bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Making sense of public values: Environmental controversies for corporate decision makers
Authors: Grant A. J. , O'Dea Katherine
Published: February 2007

Every year I try to choose the “word of the year”—that is, the word that will be the most topical and overused in the news, politics, and business. Past “words of the year” were leadership, excellence, quality, and so on. This year's, without a doubt, must be values. Just listen to any political speech and you'll be sure to hear it! Magazine article after magazine article makes reference to values—family values, social values, public values, personal values, etc. Business is beginning to experience first‐hand the power of this word and the controversy it engenders, especially in the area of environmental issues.

Corporations already heavily scrutinized by the public on operational issues like facility expansion, pollution, emissions, product acceptance, etc., are struggling to assess how best to manage competing public values. What do we do when the public has one value and business has another? Or, how can choices be made between two operating needs that compete for the same budget? It is the dilemma posed by values in conflict that this article explores. Once the domain of scholars and philosophers, this timely topic is now demanding the consideration and awareness of everyone in the business world.
Patagonia struggles to reduce its impact on the environment
Authors: Hartman Harvey , Haas Erika J.
Published: February 2007

Patagonia designs and distributes clothing for active use in the outdoors, and many of the people who work for Patagonia are avid climbers, skiers, surfers, and hikers. If the environment is destroyed, there will be no place for Patagonia's customers and employees to use its products. The types of products Patagonia makes and the personal commitment to the environment of its founder and employees make it unique. In the past few years, Patagonia has been systematically reviewing how the company's products and operations affect the environment. This article shows that even with Patagonia's unusual connection to the environment, the company is still finding that total quality environmental management is not easy. It takes analysis, planning, follow‐through, and measurement; and even then, not all environmental efforts are successful.
Implementing ISO 14000: Overcoming barriers to registration
Authors: Jump Rodger A.
Published: February 2007

The new environmental standard, ISO 14000, is due for issue in January 1996. The standard is designed to address environmental management systems, life‐cycle assessments, and international labeling and auditing standards. A major issue facing ISO 14000 advocates is “How can proponents of ISO 14000 get their enterprise to implement it?” And once implementation is started, “What can be done to enhance its chances of success?” The answers to both of these questions may be discovered by examining the self‐interest of the parties within the enterprise. These parties will rightly ask, “Why should I support ISO 14000 registration? What's in it for me?”.

Today's business climate is more competitive than ever. This is particularly true in the international arena. As a result, the competition within an enterprise for funds (the budget process) is becoming tougher than ever. Management is not going to register under ISO 14000 because they are altruistic. Companies will decide to register only if it is in their own best interest. That means, only if the decision maker can defend the decision to critics. This article presents approaches to gain support within an organization for implementation of ISO 14000 and to improve the chances of success once implementation has begun.
Improving quality with waste minimization for small businesses
Authors: Dorland Dianne , Baria Dorab N. , Bergeron Jerome T.
Published: February 2007

All businesses are continually seeking ways to increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction, reduce waste, and minimize costs. However, small businesses are frequently overlooked in discussions of the implementation of environmental quality improvements in conjunction with management practice improvements. Humes Collision Center incorporated new waste reduction techniques when it expanded its old facilities in 1992, and it was able to achieve the benefits of cost and waste reduction. Humes Collision Center repairs an average of 500 cars annually and is a very small quantity generator of hazardous waste, as defined by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This case study documents the waste minimization and economic benefits at the new autobody repair facility in Hermantown, Minnesota.
Creating successful partnerships with hazardous waste providers
Authors: Shoji Dennis
Published: February 2007

Baxter Healthcare's Cardio Vascular Group (CVG) has formed a partnership with Advanced Environmental Technical Services (AETS, formerly called AETC), an 18‐year‐old environmental services company based in Flanders, New Jersey. With annual revenues of nearly $100 million, AETS is the largest privately owned environmental service company of its kind.

