A new ISO Standards Compendium, ISO 14000 Environmental management, brings together in one volume the practical tools that ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is developing to meet the need of businesses for a strategic approach to environmental issues.
This new edition of the compendium contains the 20 published documents presently comprising the ISO 14000 family developed by ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management. In addition to all the published International Standards and Technical Reports, it also includes draft standards.
The ISO Standards Compendium ISO 14000 Environmental management, 586 pages, ISBN 92-67-10328-8 (French edition: ISBN 92-67-20328-2), price 280 Swiss francs, is available from ISO national member institutes (a complete list is posted on ISO's Web site: www.iso.org) and from ISO Central Secretariat: customerservice@iso.org.
Additions to this edition of the compendium include ISO 14031 and ISO/TR 14032, on environmental performance evaluation. New, too, are ISO 14041, ISO 14042, ISO 14043:2000 and ISO/TR 14049, on life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA is a technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product. The Technical Report ISO/TR 14049:2000 presents examples of applying the management system standard ISO 14001 to goal and scope definition, and to life cycle inventory analysis - two phases of LCA.
ISO offers organizations a two-pronged approach to meeting environmental challenges. On the one hand, it has a wide-ranging portfolio of standardized sampling, testing and analytical methods for the monitoring of specific aspects such as the quality of air, water and soil, road vehicle exhaust emissions, noise and vibration levels, radiation, and so on. These standards are a means of providing business and government with scientifically valid data on the environmental effects of economic activity.
On the other hand, ISO offers a strategic approach in the ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards which provides a framework for organizations of all types to manage the impact of their activities on the environment and continually to improve their environmental performance.
The ISO 14000 family is the responsibility of ISO/TC 207, established in 1993. The ISO 14000 standards address a full range of environmental management areas including environmental management systems, environmental aspects in product standards, environmental auditing, environmental labelling, environmental performance evaluation, life cycle analysis, and terms and definitions.