To date, almost every environmentalist at least once encountered the concept of an environmental management system at an enterprise (hereinafter referred to as EMS). In the realities of the modern world, especially if the business is aimed not only at the Russian, but also at the foreign market, it is very difficult to do without the implementation of an EMS. However, until now, most entrepreneurs have a very superficial understanding of this system. Everyone knows that getting certified according to EMS standards will not be superfluous, but few people really understand why and how this is done. Many enterprises implement an EMS "for show" or as an integral part of the quality management system and do not develop it. In most of the certified enterprises, the system remains in its infancy and does not function properly.

The problem of business leaders lies in the misunderstanding that the introduction of EMS is not a requirement of the state (at least for now), but a voluntary reform designed to help improve production management in such a way as to not only reduce negative impact on the environment, but also in general to optimize production processes and increase their efficiency.

Many have already heard that the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia has developed a draft Federal Law “On Environmental Audit and Environmental Auditing” (hereinafter referred to as the Draft). According to this project environmental audit will be divided into voluntary and mandatory:

extraction
from the Project

Article 5. Mandatory environmental audit

1. Mandatory environmental audit is carried out in the following cases:
1) implementation of activities for the neutralization of waste of I-III hazard classes;
2) implementation of a restoration work project in order to compensate for environmental damage caused by violation of environmental legislation, based on a court decision;
3) implementation of activities of special environmental programs for the rehabilitation of radioactively contaminated areas of the territory;
4) making a decision to declare the debtor bankrupt and to open bankruptcy proceedings at facilities that have a negative impact on the environment, categories I and II;
5) making a decision on the privatization of objects that have a negative impact on the environment, categories I and II.
[…]

Article 6. Voluntary environmental audit

1. Voluntary environmental audit is carried out at the initiative of the customer of the environmental audit.
2. Voluntary environmental audit can be:
1) comprehensive environmental audit;
2) a special environmental audit.
A special environmental audit can be:
a) component-by-component environmental audit;
b) environmental audit of the integrated environmental permit.
[…]

The EMS is based on a series of international standards of the ISO 14001 series (note that Russia has approved the national standard GOST R ISO 19011-2012 "Guidelines for the audit of management systems"), and at the moment certification according to ISO 14001 in our country is voluntary.

Here is a list of international standards of the ISO 14001 series:

We will not dwell on the content of these standards in detail, because. they are in public access and besides, for uninitiated people they represent a set of lengthy principles and schemes. Let us consider only the basic concepts of EMS and their definitions given in the internal standards of the enterprise, where EMS was recently introduced with the participation of the author and is now successfully developing.

Vocabulary

Environmental aspect An element of an enterprise's activities, product or service that can interact with the environment.
Environmental management system- part of the overall management system of the enterprise used to develop, implement and implement its environmental policy, manage its environmental aspects.
Environmental policy— the overall intentions and direction of the enterprise in relation to environmental performance, as officially stated by top management.
environmental goal— a common environmental goal consistent with environmental policy that the company is striving to achieve.
Environmental challenge- detailed requirements for all indicators applicable to the enterprise, or parts thereof, arising from the goals that must be established and met in order to achieve these goals.
Internal audit— a systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and objectively evaluating it to determine the extent to which the EMS meets the audit criteria established by the enterprise.

So you've decided that your business needs ISO 14001 certification. Where do you start? First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the necessary literature. And here we mean not so much the standards themselves as additional reference books, manuals and study guides. A good knowledge base is provided by various training courses. One way or another, it is advisable for internal auditors at an enterprise to take such courses and obtain a certificate in order to competently conduct internal audits of the EMS in the future.

The first thing the author began his acquaintance with environmental management with was just internal auditor courses. In addition to theoretical knowledge and practical advice from teachers in such courses, you can find something else important - the experience of colleagues who have already implemented EMS.

By the way

Once you have a basic understanding of the EMS, you need to start revision of the internal documentation of the enterprise from the point of view of environmental protection. Remember: the EMS system should be reflected in all areas of the enterprise and in all documents, from waste management instructions to contracts with contractors, suppliers of raw materials, etc.

