The Japanese approach to ISO 14001
Over the past five years, Japan has shown the greatest international commitment to ISO 14001, with nearly 12,000 new certifications since 1998. Dr Brian Pearson believes that the approach many Japanese companies have to implementing ISO 14001 is improving and that lessons can be learnt
ISO 14001 requires the identification and assessment of environmental aspects which is linked to the commitment to prevent pollution, to make best use of resources and consider any legal demands.
Identification of aspects should focus on the potential for pollution or change to the environment and the use of resources. It is necessary to at least consider the lifecycle of the activities, products or services of the company when identifying the aspects, and therefore prioritize the identified aspects to determine which require action or control. All significant aspects should be addressed through one or more of the following:
- operational control
- the setting of objectives
- monitoring
- emergency response
The bigger picture
ISO 14001 clearly states that organizations do not have to provide detail for all areas of the business and can decide that some activities do not contribute to the significant aspects of the organization.
Some companies, however, focus on identifying the fine detail of all operations from the start and reams of paper are used to list all the inputs and outputs. Each input and output is then subjected to a detailed assessment and most are considered to be insignificant. The final conclusion is often that the significant aspect is solid waste or solvent emission. Having gathered all the fine detail at the beginning, in the end the issues are combined into generic aspects. Often, to save time, this can be done at the start of the process.
Missing the point
The focus on inputs and outputs means that some Japanese companies miss the larger and more important issues, such as accident or emergency situations. Often there is not a thorough environmental risk analysis of the operation and insufficient consideration given to control.
The damaging effect of an accident on the environment is usually much more dramatic than the effect of solid waste. For example, I regularly find there is no secondary containment for bulk storage of oils and chemicals. Where there are bindings around the tanks they normally have drainage pipes and quite often the valves are open, so if there were a leak of oil or chemical it would not be contained but would flow freely into the environment.
The organization's activities are also often missed in aspects identification. For example, research and development or design activities can have a major influence on the environmental impact of future processes or products. Unless environmental issues are taken into consideration at the design stage there can be serious consequences later. This vital output can be missed if the focus is on the amount of paper or electricity used, for example.
Indirect aspects
Indirect aspects are those environmental aspects related to the supplier, customer or contractor that are linked to the company's activities. These are the aspects where the company may be expected to exert some influence, though not have direct control. Indirect and beneficial aspects are often completely ignored or misunderstood in practice although the organization's procedure may claim to consider them.
Typical examples for a manufacturing company are the use of contracted transport, or the effects of the product when used by the customer. Service companies tend to have a high number of indirect aspects where there is the potential to influence the behaviour of their customers. In many cases there are also some beneficial aspects that are completely overlooked. They should form a large part of the aspects register of such organizations.
Significance of aspects
Most Japanese companies use a similar methodology to assess the significance of aspects. They identify the impacts and then assess the significance through a numerical scoring system against criteria that include likelihood, detectability, legislation, quantity, consequence and concerns of interested parties. On the whole it is an effective methodology and gives acceptable results but it has the problem of being weighted toward pollution aspects.
Resource use rarely scores high in this system. In other parts of the world there has been a move to adopt different criteria for different types of aspects, eg a risk methodology involving likelihood and consequence is used to assess pollution aspects whereas scarcity and consequence are used as criteria for assessing the use of resources.
Objectives and targets
Objectives are set where there is a need to meet commitments in the policy or where there is the opportunity to improve the control of aspects or reduce waste etc. As a result, companies throughout the world are generating major financial savings by reducing waste and energy by up to 20 to 30 per cent.
In some Japanese companies, however, the plan for achievement is based on monitoring rather than an action plan. Methods of operation are no different in Japan but many companies set targets of three to five per cent for energy reduction and attempt to achieve this by developing procedures for switching off unused equipment, and then monitoring the results.
These are often three-year programmes so there is little additional action after the programme is put in place. Monitoring alone is known to produce improvements if the results are communicated quickly enough and are related to a controllable area. However, improvement levels are rarely more than five per cent.
To gain major savings it is necessary to make more fundamental changes. To do this it is necessary to:
- identify where the energy is being used (or the waste generated)
- prioritize the effort to achieve maximum effect or consider the use of alternative equipment
- set milestones for indicating when the targets are achieved
The future
With the unprecedented increase of ISO 14001 certifications in Japan, there are, of course, many lessons to learn, not just for Japanese companies but the international community as a whole. Above all, it is important that the full potential of ISO 14001 is recognized.
Unless the true aims of the standard are understood and incorporated, the system will not provide the environmental improvements that are necessary. Certification bodies have a responsibility to see the true aims are reflected in the operation of ISO 14001. The system should deliver not only environmental benefits but also real economic benefits to those who operate it.
How to get the most out of ISO 14001
- consider the bigger picture - don't just focus on the inputs and outputs of your company
- set clear and ambitious objectives and targets, and reap the benefits of reduced production costs
- make sure your ISO 14001 documentation clearly shows how the company and environment are benefiting
- carry out regular emergency drills to ensure your response to accidents or emergencies is rapid and effective
- undertake a thorough risk analysis to ensure all aspects and indirect aspects are considered with the standard
About the author
Brian has a BSc and PhD in organic chemistry from Leeds University.
He developed the first environmental auditor training course and was
the first to conduct EMS training in Japan in 1994. Brian has been
the international corporate manager for Moody International Certification
(MIC) and has conducted certification assessments around the world.
He has made around 30 visits to Japan involved in training and certification
activities. He is now semi-retired but is still deeply involved with
EMSs.
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