Implementation of ISO 14000 Standards and Procedures

Implementation of ISO 14000 Standards and Procedures

ISO - 14000 is the known name of a "family" of standards published by the International Accounting Standards. The concern of these standards is to raise awareness on environmental impacts of decision-making processes in the organization. The standards seek to penetrate all sectors of activity and influence the organization's Life cycle in the environmental field, and change the way it looks at the world around it, assesses risks and opportunities, and makes decisions. 

Standard ISO 14001 is a standard that outlines the path to a sustainable environmental management system, with the wording of a system of rules that are expressed in environmental practices. Environmental regulations that constitute the heart of the environmental management system, enable managers and corporate officers work with an effective tool through which they can adjust their behavior and measure the organization's environmental performance. Contrary to the past, when the courts would examine whether some procedure was in existence or not, it can be seen that the court rulings in recent years consider the content of the procedures, and the extent to which they were clear and effective. Even when there were procedures, but they were not clear enough, sometimes the ruling was that the case should be treated as if no procedures existed. During our Environmental Legal Advice, we often conceive and write entire environmental management systems, or certain procedures, as the demand may be. We can assist you in this area - setting up an environmental management system, and testing those procedures from the legal standpoint to make sure they stand up in court. 

The most important function as we see it is related the conceiving, certification and maintenance of environmental management systems and of all-round environmental responsibility, and particularly to characterize and analyze the legal environment in which you live and work. You can characterize this legal environment over three levels according to a declining degree of generality, namely: national, local and private. Every level has to identify the parties involved - those factors and authorities that affect your environment and shape its legal frame. At each level we have to define and characterize the way of work of each "actor", as well as the legal standards that define its operation and the use of the powers vested in his hands. No less importance is turned to legal identification and characterization of environmental trends and future developments - both locally and globally - since they have short-term as well as long-term implications. The legal characterization step is performed, among others, through factory tours, meetings with relevant officials and presenting a detailed questionnaire. Analysis of the characteristics listed above helps us determine what is the difference between the requirements and objectives and the reality (this is the Gap Analysis). On the basis of the analysis we will install the           " binoculars " suitable for your business, allowing your business to see its environment needs in the light of the legal requirements. A more conventional description of the "binoculars" suitable for your business is "the legal system designed to support your business decision making process" - on daily basis, in emergency and in the long-term.