Creating a partnership with providers of hazardous waste services has become necessary for many companies that find themselves downsizing and focusing their limited resources on their core businesses. More than merely waste haulers, hazardous waste management companies are being called on to train employees, develop environmental budgets, and even serve as on‐site waste managers. AETS and Baxter Healthcare's CVG have created such a partnership and have successfully reduced Baxter's hazardous waste production by 56 percent since 1992. The lessons learned from this partnership are reported in this article.
Preparing for ISO 14000: An assessment guide
Authors: Ambrose Thomas P.
Published: February 2007

With ISO 14000 expected to roll out in 1996, have you begun to evaluate how well your current environmental management policy, programs, procedures, and objectives conform to published national and evolving global Environmental Management System (EMS) standards?.

The ISO expects to adopt a final standard by mid‐1996 which specifies requirements for an EMS (e.g., ISO 14001). In addition, national EMS standards have already been developed and published by organizations such as The British Standards Institute and, in the United States, NSF International, for example, BS 7750 and NSF 110–1995, respectively. This article shows how managers can begin assessing their operations to prepare for these new standards and improve overall environmental performance.
Using life‐cycle assessments in large corporations: A survey of current practices
Authors: Huang Ellen A. , Hunkeler David J.
Published: February 2007

Industries presently face a challenge to maintain competitiveness while creating minimal adverse impacts on the environment. The conventional concerns of product functionality, quality, and cost are further complicated by environmental considerations. Thus, corporate environmental strategies are evolving toward a life‐cycle approach by implementing life‐cycle analysis (LCA), design for environment (DFE), and environmentally conscious design and manufacturing (ECDM) practices. These life‐cycle concepts provide a tool for industry to identify and evaluate opportunities to minimize environmental burdens from cradle to grave.

A mail survey administered by Vanderbilt University's U.S.‐Japan Center for Technology Management was sent to 175 U.S. corporations from the 1994 Fortune 500 list. The results show that more than half of the 56 respondents are using life‐cycle concepts for environmental assessments, with marketing and cost issues as the primary motivation factors. Hi‐tech and personal care firms are more active in implementing LCAs while chemical and intermediate companies are more involved with maintaining databases and utilizing LCA tools. The survey and this article show how life‐cycle thinking has not been adequately integrated throughout corporate organizations, and most environmental efforts are initiated by the environmental affairs department. However, the percentage of top management involvement has increased since 1992 and is now at moderate levels. LCA methods need to be further developed in order to expand their industrial acceptability.
Sustainable environmental careers and industries in the reengineering/EMS era
Authors: Fitzgerald Chris
Published: February 2007

Environmental business and environmental professionals within industry will face unprecedented challenges in the late 1990s. The strategies of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) will require integrating environmental processes into mainstream business systems and reducing the role for “pure” environmental processes. This article describes some of the new skills that employees and consultants will need to learn in order to provide value to the customer's core business.
Improving management‐level environmental, safety, and health auditing practices: Model guidelines and case study
Authors: Houshmand Ali A. , Valentine John D. , Ghoshal Subhonil
Published: February 2007

The model for a management‐level environmental, safety, and health (ES&) audit presented in this article is intended to be useful both for managers of ES&H organizations that are responsible for having audits of their programs conducted and for audit teams that conduct such audits. A description of the proposed audit model, including planning, executing, and collating the results of the audit, is presented. In addition, a case study is presented to demonstrate how managers can initiate and improve audit programs in their organizations. This article illustrates specific tools and practices such as the design of audit interview forms, techniques for developing audit questionnaires, and the incorporation of audit practices according to the established audit methods.
Risk management is part of good management
Authors: Bendixen Lisa Marie
Published: February 2007

