Environmental protection
Why does the work matter?
ISO has developed a three-pronged approach to meeting the needs of business, industry, governments and consumers in the field of the environment. Firstly, it offers a wide-ranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods to deal with specific environmental challenges. It has developed more than 560 International Standards (out of a total of over 17 000) for the monitoring of such aspects as the quality of air, water and soil. These standards are a means of providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic acitivity. They also serve in a number of countries as the technical basis for environmental regulations.
Secondly, and more recently, ISO is leading a strategic approach by developing environmental management system standards that can be implemented in any type of organization in either public or private sector (companies, administrations, public utilities). To spearhead this strategic approach, ISO established a new technical committee, ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, in 1993. This followed ISO's successful pioneering experience in management system standardization with the ISO 9000 series for quality management.
In addition to standards on environmental management systems and supporting tools, TC 207 works on documents to facilitate the fusion of business and environmental goals by encouraging the inclusion of environmental aspects in product design - which represents the third axis of ISO's environmental approach. An example is a technical report which promotes the convergence of environment-friendly products with company profits.
The management of environmental aspects and impacts has established itself as a cornerstone of effective organizational practice alongside the management of quality, security, and health and safety issues. Ongoing concern about environmental issues and sustainable development has significantly affected global practices in recent years as organizations strive to be responsive to government regulations, shareholder concerns and interested parties’ expectations all at the same time. The work products of ISO/TC 207 – the basic standard for environmental management, ISO 14001, standards for environmental auditing and performance evaluation, product labelling and declarations, lifecycle assessment, greenhouse gas emission reporting, and others – provide effective management tools for organizations to better manage and communicate about their environmental aspects and to work towards improving their environmental performance and contributing to sustainable development. When used properly, these tools can provide significant advantages and benefits to users in both the private and public sectors.
ISO/TC 207 is not alone in developing standards for the protection of our environment. Three other ISO technical committees deal with the quality of three important elements of our planet:
- ISO/TC 146 Air quality
- ISO/TC 147 Water quality
- ISO/TC 190 Soil quality
Another related technical committee is ISO/TC 224 Service activities relating to drinking water supply systems and wastewater systems - Quality criteria of the service and performance indicators.
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