The introduction of the EMS makes it necessary to reconsider all the fundamentals of the enterprise's activities in search of optimal solutions for both production tasks and environmental protection tasks. Moreover, the main difference between the EMS and conventional industrial environmental control is that the responsibility for environmental protection is now assigned not only to the environmental department, but also to each employee of the enterprise, whether it is an assembly line worker or a technical director.

The author of the article participated in the implementation of the EMS at a large metalworking plant built back in the USSR. Many employees have worked there all their lives. Their vast industrial experience has become both a great help to the formation of the EMS, and a serious obstacle. Everyone knows how hard it is to break the old working order. Everything can become a stumbling block - redesigning the position of the department, moving and updating metal chip accumulators, cooperating with internal auditors and meeting their requirements ...

One way or another, even such a "rusted" production system managed to get off the ground. The company has applied for a pre-certification audit. In preparation for this stage, a list was determined and the preparation of the main documents on which the EMS will be based, the environmental policy and environmental principles of the enterprise were determined, and the process of identifying environmental aspects was started.

Let us give an example of the environmental policy of an enterprise (Example 1).

A significant difficulty for novice internal auditors can be the process of identifying environmental aspects(EA). The main point of this work is to identify all possible elements and processes that can harm the environment. The identification of EA should be carried out by managers and those responsible for the EMS in each production unit under the guidance of an ecologist. It is the managers and employees in the field, who know their production, who can more accurately identify potentially dangerous aspects. Identified aspects need to be monitored, analyzed, and subsequently try to reduce their impact.

EAs are subdivided into straight(emissions, discharges, production waste, equipment noise, water consumption and sanitation) and indirect(eg consumption of raw materials and electricity).

EA at our enterprise are assigned to different departments. During the audits, aspects are controlled, and measures are determined for their possible impact on them. The register of aspects should be updated once every 3 years.

Each EA goes through a significance evaluation procedure. In our case, it was carried out as follows.

The enterprise distinguishes 4 levels of EA (A, B, C, D), each of which has a 3-point significance (1, 2, 3) (their characteristics are given in Table 1).

Table 1. Characteristics of the levels of environmental aspects
Aspect levels		Level Significance
Index	Name	Big (3 points)	Moderate (2 points)	Malaya (1 point)
	Regulatory (Compliance)	Laws and regulations are systematically violated (10 times or more per year)	Legal acts are occasionally violated (no more than 10 times a year)	legal acts are observed
	Environmental (consequences)	Serious systemic consequences (pollutants of hazard classes 1 and 2)	Long-term uncontrolled (pollutants of the 3rd hazard class)	Short-term with subsequent neutralization (pollutants of hazard classes 4 and 5)
	Temporal (frequency of occurrence)	Constant exposure	Frequent exposure	Manifestation unlikely
	Economic (costs, costs, losses)	The aspect leads to penalties and additional costs that exceed mandatory environmental payments by 10% or more.	Aspect results in additional payments not exceeding 10% of mandatory environmental payments	Aspect does not lead to additional losses

The values ​​of the selected assessments of each of the four EA levels are displayed in points in columns 7-10 of the EA register table (excerpts from the EA register of the enterprise in question are given in Table 2).

Table 2. List of activities (processes, operations) of the enterprise and related environmental aspects
	Type of activity (processes, operations), products	Mode of occurrence (possible emergency situation)	Environmental aspect	Impact of the aspect on the environment	Process controllability (control measures)	Level Significance Score				Overall Significance Rating		Note
	Treatment of industrial and storm drains at industrial wastewater treatment plants	Normal	Discharge of pollutants with wastewater from the enterprise into a water body	Pollution of a fishery reservoir	Transfer of effluents from factory treatment facilities to treatment facilities _______ for additional cleaning							Fulfillment of legal requirements for the protection of water resources
	Galvanic treatment of parts, workshop No. 8	Normal	Salt waste generation (spent galvanic solutions)	Pollution Wastewater heavy metals	Neutralization at the treatment facilities of the enterprise in accordance with the technological regulations for the operation of treatment facilities							Contract for the transfer of wastewater to wastewater treatment plants ______
	Grinding of cadmium parts, workshop No. 3	Normal	Waste generation (grinding sludge containing cadmium)	Soil contamination with heavy metals	Instruction I 241-2012							Agreement with a licensed organization for the transfer for disposal
	Heat treatment of parts and tools, workshops No. 12 and 14	Normal	Waste generation (smelting salts of thermal production)	Pollution of soil and atmospheric air with heavy metals	Instruction I 241-2012							Agreement with a licensed organization for disposal at a landfill
	Operation of office equipment, IT department	Normal	Dust emissions, waste generation constituent parts office equipment, energy consumption	Pollution of atmospheric air, soils by waste	the federal law dated 06/24/1998 No. 89-FZ "On production and consumption waste", Instruction I 241-2012							Agreement for the disposal of office equipment