As the use of hazard and risk assessments becomes more commonplace, the need for and importance of an overall risk management system become apparent. Such a system allows companies to prioritize both their efforts to identify and understand risks and their allocation of resources to manage and control risks. In the future, the most effective risk management systems will be integrated into other business processes and management systems, to ensure that their value as well as their costs are recognized and measured by line operations. For example, chemical and petrochemical companies such as BP Exploration, Monsanto, and Union Carbide are improving on well‐established risk management systems by increasing their businesses' involvement in and ownership of the process. This article summarizes the key elements of a risk management system and uses the lessons learned by various companies to define best existing and emerging practices.
Tuning to station wiify on ISO 14000: What's in it for you?
Authors: Johannson Lynn
Published: February 2007

“The impact of ISO 14000 will be swift and significant. For businesses exporting to global markets, and their suppliers, preparing for ISO 14000 today is not an option—it's a matter of survival…”.
Making sense of environmental accounting
Authors: Bailey Paul E. , Soyka Peter A.
Published: February 2007

Much as Total Quality Management (TQM) has helped companies decrease waste and enhance value, environmental accounting offers an approach and a suite of tools that can help organizations improve both environmental quality and bottom‐line business performance. Its focus is to bridge the world of finance and economics with the world of environmental management. Companies in all sectors have discovered that they can increase profits by meeting and even surpassing environmental regulations. Through environmental accounting, companies can discover more of these opportunities and, ideally, bring environmental concerns earlier into planning, decision making, and operations. This article introduces environmental accounting and some basic principles that should guide organizations' thinking on environmental accounting and environmental accounting systems. It also describes several different objectives for environmental accounting that imply different requirements and orientations. Although the focus of this article is on environmental accounting as an aspect of forward‐looking management and decision making in companies, much of the discussion applies to nonprofits and government units as well.
An introduction to reverse logistics for environmental management: A new system to support sustainability and profitability
Authors: Giuntini Ron
Published: February 2007

The private‐sector marketplace has identified the reengineering of the structure and management of the supply chain as a great untapped business opportunity. In traditional supply chains poorly structured operational and financial decision making institutionalized the poor management of material resources. This nonoptimized management process results in the generation of impaired material resources, which leads to solid and hazardous waste, as well as additional operating costs throughout the supply chain.

The way in which the marketplace is addressing the issue of impaired material resources is by transferring the ownership and liability of impaired resources from the customer back to the supplier. The marketplace is also implicitly saying that the supplier must redesign its products to eliminate/minimize waste, or if the supplier fails to accomplish this goal, the supplier will be forced to absorb the costs associated with managing impaired material resources. The ramifications of this change are truly of historical proportions. The utility of a material resource to create wealth has throughout the centuries almost always required its ownership. Ownership has also denoted that the owner accept any liabilities created by the material resource. This is now all about to change.

To support this change, a vastly expanded infrastructure and new management systems will have to be developed. This article shows how to manage the supply chain and impaired material resources. The new system that will operationally and financially manage these changes as well as create new organizational decision‐making drivers is Reverse Logistics Management (RLM).
Weyerhaeuser implements new chemical management program
Authors: Loren James
Published: February 2007

Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest forest products companies in the world, with extensive business holdings in timberland, pulp, paper, packaging, recycling, wood products, and real estate. Process chemical management issues of its major manufacturing pollutants have been continually addressed at its 200 locations throughout North America. Still, the company needed to expand its management focus to the cleaners, paints, and other chemical‐based supplies that it used. This article describes how Weyerhaeuser initiated a corporate‐wide chemical management program, secured senior management backing and funding, and is now in the midst of achieving broad‐based employee buy‐in for full implementation.
Environmental performance indicators for enhancing environmental management
Authors: Metcalf Kim R. , Williams Phillip L. , Minter J. Robert , Hobson Chris M.
Published: February 2007

Traditionally, environmental issues and concerns have been viewed as a constraint to businesses. This has resulted in environmental managers relying heavily on a reactive, compliance‐based approach to justify change. Businesses are now recognizing that efficient management in the environmental arena can benefit the entire company and open new opportunities for increased profits. Managers have acknowledged that environmental issues can be integrated into daily business trends and activities. Not only does sound environmental management decrease liability, but also in current markets a “green” image can attract investors and customers. This article shows how one tool that progressive companies are focusing attention on—environmental performance indicators—is being used to convey the current status of environmental issues and improve the management of these issues for the benefit of the company as well as the environment.
Environmental business management practices for a new age
Authors: Ferrone Bob
Published: February 2007

