaluates it in terms of the ISO 9000 guidelines. If an organization meets the requirements of the standard, it becomes certified in ISO 9000 and carries a seal of quality recognized throughout the world.

WHY IS ISO 9000 IMPORTANT

The importance of ISO 9000 is the importance of quality. Many companies offer products and services, but it is those companies who put out the best products and services efficiently that succeed. With ISO 9000, an organization can identify the root of the problem, and therefore find a solution. By improving efficiency, profit can be maximized. As a broad range of companies implement the ISO 9000 standards, a supply chain with integrity is created. Each company that participates in the process of developing, manufacturing, and marketing a product knows that it is part of internationally known, reliable system. Not only do businesses recognize the importance of the ISO 9000, but also the customer realizes the importance of quality. And because the consumer is most important to a company, ISO 9000 makes the customer its focus.

WHAT ARE THE ISO 9000 PRINCIPLES

1. A Customer Focus As stated before, the customer is the primary focus of a business. By understanding and responding to the needs of customers, an organization can correctly targeting key demographics and therefore increase revenue by delivering the products and services that the customer is looking for. With knowledge of customer needs, resources can be allocated appropriately and efficiently. Most importantly, a businesss dedication will be recognized by the customer, creating customer loyalty. And customer loyalty is return business. 2. Good Leadership A team of good leaders will establish unity and direction quickly in a business environment. Their goal is to motivate everyone working on the project, and successful leaders will minimize miscommunication within and between departments. Their role is intimately intertwined with the next ISO 9000 principle. 3. Involvement of people The inclusion of everyone on a business team is critical to its success. Involvement of substance will lead to a personal investment in a project and in turn create motivated, committed workers. These people will tend towards innovation and creativity, and utilize their full abilities to complete a project. If people have a vested interest in performance, they will be eager to participate in the continual improvement that ISO 900 facilitates. 4. Process approach to quality management The best results are achieved when activities and resources are managed together. This process approach to quality management can lower costs through the effective use of resources, personnel, and time. If a process is controlled as a whole, management can focus on goals that are important to the big picture, and prioritize objectives to maximize effectiveness. 5. Management system approach Combining management groups may seem like a dangerous clash of titans, but if done correctly can result in an efficient and effective management system. If leaders are dedicated to the goals of an organization, they will aid each other to achieve improved productivity. Some results include integration and alignment of key processes. Additionally, interested parties will recognize the consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency that come with a management system. Both suppliers and customers will gain confidence in a businesss abilities.

6. Continual Improvement The importance of this principle is paramount, and should a permanent objective of every organization. Through increased performance, a company can increase profits and gain an advantage over competitors. If a whole business is dedicated to continual improvement, Improvement activities will be aligned, leading to faster and more efficient development. Ready for improvement and change, businesses will have the flexibility to react quickly to new opportunities. 7. Factual approach to decision making Effective decisions are based on the analysis and interpretation of information and data. By making informed decisions, an organization will be more likely to make the right decision. As companies make this a habit, they will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of past decisions. This will put confidence in current and future decisions. 8. Supplier relationships It is important to establish a mutually beneficial supplier relationship; such a relationship creates value for both parties. A supplier that recognizes a mutually beneficial relationship will be quick to react when a business needs to respond to customer needs or market changes. Through close contact and interaction with a supplier, both organizations will be able to optimize resources and costs.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION

Documentation control is a critical element of International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification. The greatest reason why companies fail their ISO auditdocument control problemscauses twice as many failures as the second most common reason. Documentation review is usually the second of six steps in the certification process (application, documentation review, pre-assessment, assessment, certification, and surveillance). If an applicant fails the documentation review, the certification process stops right there. The phases include 20 quality-system requirements (sections). Each section contains this statement: "the supplier shall establish and maintain documented procedures." ISO 9000 registration requires four levels of documentation: Level I consist of a quality manual that outlines what a company plans to achieve and outlines the policies it plans to implement to achieve its goal. Level II outlines procedures the company will follow, what employees will do, in what order, by whom, and with what results, structured to reflect the process flow of events. Level III consists of detailed work instructionsspecific written information on how to do a particular task.

