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A
series of standards on environmental management tools and systems.
ISO 14001 will deal with an organization's system for managing
its day-to-day operations as they have an impact on the environment.
Who is developing the ISO 14000 standards?
International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC)
207. The scope of TC 207 is standardization in the field of environmental
management tools and systems.
The
standards apply to environmental management tools and systems;
they are not product standards, nor do they specify performance
or pollutant/effluent levels.
Specifically
excluded are:
-
Test
methods for pollutants.
-
Setting limit values regarding pollutants or effluents.
-
Setting environmental performance levels.
-
Standardization of products.
TC
207 cooperates closely with ISO TC 176 on Quality Management (developers
of ISO 9000) in the field of environmental management systems
and audits.
What
is covered by ISO 14000?
ISO14001
Environmental Management System and ISO14004 Environmental Auditing
address a wide range of issues, including:
- 1.
Top management commitment to continuous improvement, compliance,
and pollution prevention.
- 2.
Creating and implementing environmental policies, including
setting and meeting appropriate targets.
- 3.
Integrating environmental considerations in operating procedures.
- 4.
Training employees in regard to their environmental obligations.
- 5.
Conducting audits of the environmental management system.
For
more infromation on ISO14001 please visit the ISO website at:
www.iso.ch/iso/en/iso9000-14000/iso14000
When
did the UNU start working on ISO14001?
The
UNU began working on ISO14001 in May 1999. The
base year for all our targets is 1998 (when complete data was
available) and performance. The
first date to measure all results was December 2001.
An
initial environmental review was published in September 1999 and
updated in February 2002.
We
are following the standard
UNU biennium programme and a new set of targets will be determined
for 2002.
What are the key points of the UNU Environmental Policy Statement?
The
UNU environmental policy statement has four main goals.
1.
to bring about environmental improvements in our work practices
(i.e., promoting green procurement, comply with environmental
laws, reducing waste and energy consumption, etc.).
2.
to improve the quality of the working environment (i.e., internal
air quality, water quality, light, health and safety).
3.
to contribute to the global community through our research
projects and capacity building.
4.
to contribute to the local community through activities and
events.
Who is responsible for the UNU Environmental Management System?
The
Rector has overall responsibility for the system.
Professor
Motoyuki Suzuki is the official UNU Environmental Coordinator.
He is supported by Gerard Brady who is the ISO14001 Implementation
Officer, and the ISO14001 Steering Group (with representatives
from all units) who coordinate the operation, activities and mointoring
of the EMS.
How is the UNU Environmental Management System structured?
The
UNU complex in Tokyo has been divided into five units (see figure
below). These are Unit 1 - UNU/IAS, Unit 2 - UNU Centre, Unit
3 - UNU Services, Unit 4 - UNU Administration, Unit 5 - UNU Building
Tenants. There are designated ISO14001 units leaders and also
sets of target and objectives for each unit. All UNU staff are
responsible for implementing the system.
What are significant environmental aspects and how did UNU decide
on them?
Significant
environmental aspects (SEA) are defined as "elements of an
organization's activities, products or services which can interact
with the environment and that can have a significant impact (positive
or negative)."
The
following steps were followed to decide the SEAs for the UNU:
1.
we prepared the initial environmental review of our environmental
impacts and surveyed staff opinions;
2.
we drew up some initial SEAs and asked for comments; and
3.
we developed a system to determine the significance of the aspects.
What are the objectives and targets for the UNU's environmental
management system and how were they developed?
The
objectives and targets are based on the SEAs and relate closely
to the goals presented in the environmental policy statement.
Each unit has its own set of targets and objectives. Units are
free to adopt additional targets.
How do we implement this system?
There
is an Implementation Plan available for all staff to review via
this Website. Essentially, the environmental information system
is fully integrated into our normal reporting procedures.
How
often does UNU monitor its environmental performance?
Monitoring
of some environmental indicators take places regularly (for air
quality, waste, water and so on).
The
Draft Environemntal Review 2002 was released in Febuary 2002 and
reports on the implementation of the objectives and targets of
the environemntal management system and the environemntal performance
of the UNU.
Are
there training sessions for UNU personnel on ISO14001?
Yes.
Training sessions have been organized by the ISO14001 Steering
Group in November 1999, August 2000, December 2000 and November
2001. Records can be found on the UNU ISO14001 Online Forum. The
training materials are also available on the UNU ISO14001 Online
Forum.
At
the last ISO14001 Steering Group meeting, held July 2002 it was
decided that further training sessions and updates for new and
existing staff respectively are to be organised later this year.
What kinds of specific activities have UNU personnel been
doing in order to protect the environment? What kinds of procedures
are part of in the UNU's environmental management system?
While
procedures related to the certification process such as auditing,
information management and preparation of EMS related documents
are the responsibility of the ISO14001 Steering Committee, individual
staff members can make efforts as follows:
1.
Participate in the ISO 14001 training sessions organized by
the USU ISO 14001 Steering Committee, and also contribute to
the Online Forum set up by the Committee.
2.
Work on environment related projects that contribute to raising
awareness around the world on pressing environmental problems.
3.
Be involved in capacity building activities in support of the
environment.
4.
Take steps to implement the Waste Recycling and Resource & Energy
Conservation measures.
5.
Act in an environmentally friendly way everyday by recycling
paper, reducing and separating waste, turning-off electronic
equipment when not in use and so on.
What
kind of changes/improvement have there been after the initiation
of ISO14001 activities in UNU?
UNU
personnel are all thinking more seriously about the environment
and we have seen some improvements in recent months with a new
waste separation system and energy saving.
Energy
consumption has fallen at both UNU and UNU/IAS resulting in some
financial savings although we still need to ensure that this is
a long-term trend (see Draft Environmental Review 2002).
Where
can I get more information?
Speak
to any member of the ISO14001 Steering Group or send an email
to Gerard Brady
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