At the end of the 20th century, business finds itself in a period of transformation and a new emphasis on environmentally responsible practices. Leading‐edge companies are now integrating environmental concerns into everyday business activities. Competitive issues, which led to the formation of just‐in‐time production processes, are now forcing companies to better understand their effects on the environment. Business leaders must now look at environmental issues as opportunities, not burdens. With innovative use of “industrial ecology,” companies can set the stage for long‐term growth into the next century.

“Business men go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themselves to change.” Henry Ford.
Achieving eco‐efficiency through design for environment
Authors: Fiksel Joseph
Published: February 2007

“Eco‐efficiency” is a term that does not yet appear in dictionaries but has already gained considerable force in shaping the environmental policies and practices of leading corporations. The Business Council on Sustainable Development (BCSD) sounded a trumpet call with their 1992 manifesto, “Changing Course.” Due to the credibility of the companies that constitute BCSD's membership—including Dow Chemical, 3M, Northern Telecom, Ciba‐Geigy, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and many others—their message has had a substantial influence on the strategic thinking of company executives around the world, BCSD's concept of eco‐efficiency suggests an important link between resource efficiency (which leads to productivity and profitability) and environmental responsibility.

Eco‐efficiency makes business sense. By eliminating waste and using resources wisely, eco‐efficient companies reduce costs and become more competitive. As environmental performance standards become commonplace, eco‐efficient companies will be at an advantage for penetrating new markets and increasing their share of existing markets. This article describes the business practices companies are adopting to increase their eco‐efficiency and improve their competitive advantage.

“Corporations that achieve ever more efficiency while preventing pollution through good housekeeping, materials substitution, cleaner technologies, and cleaner products and that strive for more efficient use and recovery of resources can be called eco‐efficient.” Declaration of the Business Council on Sustainable Development, 1992.
Using new LCA performance metrics: Getting the most out of your EMS
Authors: Brown Linda G. , Ward Rebecca , Titus Eric
Published: February 2007

The environmental effects of industrial operations, primarily a matter of regulatory compliance in the past, are now a matter for marketplace scrutiny. Competitiveness in the global marketplace increasingly depends on demonstrating effective environmental management and product design to purchasers of products and services, whether those buyers are secondary manufacturers, retailers, government agencies, or consumers. One key to future marketplace success, therefore, lies in developing mechanisms to evaluate environmental impacts, implement improvement strategies, and communicate environmental performance and improvements to stakeholder audiences. Companies stand to gain from these actions in real financial terms—through improved production and operating efficiencies, reduced liability exposure, enhanced customer relations, and increased business opportunities. This article provides a description of quantitative technical tools that can be used to manage company environmental performance and achieve both internal improvement objectives and external marketplace goals.
Improving environmental management with full environmental cost accounting
Authors: Epstein Marc J.
Published: February 2007

Based on the most comprehensive field research ever conducted in corporate environmental management, this article reports on the integration of environmental impacts into product costing and cost management practices in organizations. It examines approaches for identifying and tracking current environmental costs related to both current and past production. It also develops the need and prospects for a complete analysis of future environmental impacts, including both costs and benefits, and the integration of these elements into a life‐cycle costing or full environmental cost accounting model. The prospects for full environmental cost accounting and the related accounting issues are analyzed. Finally, the importance of full environmental cost accounting for improving corporate environmental performance, reducing corporate environmental impacts, and increasing long‐term corporate profitability is discussed.
The value of “EHS auditing” in the United States: Making sense out of the current chaos
Authors: Balikov Henry R.
Published: February 2007