 Level IV consists of reference material and information not in other categories. The complete process of ISO 90000 implementation and certification typically takes about two years. Certification is achieved through an on-site audit and assessment of the company's quality system by independent auditors, including the quality policy, quality system documentation, and quality records. When performing the document review, auditors look at the following: Intent of ISO 9000 standard. How well does a documented system stand against the ISO standard? Implementation. Do people within the company follow the documentation? Is the documentation readily available? Effectiveness. How well does a documented system work? But there are also some general requirements for the documentation itself. We can summarise this requirements as follows: Documentation must be controlled. Documentation must be available for auditors' perusal. Documentation must be easily accessible. Documentation versioning is necessary. Evidence of approval for each document must be available. A master list identifying revision status of documents must be readily available.

CASE STUDY: METFLEX

ISO 9001 is one of the series of quality management system standards. It can help bring out the best in your organisation by enabling you to better understand your processes for delivering your products and services to your customers. Understanding customers needs is paramount to Metflex, since the company strives to increase the value offered to customers by constantly improving products, service, technology and innovation. Client objectives:Create a framework to assess customer and market requirements Improve operational efficiency Effectively manage risk Gain third party endorsement of internal claims Business achievements:Improved operational efficiency Increased market share Reduced manufacturing costs Effective risk management Improved customer satisfaction Enhanced brand reputation Metflex specialises in the manufacture of precision moulded rubber components, including customised tooling and material development services. The organisation is committed to creating and building new business relationships and strives to act as a partner to its customers rather than just a vendor.

We made the decision to implement ISO 9001 because it provided us with a framework to assess our customer and market requirements, explains Steve Parry, Director of Development and Quality. We also wanted to ensure that our business objectives were

continually developed, monitored and reviewed to ensure the suitability and effectiveness of our operations. Why ISO 9001? Metflex believes great service starts with accurate job preparation and ends with the provision of the right solution. The company identified that ISO 9001 would help bring out the best in the organisation by enabling employees to better understand the processes by which they deliver products and services to customers. IS0 9001 provided Metflex with an established and highly regarded framework through which it could demonstrate commitment to excellent service and product quality. The ISO 9001 assessment and certification process ensured that business objectives would be constantly fed into both operational processes and working practices in order to maximise business efficiency and customer satisfaction.

LIMITATIONS
1. Cost It is not cheap to become an ISO 9000-certified company. The cost of the certification process depends greatly on the type of business, the size of the business and other factors that are different for every type of business. As a result, you cannot estimate the price that the ISO 9000 certification will cost you. You need to get a quote from an ISO 9000 registration company in order to find out the true cost to you. The registration company will also guide you through the rather involved process of certification if you decide to proceed with certification. 2. ISO Certification Process The ISO 9000 certification process does not end with the final implementation of the initial certification. It must be maintained throughout the life of the company, or at least the life span of the company as it pertains to the company being ISO 9000 certified. This can lead to unforeseen expenses as well as the need for dedicated and trained ISO 9000 compliance positions that will have to be kept filled.

ISO 14000 SERIES

ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations: (a) Minimize how their operations (processes etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b) Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements and (c) Continually improve in the above. ISO 14000 is similar to ISO 9000 quality management in that both pertain to the process of how a product is produced, rather than to the product itself. As with ISO 9000, certification is performed by third-party organizations rather than being awarded by ISO directly. The ISO 19011 audit standard applies when auditing for both 9000 and 14000 compliance at once. The requirements of ISO 14000 are an integral part of the European Unions environmental management scheme EMAS. EMASs structure and material requirements are more demanding, foremost concerning performance improvement, legal compliance and reporting duties. The ISO 14000 Series gives the requirements for an environmental management system and is one of more than 15,000 voluntary International Standards published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). It is primarily concerned with "environmental management". For the ISO, this means what the organization does to minimize harmful effects on the environment of its activities. It is not a product standard and does not give requirements for specific products or services; rather, it provides a set of generic requirements for what the organisation must do to manage the processes influencing the impact of the organisation's activities on the environment. Implementation involves making production procedures explicit, documenting them, ensuring they are followed and checking they are effective. A quality management system can be audited by an independent certification body as conforming to the Standard (leading to an ISO 9001:2000 certificate), although this is not compulsory. The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is to provide a framework for an overall, strategic approach to an organisation's environmental policy, plans and actions.

The ISO 14000 family consists of standards relating to environmental management systems (EMS) and others which are tools to help the organisation realize its environmental policy, objectives and targets, and classify them by application:

At the organisational level (implementing EMS, conducting the environmental auditing and related investigations, and evaluating environmental performance).

