Alina Matuszak-Flejszman

Eco-design as a normative element of Environmental Management Systems—the context of the revised ISO 14001:2015

PurposeThe aim of this article is to signal the changes envisaged by ISO TC/207 SC1 for introduction in the new version of ISO 14001:2015 as well as to discuss the role of eco-design and life cycle thinking (LCT) in the context of Environmental Management Systems (EMS).MethodsA review of the proposed changes to be introduced in the new version of ISO 14000:2015 with particular emphasis on those related to LCT and eco-design has been carried out. Additionally, for the purpose of this article, the guidelines with regard to ISO 14006:2011 have been analysed in the context of the role that eco-design plays in an EMS.ResultsThe new version of ISO 14001:2015 includes many direct and indirect references to LCT. One of the key changes is organisations adapting a wider perspective to see how their environmental impact stretch across the whole supply chain. Another key recommendation is to use eco-design for identifying and assessing the environmental aspects in relation to products. The whole life cycle of the products should be analysed, which will result in the inclusion of indirect environmental aspects that are beyond the direct control of the organisation.ConclusionsThe planned changes to ISO 14001:2015 with regard to the use of LCT and eco-design should be seen as a significant piece of information by eco-designers and life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners since they provide a real opportunity to increase interest in eco-design tools amongst the environmental managers responsible for the environmental management systems within their organisations. It seems that now is the right time to initiate information campaigns and training on eco-design and LCA tailored specifically for organisations, which have implemented environmental management systems.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany

PurposeIn this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (Part 1) and Results of Survey Research (Part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine, whether and to what extent the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed.MethodsThe survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing (CASI) method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation.ResultsThe organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed.ConclusionsThe environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions, have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt the different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

Crucial factors for improving the ISO 14001 environmental management system

The practice of using environmental management systems (EMS) ISO 14001 at the organisational level indicates that the efficacy of such solutions depends on many factors, both endogenous and exogenous in nature. This article aims to identify the fac- tors that determine the opportunities for the improvement of EMS in organisations, the analysis of the relationship between the factors and the classification of the factors due to their role in the system improvement. The structural analysis was used to classify and identify the key factors and then to categorize these factors into five groups. Finally, the role of these key factors in improving environmental management systems was exam- ined. Based on the findings, guidelines can be offered to both scholars and practitioners regarding the factors crucial for the improvement of the EMS. Aiming to add value to the existing literature, the structural analysis was adapted to classification and identification of the key factors. From the point of view of practitioners, it seems to be very profitable to concentrate on the crucial factors during the process of EMS improvement.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany Part 1: Background and initial assumptions

PurposeIn this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (part 1) and Results of Survey Research (part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine whether, and to what extent, the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed.MethodsThe survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation.ResultsThe organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed.ConclusionsThe environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

Factors influencing the implementation of environmental management system at Amica-Wronki SA

Many countries in the world have begun developing environmentally friendly manufacturing technologies as a response to the demands of the general public. There are few other areas of the world where the issues surrounding cleaning the environment are more urgent and potentially more costly then in the area of Central and Eastern Europe. Using the case of Amica-Wronki SA, a Polish manufacturer of environmentally friendly refrigerators and freezers as an example, we discuss the issues surrounding the development and implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS) and obtaining ISO 14000 certification.

EMAS: Unfulfilled Expectations And Challenges Associated With The Planned Publication Of The New ISO 14001:2015

The reconciliation of economic growth with environment is currently one of the biggest challenges facing Europe and the world. Demand for natural resources is growing, and global competition in this field causes an increase in pressure on the environment. The necessity of efficient usage of resources entails the need for changes in production models. In this regard, implementing of environmental management systems (EMS) such as international normalized ISO 14001 or European EMAS (Eco-management and Audit Scheme) has enjoyed popularity since the mid-90s and seems to be inevitable. However, some of implemented systems in organisations suffer problems. They are not as effective as was expected and in some points dash companies’ hopes. In many cases, management systems are run in the operating level and often they are not sufficiently connected with strategic management and planning. Judging from the number of EMAS registered organisations (compared with ISO 14001) EMAS seems to be a fiasco. A weak system of incentives, insufficient availability of support funds, inadequate information and promotion make the current number of registered organisations not exceed 3000 and it still decreases. Poor knowledge of the society about EMAS and low recognisability of the EMAS logo makes the system a rather useless tool in the communication and marketing fields. The purpose of the considerations contained in the paper is, on the one hand, to describe the unmet expectations of organisations after the implementation of EMAS with regard to the promises made in the strategic documents and on the other hand, to pay attention to challenges that EMAS will face after the publication of the new ISO 14001:2015 standard. Sustainable Development, Vol. 1 313 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3509 (on-line) WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, Vol 168,