Conventional wisdom has advocated environmental auditing as a prudent part of an internal control program and one of the key tools in driving proactive efforts. As a part of risk management activities, it is often employed to protect an organization, its employees, and officers from liability. Conscientious use of such audits has undoubtedly protected human health and the environment. Ironically, those who make the most consistent efforts to audit compliance and management systems, according to advocates of audit protection, may be the most vulnerable to enforcement actions and lawsuits. This article places the escalating calls for audit protection in a proper context.
Should ISO 14000 be linked with ISO 9000?
Authors: Cichowicz Judith A.
Published: February 2007

The ISO 9000 standards address the structure of quality management systems, which provide a specified level of quality performance to consumers. Organizations that link ISO 9000 and 14000 can develop a consistent, cost‐effective management system. This article discusses the cost factors that affect a decision to implement management systems, the linkages between the two ISO standards, and some real‐life examples of how these linkages are achieved.
ISO 14001: A systems approach to managing environmental risk
Authors: Camarota Anton G. , Dymond Mary S.
Published: February 2007

The field of environmental risk management is relatively new and has developed rapidly over the past several years. There has been, however, a significant lack of integration of seemingly dissimilar disciplines into a meaningful context for top management risk decisions—until now. A new holistic approach, centered on the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems, addresses many of the issues that have kept environmental risk management focused on technical rather than strategic issues.

This article describes the risk management process, illustrates how the ISO 14001 standard can be used by organizations to integrate and assess technical environmental information, and shows how to place this information in a strategic risk management context. It also explains how key ISO 14001 concepts such as policy implementation, operational control, and continuous improvement form the basis of a systems approach, and why the systems approach is the preferred, cost‐effective structure for controlling environmental risk.
Comparing EQM practices of small and large companies
Authors: Kiel David H.
Published: February 2007

There is some concern in the environmental quality management (EQM) community that small and mid‐sized companies do not have the technical, economic, and personnel resources or expertise to carry out significant programs of pollution prevention or waste reduction in the way that large corporations do. Thus, a very significant proportion of the economy may not be contributing to or benefiting from EQM approaches. This article begins to clarify what small and mid‐sized companies that are committed to EQM can actually do and how this compares with the efforts of larger plants or plants operated as part of large multiplant corporations.
Myths and realities of the “new” green economy
Authors: Hartman Harvey
Published: February 2007

This article details new research showing that the majority of U.S. consumers have strong inclinations to buy earth‐sustainable food products. Contrary to prevailing beliefs in the industry, the market potential for these products is enormous—52 percent of consumers are willing to buy “green,” and nearly one‐third (30 percent) can actually be considered as the core market for earth‐sustainable food products. Yet these products currently represent only 2 percent of all food sales. This immense gap can be eliminated by turning our focus from supply (an endless stream of new product introductions) to demand (the needs of the consumer). Doing so requires a clear understanding of the consumer and the dispelling of several myths that pervade the marketplace today.

Information in this article was taken from Phase 1 of The Hartman Report—Food and the Environment: A Consumer's Perspective, which examines the consumer segments in much more detail with regard to attitudinal, demographic, and psychographic profiles. The report was commissioned, in part, by The Kellogg Foundation, The Food Alliance, and Cascadian Farm. Phase II of the research more closely examines those segments that represent the key target markets for these products, including information on the effects of advertising, public relations, and labels in communicating environmentally sustainable product messages. Phase III will develop specific retail tactics that can be effective in delivering products and services to the most important segments. For information on obtaining a copy of the report, contact The Hartman Group at 206–451–9094.
Achieving competitive advantage through product stewardship and LCA
Authors: Veroutis Agis D. , Ullman Andrew L. , Fava James A. , Steinmetz Daniel C. , Kerfoot Edward J.
Published: February 2007