To products and services (using environmental declarations and claims, conducting life cycle assessment), addressing environmental aspects in product standards, and understanding terms and definitions). ISO 14001:2004 ensures that organisations are aware of environmental aspects of their work in order to minimise negative impacts and improve environmental performance. ISO suggests that the Standard can provide significant tangible benefits, including: Reduced raw material/resource use Reduced energy consumption Improved process efficiency Reduced waste generation and disposal costs Utilisation of recoverable resources.

The Standard can be implemented by a wide variety of organisations, whatever their current level of environmental maturity. However, a commitment to compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations is required, along with a commitment to continuous improvement. The standard has the aim of making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) to understand, set up and benefit from such systems. List of ISO 14000 series standards

ISO 14001 Environmental management systemsRequirements with guidance for use ISO 14004 Environmental management systemsGeneral guidelines on principles, systems and support techniques ISO 14015 Environmental assessment of sites and organizations ISO 14020 series (14020 to 14025) Environmental labels and declarations ISO 14031 Environmental performance evaluationGuidelines

ISO 14040 series (14040 to 14049), Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, discusses preproduction planning and environment goal setting. ISO 14050 terms and definitions. ISO 14062 discusses making improvements to environmental impact goals. ISO 14063 Environmental communicationGuidelines and examples ISO 14064 Measuring, quantifying, and reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions.

ISO 19011 which specifies one audit protocol for both 14000 and 9000 series standards together. This replaces ISO 14011 meta-evaluationhow to tell if your intended regulatory tools worked. 19011 are now the only recommended way to determine this.

Although the ISO 14000 standards are designed to be mutually supportive, they can also be used independently of each other to achieve environmental goals. The whole ISO 14000 family of standards provides management tools for organizations to manage their environmental aspects and assess their environmental performance.

ISO 14000 ESSENTIALS

The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of environmental management. The very first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2004 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines. The other standards and guidelines in the family address specific environmental aspects, including: labelling, performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, communication and auditing.

HOW DOES ISO 14000 WORKS

ISO 14001:2004 does not specify levels of environmental performance. If it specified levels of environmental performance, they would have to be specific to each business activity and this would require a specific EMS standard for each business. That is not the intention.

ISO has many other standards dealing with specific environmental issues. The intention of ISO 14001:2004 is to provide a framework for a holistic, strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans and actions. ISO 14001:2004 gives the generic requirements for an environmental management system. The underlying philosophy is that whatever the organization's activity, the requirements of an effective EMS are the same. This has the effect of establishing a common reference for communicating about environmental management issues between organizations and their customers, regulators, the public and other stakeholders. Because ISO 14001:2004 does not lay down levels of environmental performance, the standard can to be implemented by a wide variety of organizations, whatever their current level of environmental maturity. However, a commitment to compliance with applicable environmental legislation and regulations is required, along with a commitment to continual improvement for which the EMS provides the framework.

EMS STANDARDS
ISO 14004:2004 provides guidelines on the elements of an environmental management system and its implementation, and discusses principal issues involved. ISO 14001:2004 specifies the requirements for such an environmental management system. Fulfilling these requirements demands objective evidence which can be audited to demonstrate that the environmental management system is operating effectively in conformity to the standard.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS
ISO 14000 covers a wide range of requirements that may go beyond compliance and legislation in seeking to improve the quality of the organisations environmental management activities. ISO 14000 is one of the most nationally and internationally known environmental standards that affirms the independent approval of a management system designed specifically to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction

 ISO 14000 can help organisations reduce waste, energy use and resources that can help to reduce costs. It has the potential to improve internal and external assurance and communication of management and environmental impacts.