The overall significance of EA (K zn) is determined by summing the significance estimates for all levels of manifestation of the aspect according to the formula:

where X i is the estimated significance level of level I (X i = 1, 2, 3);

N is the number of levels (N = 4).

The value of K zn varies from 4 to 12.

After performing the calculations, the K values ​​are displayed in column 11 of the EA registry table.

The overall (integral) assessment of the significance of EA is determined in accordance with Table. 3.

The results of the overall assessment of the significance of the EA are displayed as a letter index (N, Z) in column 12 of the EA registry table.

In column 13 of the EA registry table, if necessary, write down possible additional measures to manage the EA.

So, we have passed the first stage: a certification audit was carried out and a certificate of conformity to ISO 14001 was obtained. After identifying the EA, determining the environmental policy, goals and objectives, developing required documents(guidelines, standards and instructions), the actual implementation of the EMS began. The main burden of responsibility fell, of course, on the management of the enterprise and the environmental department. Management is now required to periodically review production processes in terms of EMS, provide support (financial, personnel, information) for the implementation of the system. It is also necessary to improve environmental awareness among all employees of the enterprise, to convey to each employee the goals and objectives of the EMS (both general and understandable to him and imputed to his personal duties).

All external relations of the enterprise were reviewed - with suppliers of raw materials and materials, with tenants and landlords, with the public and the press, with residents of the surrounding houses.

For example, many subcontracting organizations work at our enterprise. Previously, the environmental department did not control the implementation of these agreements. During the external pre-certification audit, the auditors checked the site where the construction of a hangar for special equipment was carried out. The work was carried out with various violations of environmental requirements. Thus, the waste generated after work (including oily rags, containers from under paint and varnish materials) simply fell into a heap on the lawn. In the course of eliminating the discrepancy found, the clause of subcontracting agreements on ensuring compliance with environmental requirements was revised, and from among the employees of the unit in which the work was carried out under subcontracting, a person responsible for compliance by the subcontractor with these requirements was appointed.

During the implementation of the EMS at our enterprise, a normally functioning website with the opportunity for visitors to leave their wishes and complaints, incl. regarding the impact of production on the environment. These complaints and suggestions were processed and considered during meetings with management, and measures were taken to eliminate the negative impact.

Now the enterprise should regularly hold meetings of the management in order to evaluate the functioning of the EMS, conducted environmental activities and audits (external and internal), implementation of the environmental program, planning of further activities, EMS budget, updating the EA register, etc.

Another difficult point in the implementation of EMS is to convey to employees information about the benefits of the system. It is no secret that almost every Russian person is sure that the requirements of the law are always strict, often excessive and useless, and one should try to “dodge” their implementation. So in the case of the introduction of the EMS (which means an increase in the requirements for each employee and an increase in his responsibility), everyone reacted to it with caution and even hostility.

The purpose of the system is to help optimize production, and not “tighten the screws”, however, this is exactly how employees and even heads of departments treated the introduction of EMS in general and internal auditors in particular. There were attempts to sabotage inspections, failure to implement corrective measures, attempts to "negotiate in a good way" and "in a bad way", grumbling about the increase in "paperwork" to the detriment of production. Thus, environmental management must also change the consciousness of each employee involved. Here, much depends on the personal qualities and professional competence of the head of the environmental department and his employees. Conflicts in no way solve problems, and neither does enforcement.