Companies have achieved competitive advantage by expanding the boundaries of their concern beyond the product life‐cycle stage that they directly control. By using product stewardship and life‐cycle information, coupled with business analysis, companies can successfully outperform their competitors by improving their product or product system by reducing costs, increasing revenue, reducing liabilities, and enhancing their image. Life‐cycle information and its use within a product stewardship management framework goes beyond traditional life‐cycle applications. Used wisely, it can help companies establish a sustainable framework for long‐term success.
Justifying the cost of EMIS: Piloting lessons from Rhone‐Poulenc
Authors: Dray Jim , Heptinstall James W.
Published: February 2007

Two worlds are colliding as many companies are integrating environmental management with business management. Nowhere is this more evident than in the hundreds of companies that are now working to upgrade their environmental management information systems (EMIS), which are a critical component of business integration. Building a business case for EMIS requires crossing many disciplinary boundaries—knowing the language of information systems, accounting, business management, and environmental management. Hence, it is a very valuable skill for environmental managers to develop in order to build their function and their own careers. Some environmental and information systems professionals are attempting to develop a general set of guidelines for justifying the cost of EMIS—in particular, the useful emerging work of the Environmental Health and Safety Software Development Group. This article relates the experience of an EMIS development effort at Rhone‐Poulenc, Inc.
Demystifying the EMIS purchasing process and decisions: Look (and plan) before you leap
Authors: Brown Howard J. , Larson Timothy J.
Published: February 2007

The proliferation of environmental, health, and safety regulations in recent years has increased the complexity and cost of regulatory compliance for companies. In response to the growing complexities of environmental management, many firms are turning to information systems for tracking, managing, and automating their environmental activities and information. An environmental management information system (EMIS), however, is not an end in itself. A successful EMIS supports and facilitates the integration of environmental management into business functions. Effective planning is essential for placing short‐term information system development in the context of a long‐range comprehensive environmental management strategy.

This article presents specific pitfalls to avoid when purchasing environmental management software. Numerous companies have discovered that the true costs of EMIS implementation stem from the political and organizational costs of getting employees to use systems, particularly when they require alterations in existing work processes. The up‐front purchase price often represents less than 50 percent of the total system implementation cost. Failure to adequately research and plan frequently results in costly training, high modification or user fees, incompatibilities with other applications, or vendor dependence. The article then discusses the range of options in the EMIS marketplace and offers many practical suggestions to approach and plan effective implementation of an EMIS.
The computers and electronics industry alternative system of environmental protection: A new pilot program
Authors: Karlenzig Warren
Published: February 2007

New systems approaches by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have attempted to prevent and limit environmental damages through multimedia management of resources, energy, and environmental impacts, while engaging communities, environmental groups, facilities, industries, states, and local agencies. Collectively these diverse interests have begun to partner with corporate management to work toward a shared vision of how multimedia management and multistakeholder participation can best evolve in concert with environmental management system approaches.

This article analyzes one industry‐specific program under the Common Sense Initiative, called an Alternative System of Environmental Protection (ASEP) for the Computers and Electronics Subcommittee. The significance of this working group's attempt to increase regulatory flexibility lies in its collective establishment of an alternative regulatory framework for an entire industry. Contrary to many other EPA single‐facility pilot programs, this method cuts across the entire computer and electronics industry. The group hopes to achieve sector‐wide regulatory improvements through a process providing funding for shared research, dynamic feedback, and technical assistance, while engaging in multistakeholder relationships with communities, workers, local governmental agencies, and other stakeholders.
Building and managing new compliance delivery systems
Authors: Smith Scott A.
Published: February 2007

Companies today are continuously improving their efforts to incorporate an environmental management system (EMS) in their everyday operations and work practices, with an emphasis on identifying and reducing risks. Risks may include the cost of enforcement penalties, potential workplace dangers to employees, or cleanup liabilities due to past or present practices. Environmental auditing is an effective tool commonly used to enhance an EMS. Typically, there are two levels of auditing: (1) a review of management systems and (2) a review of compliance with regulatory requirements. There is yet another intermediate level of auditing that is more focused than management systems or compliance audits—compliance delivery systems (CDS) audits. This article examines the elements making up these systems for improving compliance performance and provides a „ready to use”︁ checklist of items for managers to begin implementation.
Case study: Improving environmental management at Rhodia's Paulínia, Brazil chemical facility
Authors: Kruglianskas Isak
Published: February 2007