LIMITATIONS OF ISO 14000

A limitation of the ISO 14000 series is that participants are self-selecting. Because participation is voluntary, it covers only a limited segment of the business community. A second major limitation of the ISO 14000 series is that it depends on self-enforcement. Thomas Ott, corporate manager for environment, safety, and industrial hygiene with Motorola Corporation, is the U.S. chairperson of the ISO's working group on environmental auditing. He observed, "Having a certificate doesn't mean you have a clean company. The bad guys who pollute today will still do it, and they'll have a certificate." The successful implementation of an EMS within an individual company will depend substantially on the leadership of the managers of the company. The organization must show its commitment through its statement of policy in the EMS, articulation of goals, and communication of the policy and goals to its personnel. Further, the company must allocate adequate funds for implementation of its goals and for training of personnel. A related limitation is that the quality of the environmental audit depends on the qualifications and integrity of the registrar who performs the audit. As increased numbers of companies seek certification to ISO 14001, increased numbers of auditors will be needed for initial audits and continuing, periodic audits. Certification of registrars depends on the accrediting body or bodies of individual countries. For example, in the United States, the American National Standards Institute operates as a partner with the U.S. Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB). RAB is a non-profit organization that accredits ISO 9000 registrars, and many of those same registrars are beginning to provide ISO 14000 audit services. Even with the services of an accreditation board, a company must choose its auditors and other consultants carefully. A fourth limitation is that certification to ISO 14000 series standards does not serve as a substitute for conformance to environmental management standards that have been adopted by other organizations. For example, the CMA's Responsible Care (RC) program is not as broad as ISO 14001; an organization meeting RC requirements must do more before it can also be certified to ISO 14001. Because membership in the CMA requires conformance with RC, a chemical company may not wish to undergo the number of audits (and costs) involved in conformance with RC and certification to ISO 14001.

Case Study: Copley Square Hotel

Prominent hotel created an aggressive environmental program that provides a foundation for ISO 14001 registration. The hotel is an historic one with an upscale clientele. Their aggressive approach to reducing their impact on the environment helped them identify many ongoing benefits. The major benefit areas were: recycling, energy use reduction, and water use reduction. Energy Use Reduction: Energy efficient lighting was installed in public areas which are light 24 hours per day. 60 watt incandescent corridor ceiling lights were replaced 15 watt compact fluorescent lights: savings equal $3,622 annually plus 90% reduction in labour costs. 90 watt incandescent lights in table lamps in the lobby and elevator landings were replaced with 22 watt compact fluorescent lights: savings equal $1,540 annually Install compact fluorescent bulbs in guest room table lamps and hanging lamps: predicted payback equal 1.81 years. Water Use Reduction: Installing toilets with 1.5 gallon capacity, replacing ones with 3.5 gallon capacity will save $3,276 and 430,000 gallons annually. Showerheads of greater efficiency will save $6,546 and 859,000 gallons annually. Comments:Some of the reasons the program has been successful are: Everyone in the hotel participates in the program and can contribute from within their job responsibilities. Thus, the power of each individual to contribute in a positive way is harnessed.
Small savings are as important as big ones. This recognizes that small savings add up

and creates a culture that values contributions at all levels of the organization and of any size. The cumulative effect of many small acts of environmental impact reduction may not be quantifiable, but it may be significant.

DISTINGUISHING ISO 14000 FROM ISO 9000

It is important to note that the ISO issued a separate set of management standards in 1987 called the ISO 9000 series. It is a series of standards designed to lead to quality in design, development, production, inspection, testing, installation, and servicing of products. In short, the standards are designed to promote quality management practices. The ISO 9000 series and the ISO 14000 standards are process standards, not performance standards. Both series promote management systems that focus on prevention rather than corrective action. But the ISO 14000 series can be distinguished from the 9000 series in at least four major aspects. First, the 9000 series is designed to help an organization maintain quality as it designs, produces, and delivers a product or service to a customer. Thus, it focuses on the customer-supplier relationship. The ISO 14000 series is of concern to various groups of interested parties or "stakeholders." It concerns businesses and their customers as well as government, environmental organizations, consumer groups, and others. Second, the ISO 14000 series involves more strategic planning; it prompts businesses to pursue continuous improvement in their environmental performance. Third, the subject of the 14000 series (environmental protection) is heavily regulated by government through thousands of statutes and regulations. Noncompliance with environmental law can result in substantial fines or even imprisonment of business managers. Thus, a major goal of the ISO 14000 series is to ensure that businesses are in compliance with their own national and local applicable environmental laws and regulations. Quality of management is less directly tied to law. Fourth, the ISO 14000 series covers a broad area (the environment) and takes a holistic approach to that area, focusing on the business organization's activities and how they affect the land, water, and air. The quality of management area covered by ISO 9000 is more limited. Certification to ISO 9000 is not a precondition to ISO 14000 certification, but coordination of the two sets of standards has been addressed by the U.S. Technical Advisory Group, which provides advice to the ISO's Technical Committee charged with formulation of the ISO 14000 standards. Many organizations that are already registered to ISO 9000, however, have decided to seek ISO 14000 registration, also. As they do so, they are seeking ways to integrate ISO 14000 systems into their existing ISO 9000 systems.