ISO 14000 Standards and Environmental Performance Index: A ...

Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of an Environmental Management System by M.
Alberti, L. Calabrese, D. A.Rossi, [1] published in International Journal of Production
Research 2000, states that the implementation of ISO 14000 certification in a company
involves a set of costs and benefits that must be known in order to assess the investment
effectively in terms of environmental quality. However, as will be shown, these figures
can be difficult to calculate, mainly because of a lack of reference data or specific
assessment criteria. Moreover, few companies have so far implemented an Environmental
Management System. Investments in environment quality sometimes simply look like
costs, but benefits do exist and these are often economically quantifiable. Such benefits
depend on the choice and the pursuit of aims, on the respect of rules (e.g. no omissions)
and on environmental efficiency (e.g. no waste), and can only be calculated following an
in-depth analysis of the system. A first and approximate estimate of these costs and
benefits has been obtained for a number of real industrial cases, mainly in the chemical
field, and the survey results are given in this paper. The research was carried out in Italy
in companies implementing an Environmental Management System in most cases in
accordance with the ISO 14000 series.
How Organizational Culture Impacts on the Implementation of ISO 14001:1996? a UK
multiple-case view authored by Michaela A. Balzarova, Pavel Castka, Christopher J.
Bamber, John M. Sharp, 2006, [2] investigates the influence of organizational culture on
the implementation of ISO 14001 and environmental management system (EMS)
standard in two manufacturing organizations in the UK. The authors identified a
framework of four dimensions of organizational culture that play an important role during
the ISO 14001. These are recognized as people, process, structure and environment.
Decision Traps in ISO 14001 Implementation Process: Case Study Results from Illinois,
by Ghisellini, Alessia , Thurston, Deborah L, 2005 [14] describes cognitive decision traps
into which companies may fall prey during implementation of the ISO 14001 Standard,
and their effect on the environmental performance of certified companies. The
environmental performance of several Illinois ISO certified companies over time has
been investigated. The outcomes of this survey show that even companies seriously
committed to the fulfillment of the Standard, can still accidentally fall prey to cognitive
decision traps, and that the myths regarding the effectiveness of the ISO 14001 Standard
are often far from reality.
Guide to Implementation of ISO 14001 at Airports, 2005 highlights the growing
awareness of the impact of activities on the environment has created a greater need to
take into account environmental factors in air transport. For that reason, an increasing
number of corporations around the world are certifying their environmental management
systems (EMS) by the ISO 14000 series standards. Improving the environmental
performance of corporations is one way of limiting the environmental damage. EMS
provides a framework for organizations that wish to effectively manage their
environmental affairs. Implementing an EMS that conforms to the ISO 14001 standard
may help businesses to integrate environmental values into their operations. This paper is
intended to provide guidance to airports for the development and implementation of an
EMS and assistance in meeting the requirements of ISO 14001.