At the end of 1995, Lisě Monteiro, the engineer responsible for Industrial Security and the Environment at Rhodia, was seeking possible improvements that could be introduced into the company's environmental practices. He had noticed that one of the company's industrial units, the Adipic Acid Department at the Paulínia Chemical Plant complex, was getting good results in its efforts to control environmental pollution. An outside consultant was brought in to examine the department in greater depth to see what lessons might be learned from their experience that would help Rhodia improve its managerial procedures. This article details how this plant improved its environmental performance with many quality initiatives.
Building an integrated environmental, health, and safety management system
Authors: Weiler Ernest D. , Lewis Philip G. , Belonger David J.
Published: February 2007

This article discusses an integrated management system that aligns and integrates the various environmental, health, and safety functions and disciplines. This model is easily adopted to provide performance measures required to satisfy Responsible Care®, ISO 14001, and the European Union EMAS requirements.
Designing metrics that fit: Rethinking corporate environmental performance measurement systems
Authors: Larson Timothy J. , Brown Howard J.
Published: February 2007

If you don't measure it, you can't manage it. Over the past decade, many companies have recognized this need to track environmental performance. Failure to plan metrics systems to fit organizational needs, work flows, and culture has left many companies with costly and ineffective environmental performance measurement systems. This article presents numerous practical steps for designing effective metrics systems which avoid common pitfalls.
Strategic environmental management in Pennsylvania—new tools for moving beyond compliance
Authors:   Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Published: February 2007

Editor's Note: The following position paper recently released by Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection inaugurates a new column in EQM that will be devoted to exploring the issues, positions, and controversies involving state enforcement policies and actions. We welcome your responses to these columns that will examine how the states are approaching and managing their environmental responsibilities and how various stakeholder groups will be affected.
Case study: Sonoco's materials reclamation improves environmental performance through quality‐based management
Authors: Rondinelli Dennis A. , Berry Michael A.
Published: February 2007

Multinational corporations are facing increasing pressures and finding stronger incentives to integrate environmental management into their overall business strategies. National and local environmental regulations are becoming more stringent in Europe, Japan, East and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and many developing countries, and international voluntary standards of environmental management are being endorsed by a growing number of governments. Multinational firms are embracing these standards not only to assure the public of their concern for environmental protection, but also to enhance their competitiveness in international markets. The British Standard 7750, the European Eco‐Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), and the ISO 14000 series are setting new guidelines for effective corporate environmental management. Beyond complying with local and national laws, corporations now have wider latitude in how they adapt their business practices to these emerging environmental management standards.

In order to capitalize on that creative latitude, companies must have corporate cultures and internal management systems that allow them to respond quickly and effectively to changing environmental requirements. Exemplary corporate environmental performance is usually related to strong and progressive leadership, a culture that recognizes the importance of environmental protection, and the willingness to operate by quality‐based management principles.

This article describes how one international corporation, Sonoco, in responding successfully to changing environmental pressures to reclaim and recycle its products in the wake of the solid waste crisis in the United States and more stringent environmental regulations in Europe, used its management competencies and corporate culture to turn what could have been serious barriers to expansion of its core businesses into new opportunities. By adopting a bold materials reclamation program, Sonoco was able to overcome potential limitations on its operations in the United States and abroad and to develop new business segments that benefited the company and the environment.
NSF's New ems implementation guide for small and medium‐sized organizations
Authors: Cooney Anita M. , Stapleton Philip J.
Published: February 2007

