Sustainability Delivered by Pullman Madeleine

Author:Pullman, Madeleine...
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-04-24T11:47:35.986000+00:00

International Standards and Guidelines (Non-Industry Specific)

As mentioned previously, companies can create their own standards for suppliers or they can adopt an existing industry standard or certification program. Obviously, the latter eliminates the need to spend the time and energy creating a new standard or code of conduct. On the other hand, adopting existing standards can be challenging as these standards typically lack industry specificity and an auditing entity or body.

Some companies may opt for general industry certification, for example the ISO 14000 family or the ISO 26000 guidelines. The ISO 14000 program has been very popular in Japan, Germany, and the UK, with several thousand companies signing on. However, it has been slow to catch on in the United States. One of the reasons for this is that U.S. governing bodies haven’t acknowledged the standard, whereas it has been incorporated into several national government standards in Europe, rendering it much more meaningful. Note that U.S. companies doing business in Europe may be required to adopt this certification scheme.

The ISO 14000 family covers environmental management systems, 14001 provides the EMS requirements, and 14004 gives the general EMS guidelines.6 Overall, the requirements ask suppliers to implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets; to identify and control the environmental impacts of their activities, products, and services; to demonstrate that targets have been achieved; and to improve their environmental performance continually. Other standards and guidelines in the family cover specific environmental aspects: labeling, performance evaluation, life cycle assessment, communication, and auditing.

In response to increasing consumer focus on social issues, the ISO 26000 guidelines have emerged.7 The guidelines address seven core subjects of social responsibility: human rights, labor practices, environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, and community involvement and development. For each subject, the issues are explained along with expectations and guidance for putting social responsibility into practice, along with voluntary initiatives and tools.

The highlights of ISO 14000 and 26000 are shown in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2. ISO Sustainability Series

ISO 14000 series

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