• print

ISO Management Systems
July - August 2008

Special Report

The business case of environmental labelling

Consumers are more and more interested in less tangible product attributes such as ethical and environmental aspects of production and supply.

In response, manufacturers often choose to provide information concerning the environmental aspects of their products on labelling and in advertising and they are very much part of a company’s overall marketing strategy.

The ISO 14020 series of standards provide business with a globally recognized and credible set of international benchmarks against which they can prepare and measure their labelling.

Standards for services

Lithuania targets financial, postal and tourism services

With the service sector accounting for 60-70 % of Lithuania’s GDP, the Lithuanian Standards Board (LST) has launched several service standard initiatives, including for banking and finance, postal and tourism services.

International

In Japan, 66 missionary centres, spiritual training centres and other sites of the Seicho-No-Ie religious movement had achieved ISO 14001 certification by 2007.
The group’s three main foreign offices (in the United States, Brazil, and Taiwan) are working towards ISO 14001 certification in 2008.

Churches embrace ISO management system standards

ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) are emerging as powerful tools for churches and religious organizations seeking to improve accountability, increase donations, reduce negative environmental impacts and demonstrate social responsibility.

New Zealand charitable trust enhances Maori wellbeing with ISO 9001

New Zealand’s Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust has applied ISO 9001 to raise the quality of its wellness services to the Maori population. Among benefits is a new assurance of continual improvement for those needy communities.

---

International take-up of ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management