Now let's briefly look at internal audit of the enterprise. Due to the fact that our company is quite large, each division is audited only once every six months. A commission consisting of the head of the environmental department, one employee and a representative of the audited unit responsible for the EMS conducts an on-site audit, i.e. directly at the factory, within 2-3 days. First, the commission checks the compliance of the internal documentation of the department (workshop) with the requirements of the EMS. This documentation includes the goals and objectives of the unit, the position of the unit, work instructions, etc. Availability and relevance of EMS information stands in the field are checked. After that, the production itself is inspected for compliance with internal standards and requirements of environmental legislation. All violations are recorded on the non-conformity registration form (Example 2). Based on the results of the audit, a report is drawn up, which is sent to the head of the audited unit. For each nonconformity, the division proposes corrective actions. If the actions are agreed with the management and the ecology department, they are implemented and a report is submitted to the ecology department based on their results. In the future, environmentalists conduct a post-audit check of the actual implementation of corrective actions. Information about the results of the audit is announced at management meetings.

The enterprise should assess the environmental risks of the enterprise in order to reduce or eliminate them, as well as the level of preparation for possible emergency situations.

For example, at the enterprise in question, a cutting fluid (coolant) was used for metal processing on machine tools. The liquid was supplied to the machines through a pipeline system. The system was already worn out and leaks were found intermittently. As they were discovered, they were eliminated, however, the pipe system was very extensive, and not all of its nodes and segments were easily accessible for inspection. This situation represented a potential environmental risk, as in case of leakage, the coolant could get into the soil and further through groundwater into a nearby reservoir of fishery and drinking value. With the joint efforts of the department of ecology and the heads of the workshops, this environmental risk was identified, and the possible damage to the enterprise and the environment was calculated. As a result, the budget for next year a paragraph was introduced on the development of the project new system coolant supply and its implementation.

At this stage of EMS implementation, our enterprise is currently located. In general, the system cannot yet be called fully functioning and performing all its tasks, but a start has already been made. Its further development depends on the management and employees. At the moment, the first supervisory audit has been carried out (one year after certification), a number of inconsistencies have been identified, and they are being eliminated. With small but confident steps, the enterprise is moving from the status of an old Soviet plant to the status of modern enterprise that meets the requirements of the market, consumers and legislation, incl. ecological. Now the main thing is not to stop there.

4. The system of management and environmental management based on the main historical stages of the formation and development of world market relations.

5. Ecological service of the enterprise (Classification).

6. Ecological marketing (history of development, marketing mix).

7. Marketing mechanism for environmental protection management

8. Main marketing approaches in the field of ecology

9. Marketing approaches in the management of environmental activities

10. Environmental certification. Directions, goal. Environmental labeling of the first type.

11. Environmental certification of the second and third type.

12. Law of the Russian Federation "On certification of products and services"

Chapter 1 "General Provisions". Art. 1- Art. 6.

Chapter 2 "Compulsory certification" contains 10 articles.

Chapter 3 "Voluntary certification" includes three articles.

13. System of ISO 14000 standards. General information. ISO 14000 guidelines. ISO environmental impact levels.

14. Gost r iso 14000

15. Model of the environmental management system (according to GOST R ISO 14001-98)

16. Environmental Management System (EMS). The concept of ems, the central document of ems.

Scope of iso 14001

17. Basic requirements of iso 14001 for the enterprise

18. Open cycle as the basis of the requirements of the iso 14001 standard. Management structure (iso 14001).

19. Environmental policy of the enterprise.

20. Principle of the Business Charter

21. Organization cycle

22. Principles and obligations of environmental policy

23. The scheme of implementation of the environmental management system at the enterprise. Motives for implementation.

24. Preliminary work (stages) to create an environmental management system at the enterprise.

25. Environmental management program

26. Directions of practical activity of environmental management

27. Key economic benefits of environmental impact prevention and environmental management.

28. Motivation of the environmental activities of the enterprise management

29. Economic damage. Components of environmental costs. Economic management mechanism

30 System of payments for nature use

32 Payment for water.

33 Payment for forest and wildlife resources.

34. Payments for environmental pollution (principles, methodological approaches, payment standards, factors determining the total amount of payment for pollution, basic payment standards).

