The Greening of Industry – Confusion or Opportunity?

By Charles Parrish

What is this ISO 14001 stuff? What about being Green? Well – the answers are a mixed bag of ideas and terminology, often not necessarily related to one another.

ISO 14001 is the Management System model for building an Environmental Management System. It’s a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach of “continual improvement “in regards to environmental performance. Three areas are managed with a 14001 system:

An ISO 14001 system manages the above three items in connection with the facilities activities and services (on-site operations). ISO 14001 also requires companies to manage the environmental impacts of their products as well – but truth be told – most facilities do not include materials and products in the scope of their 14001 EMS.

This is where the Green comes in. When a company states they are Green it typically means they meet a standard covering their materials and products. However, this too has a large amount of wiggle room depending on which Green standard is used.

For example, carpet manufacturers may choose to meet the “Green Label Plus” textile standard to indicate they are Green. Put out by the Carpet and Rug Institute, this standard requires that carpets do not emit more than specified amounts of 13 chemicals in an effort to maintain optimum indoor air quality. It is a good standard, but doesn’t include recycling, which is a critical component in certifying a product as Green.

On the other hand, the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) Green standard awards certifications by demonstrating adequate performance in a full array of sustainability areas including:

Organizations can be certified to the MBDC at either the Basic, Silver, Gold or Platinum levels.

The choice of which “Green” standard to pursue is critical and will define if your company is truly Green – or is just “Greenwashing” the target audience. In addition, ISO 14001 certification is often a requirement for meeting the higher level performance areas in many of the Green standards. We can assist companies in both the process of developing Green programs and products as well as achieving ISO 14001 certification. Check it out and go Green.

Charles Parrish is an ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 Lead Auditor and a Plexus Trainer/Coach, and has assisted more than 40 companies in developing their Environmental Management System (EMS) to qualify for ISO 14001 certification. He has also taught Environmental Compliance Auditing, Introduction to Environmental Regulations, NC Environmental Permits, Introduction to Air Quality, P.E. Exam Review for Air Quality, Stack Testing 101, and other environmental courses. He can be reached at Charles_parrish@ncsu.edu or call 919-515-4266.