A New Measure for Resolving Global Environmental Problem

The Meaning of ISO 14000 Family

Abstract

It is shown that ISO 14001 could be understood as a framework which forces an organization “to adopt the norm to behave in an environmentally sound manner, set up concrete environmental targets along with the norm, commit to behave for attaining the targets, and prove to the outside that the commitment has been done”. It comes to clear that the environmental management system discussed in the UNCED had the same framework as it of ISO 14001, which could be defined above. It is also shown by tracing the drawing up process of ISO 14001 that nothing had been changed regarding on the framework that was basically established in the UNCED. Based on the above discussions, ISO 14001 could be regarded as the standard in which the idea discussed in UNCED for resolving the global environmental problem had been embodied. In this context, ISO 14001 is expected to take advantage of resolving the global environmental problem actively as a new measure.