Total pollution charge

36. Concepts and fundamentals of environmental insurance.

37. Classification of objects and features of the tariff policy. Principles of implementation of eco-insurance.

38. Directions for solving the problem of eco-insurance.

39. Environmental audit: goals, objectives, basic principles.

40. Main types of environmental audit

41. Audit of the environmental management system.

42. Methodology for a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the functioning of the environmental management system and environmental management at industrial enterprises

43. The procedure for environmental auditing at the enterprise

44. Audit of environmental management in the management system. Audit of subsoil use.

45. Qualification requirements for auditors in the field of ecology

13. ISO 14000 standards system. General information. ISO 14000 guidelines. ISO environmental impact levels.

ISO standards include the following sections:

ISO 14001 and 14004 - Environmental Management System (EMS): Specification and guidance for use, basic principles and methodology, published September 1996;

ISO 14010-14012 - Guidelines for Environmental Auditing: Fundamental Principles, Auditing EMS, Qualification Requirements for Auditors, published October 1996;

ISO 14020-14025 - Environmental labeling: basic principles and requirements for product certification, terms and definitions, practical program, certification procedure for products, reviewed in 1998;

ISO 14031 - Evaluation of the environmental performance of EMS, draft submitted to the Technical Committee in 2000;

ISO 14040-14043 - evaluation life cycle, the project was submitted for consideration in 2000;

Environmental Management System(environmental management system) - part of the overall administrative management system, which includes the organizational structure, planning, responsibility, methods, procedures, processes and resources necessary for the development, implementation, implementation, analysis and maintenance of environmental policy.

Environmental aspect(environmentalaspect) An element of an organization's activities, products or services that can interact with the environment. (NOTE - An important environmental aspect is one that has or can have a significant impact on the environment.)

Environmental policy(environmental policy) - a statement by an organization of its intentions and principles related to its overall environmental performance, which serves as the basis for action and the establishment of environmental targets and targets.

ISO 14000 standards are voluntary and can be used:

For the internal needs of the organization and external needs to demonstrate to customers, investors compliance with the environmental level.

ISO 14000 provides a reduction in the impact of pollution on the environment at 3 levels:

Organizational level through improving the environmental behavior of the enterprise

National level through the creation of a significant addition to the national regulatory framework and a component of the state environmental policy

International through the improvement of the terms of international trade

14. Gost r iso 14000

Certification of quality management systems of enterprises for compliance with international standards ISO 9000 or ISO 14000, especially those related to the defense, chemical, petrochemical, engineering and food industries, today has become a prerequisite for exporting products, participating in joint projects with foreign partners, receiving government orders.

Currently, the Russian Federation has a system of GOSTs that regulate the implementation and operation of the environmental management system - GOST R ISO 14000, which spells out all the principles of environmental management. For example, GOST R ISO 14001 provides guidance on the use of environmental management systems; GOST R ISO 14004 is a general guide to the principles, systems and methods of environmental management systems; using GOST R ISO 14014, it is possible to determine the "initial level" of the enterprise's environmental efficiency; GOSTs R ISO 14010, 14011, 14012 give an idea about the environmental audit and recommendations for its implementation; GOST R ISO 14020 describes the principles of environmental labeling of products, and GOST R ISO 14040 provides a methodology for assessing its "life cycle".

This system, unlike most of the existing standards in the field of environmental protection, is not aimed at quantitative indicators and not at a change in production technology (although it does not exclude them), but at the managerial potential of the organization.

Typical provisions of these standards are that certain procedures must be introduced and followed in the organization, relevant documents prepared and responsible for a certain area appointed. The main document of the series - ISO 14001 - does not contain any "absolute" requirements for the impact of the organization on the environment, except that the organization in a special document must declare its desire to comply with national standards.

This nature of the standards is due, on the one hand, to the fact that ISO 14000, as international standards, should not interfere with the scope of national regulations. On the other hand, the predecessor of ISO are "organizational" approaches to product quality (for example, the concept of "global quality management" - total quality management), according to which the key to achieving quality is to build an appropriate organizational structure and distribution of responsibility for product quality.

It is assumed that the system of standards will ensure the reduction of adverse environmental impacts at three levels:

- organizational - through the improvement of the environmental "behavior" of corporations;

- national - through the creation of a significant addition to the national regulatory framework and a component of the state environmental policy;

- international - through the improvement of the conditions of international trade.

The philosophy behind ISO 14000 is “through the organization high level quality own production and involvement in this circle of an increasing number of partners to improve the quality of life of society as a whole.

ISO 14000 standards are "voluntary". They do not replace legal requirements, but provide a system for determining how a company affects the environment and how legal requirements are met.

An organization may use ISO 14000 standards internally, such as the EMS model or internal audit environmental management systems. It is assumed that the creation of such a system gives the organization effective tool, with which it can manage its totality of environmental impacts and bring its activities in line with a variety of requirements. The standards can also be used externally to demonstrate to clients and the public that the environmental management system is up to date. Finally, the organization may obtain formal certification from a third (independent) party. As can be expected from the experience of ISO 9000 standards, it is the desire to obtain formal registration that is likely to be the driving force behind the implementation of environmental management systems that comply with the standard.

As conceived by ISO, the certification system should be created at the national level. Judging by the experience of a country like Canada, the leading role in the process of creating a national certification infrastructure is played by national standardization agencies (for Russia, this is Gosstandart), as well as Chambers of Commerce and Industry, unions of entrepreneurs, etc.

It is expected that the standard registration process will take 12 to 18 months, about the same time as it takes to implement an environmental management system in an enterprise. Since the requirements of ISO 14000 largely overlap with ISO 9000, it is possible to facilitate certification of enterprises that already have ISO 9000. In the future, the possibility of "double" certification is expected to reduce total cost. “ISO 9000 certification is 70% of the work of ISO 14000 certification,” says one consulting firm.

Today international organization for standardization, ISO pursues a policy of implementing integrated quality systems, which is regulated by ISO 9000 (quality), ISO 14000 (environment), GMP (life safety) standards. These standards have a common scope: a new version ISO 9000/2000 already includes a number of environmental issues, ISO 14000 is based on a quality management system.

Having an ISO 14000 certification is now becoming the same necessary condition for exporting enterprises, as before, the ISO 9000 certificate. It is especially important when the exported products are raw materials for industries located in the recipient countries: these are mineral fertilizers as a raw material for Agriculture, petroleum products as a raw material for the production of packaging, dishes, other items directly used by humans, etc.

Preparation for environmental certification, as well as for certification of quality systems, is much more efficient and cheaper to carry out by the enterprise itself. Holders of an auditor's certificate can participate in audits during certification Russian enterprises for the international ISO 14000 certificate, carried out so far exclusively by foreign certification bodies (since Russia has not yet been accepted into IQNet) and therefore very expensive.

IQNet is an international network of certification bodies. Its members - organizations that certify enterprises for compliance of their quality management systems with international standards ISO 9000 or 14000 - issue a single international certificate with the IQNet logo.

An IQNet enterprise certificate can be obtained through joint certification work with bodies that are part of the IQNet network.

It should be noted that the manager's certificate allows you to work only within the enterprise and does not allow you to be a member of an international team of auditors.

Alongside IQNet is the IAF, an international network of national accreditation bodies that accredit certification bodies in their countries. Quality system certificates issued by certification bodies accredited by IAF member national accreditation bodies are all different, but there is an agreement between IAF members for the mutual recognition of these certificates. In Russia, for example, there is a domestic certification body - Tsentrocert, which has the right to issue a German TGA certificate according to ISO 9000, since it has received accreditation from the German accreditation council DAR, which is a member of the IAF network.

The presence of its own auditors with documents recognized by IQNet will allow the company to save not only a lot of money, but also time, which is no less important factor in the struggle for export markets.

Situation in Russia. Obtaining certification in ISO system 14,000 may be necessary for Russian enterprises operating or planning to sell products in foreign markets. Since the national certification infrastructure is currently at an early stage of development, such enterprises tend to invite foreign auditors. In addition to the high cost of the services provided, foreign auditors are often unfamiliar with the requirements of Russian environmental legislation.

Therefore, it seems appropriate to take the following steps in the near future:

– popularization of ISO 14000, including through the publication of the Russian-language text of the standards;

– popularization of the basic principles of environmental audit industrial enterprises;

– training of specialists-auditors;

– development of the regulatory framework for environmental audit;

– implementation national system environmental certification and labeling of products and, as a first step, official recognition of certain environmental label systems for imported products.

Certification of quality management systems of enterprises for compliance with international standards ISO 9000 or 14000, especially those related to the defense, chemical, petrochemical, engineering and food industries, today has become a prerequisite for exporting products, participating in joint projects with foreign partners, receiving government orders.

Currently in the territory Russian Federation there is a system of GOSTs regulating the implementation and operation of the environmental management system - GOST R ISO 14000, where all the principles of environmental management are spelled out. For example, GOST R ISO 14001 provides guidance on the use of environmental management systems; GOST R ISO 14004 is a general guide to the principles, systems and methods of environmental management systems; using GOST R ISO 14014, it is possible to determine the "initial level" of the enterprise's environmental performance; GOSTs R ISO 14010, 14011, 14012 give an idea of ​​the environmental audit and recommendations for its implementation; GOST R ISO 14020 describes the principles of environmental labeling of products, and GOST R ISO 14040 provides a methodology for assessing its "life cycle".

This system, unlike most of the existing standards in the field of environmental protection, is not aimed at quantitative indicators and not at a change in production technology (although it does not exclude them), but at the managerial potential of the organization.

According to the standard, the result of the implementation of the environmental management system is a consistent improvement (Fig. 3.2), i.e. a development process aimed at achieving the best performance in all environmental aspects of the enterprise, where this is practically achievable in accordance with its environmental policy.

The environmental management system gives the organization the opportunity to structure, link together processes aimed at achieving consistent improvement, the desired degree of which is determined by the organization itself, depending on the current situation.

In recent years, business has been paying more and more attention to environmental issues. It is their solution that is the main task, for the optimal solution of which an EMS system (environmental management) is being created and implemented at enterprises.

The requirements for its development and creation are formulated in a series of international standards and Russian analogues of the mentioned standards, which are united by the block of standards.

Your business will reach a new level of quality if you get a legitimate ISO Certificate with the help of experienced professionals.

What issues are regulated by the mentioned standards

There are currently 29 valid certificates in the ISO 14000 series. The most important of them have been adapted to the Russian legislation by developing and adopting the standards of the GOST R ISO 14000 series. Data content normative documents as authentic as possible to the originals.

The key ISO 14000 standards, widely used in Russia, are devoted to the following issues (see table).

Table No. 1

The only standard that a company's EMS can be certified against is ISO 14001:2015. The Russian analogue of this certificate is currently the standard 14001-2007. This GOST R ISO is valid until 03/01/17, after which its updated version, adapted to the new international standard, registered under the number 14001-2016, will come into force. This standard was adopted by Rosstandart on April 29, 2016 (see order No. 285-st).

Basic requirements, strict adherence to which legally confirms the presence of an ISO 14001 certificate.

The environmental direction ISO (ISO) has implemented in the block of standards of the ISO 14000 series. The fact of obtaining the corresponding EMS certificate indicates that the enterprise:

• Developed its own policy in the field of ecology and documented it in the list of principles and intentions of the organization, accompanied by a statement of the desire to fully comply with all requirements related to environmental issues that are in force in Russia;
• It has developed and follows the necessary procedures that determine the significant impact of the enterprise on the natural environment;
• Environmental goals are defined and environmental tasks are formulated;
• EM program developed;
• Sufficient funds and resources are allocated for the successful implementation of the EMS;
• Regular staff training is carried out;
• The implementation of measures that may have a negative impact on the environment is monitored;
• The EMS is being audited;
• Periodic adjustments are made to the current EMS, taking into account the effectiveness and adequacy of the latter to the prevailing conditions.

The series of standards under consideration can be implemented by any company seeking to develop, implement and further maintain and periodically improve an EMS, regardless of existing standards and legislative framework on the mentioned issue.

What are the benefits of an organization that has been certified for compliance with the provisions of ISO 14001-2007 (GOST R)

The procedure for creating and implementing an EMS is quite laborious, time-consuming and very costly. It is classified as voluntary by the current legislation.

What is the business benefit then?

• The presence of ISO 14001 demonstrates to partners, potential clients and investors that the organization has an EMS that fully meets the requirements of today. The mentioned fact greatly simplifies the promotion of products in the markets, especially in industrialized countries. Therefore, it is the desire to possess the appropriate certificate that becomes the main argument in favor of the implementation of the EMS. Because it gives a tangible increase in profits;
• Environmental certification contributes to the improvement of the company's image;
• The presence of EMS allows to achieve real savings in resources and energy, due to optimization and increase in management efficiency;
• Passed certification increases the estimated value of the enterprise (its fixed assets);
• The quality of the organization's management system is improving, etc.

The international standards of the ISO 14000 series are standards that establish requirements for environmental management systems in order to give organizations a tool for developing policies and setting targets for reducing environmental impact.

A number of 14000 series standards have been developed, including:

ISO 14001 - "Environmental Management Systems - Specification and Guidelines for Use". The standard contains requirements that can be verified during an audit conducted to certify compliance with ISO 14000. Currently, compliance with ISO 14001 is the subject of this certification. Thus, the ISO 14001 standard is central to the ISO 14000 system of standards.

ISO 14004 - "Environmental management systems - General guidance on principles, systems and methods".

ISO 14010, 14011/1, 14012 are guidelines for environmental auditing.

ISO 14050 - "Glossary".

In Russia, the ISO 14001 standard is valid in the form of GOST R ISO 14001-2007.

The ISO 14001 standard does not operate with exact values ​​and does not establish any absolute requirements for the environmental performance of an enterprise. The main requirement is that the management of the enterprise must commit itself, in accordance with its capabilities, to constantly improve the environmental performance of the enterprise. To do this, the enterprise must identify aspects of its activities that affect the environment, and build a management system for such aspects.

The main requirements, compliance with which means compliance with the ISO 14001 standard, are as follows:

• The organization must develop an environmental policy - a document of intent and principles of the organization. The environmental policy should contain statements of commitment to comply with the environmental regulations adopted in the country, as well as to continuous improvement environmental management systems.
• The organization shall establish and follow procedures for determining significant environmental impacts.
• The organization should develop environmental goals and objectives.
• The organization shall establish an environmental management program.
• Sufficient human, technological and financial resources should be allocated to ensure the operation of the environmental management system.
• A number of staff training requirements must be met.
• The organization shall monitor the key parameters of those activities that may have a significant impact on the environment.
• Periodic audits of the environmental management system should be carried out.
• The management of the organization shall periodically review the operation of the environmental management system for its adequacy and effectiveness.

Compliance with this requirement is verified during audits, the rules of which are described in ISO 14010, 14011/1, 14012.

As follows from the above, ISO 14000 standards are applicable to any organization wishing to implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system, regardless of the legal environmental requirements and regulations in force in a given country.

Along with the advantages of this approach, there is also a disadvantage - ISO 14000 standards create favorable conditions for the "export of pollution" - the transfer hazardous industries to developing countries.

WHAT ISO 14000 CERTIFICATION GIVES BUSINESSES

ISO 14000 series certification is often a lengthy, time-consuming and costly process. Moreover, it is voluntary. Why do companies need it, which usually experience a shortage of qualified personnel and who know how to count money?

Compliance with ISO 14000 standards is used primarily to demonstrate to customers and the public that the environmental management system is up to date. This is increasingly becoming a precondition for successful product marketing on international markets. Thus, the driving force for enterprises to implement environmental management systems is mainly the need to obtain formal certification.