NSF International has recently developed and published Environmental Management Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium‐Sized Organizations, which was created to help smaller organizations develop and implement environmental management systems (EMSs). The development of the guide was funded through a grant from the U.S. EPA. Using the international EMS series standards—14001—as a model, this manual provides over 150 pages of descriptive explanations, illustrations, examples of EMS elements (e.g., policies), and sample worksheets, forms, and procedures to assist organizations with implementation. The following is an introductory excerpt this valuable guide intended for MES implementors of small and medium‐sized companies leading their EMS development efforts.
MEB's university‐community partnerships foster new environmental leaders for business
Authors: Venugopal Kala
Published: February 2007

As our society's environmental concerns have grown over the past 20 years, U.S. firms have struggled to find effective and inexpensive ways to meet their mushrooming environmental obligations. Many firms, recognizing the competitive advantages to be won through adroit environmental management, have begun to seek managers trained to deal with these issues. The corporate response has been hobbled by business schools'general failure to train managers to deal with crossfunctional issues, and by a specific failure to address environmental management in their curricula. In this article, the Management Institute for Environment and Business, a program of the World Resources Institute (WRI), describes its innovative University‐Community Partnerships (UCP) project to address these shortcomings. Bringing new approaches and new thinking to management curricula, MEB and several like‐minded organizations are breathing new life into the old MBA programs.
Benchmarking compliance performance: A new petroleum industry report
Authors: Levinson Jonathan
Published: February 2007

Environmental Information Services, Inc. (EIS) publishes detailed reports and offers custom research related to the full spectrum of environmental issues facing corporations. In this new article, EIS reports on the compliance performance of the largest companies in the petroleum industry focusing on five key environmental concerns: toxic waste management, air pollution, water pollution, spills, and Superfund. It is important to note that the following article does not contain normalized data and graphs which would adjust findings to various size features (e.g., worldwide revenues per company). This as well as detailed environmental policy and program data on each company can be obtained from EIS. EIS reports help companies of all sizes benchmark their environmental performance and quality improvement efforts.
Challenges of meeting ISO 14000 auditing guidelines: Audit program gaps
Authors: Cahill Lawrence B. , Woollard Thomas
Published: February 2007

At long last, the ISO 14000 environmental auditing guidelines have been issued in final form and have been accepted in the United States and elsewhere as official national standards. The auditing guidelines consist of:

Guidelines for environmental auditing—General principles (ISO 14010: 1996(E))

Guidelines for environmental auditing—Audit procedures—Auditing of environmental management systems (ISO 14011: 1996(E))

Guidelines for environmental auditing—Qualification criteria for environmental auditors (ISO 14012: 1996(E))

Unlike the environmental management system (EMS) standard (ISO 14001), the auditing guidelines are just that, guidelines. The ISO 14000 auditing guidelines are not long documents: ISO 14010 is three pages, ISO 14011 is five pages and ISO 14012 is three pages.
Case studies of ISO 14001: A new business guide for global environmental protection
Authors: Van der Veldt Danja
Published: February 2007

The intention of this article is to clarify the current status of ISO 14001, the internationally accepted voluntary environmental management system (EMS) standard, which is an effective means to generate continuous environmental performance improvement in an organization as well as significant financial benefits such as operational efficiency improvements (e.g., energy and water savings), reduction in environmental risks and liability expenses, protection of corporate asset value, and public image improvements.

The number of “ISO 14001” companies in Europe and the Pacific Rim is steadily increasing with customer and governmental pressure as the driving forces. In the United States, ISO 14001 implementation has lagged behind due to the fact that, so far, the EPA has not supported ISO 14001 as being sufficient for guaranteeing a reliable environmental performance record. Most ISO 14001 certified companies in the United States have been driven by overseas demand, particularly in the microelectronics industry because customers in this industry, especially those in Europe, will simply not do business in the future with companies that are not registered to ISO 14001. It is expected that European demand will continue to push ISO 14001 certification in the United States. Six ISO 14001 case studies in the U.S. chemical, electronics, and plastics industries, along with EPA's attitude toward ISO 14001 are described in this article. The case studies contain the reasons, steps taken, costs, benefits, problems, and future trends of ISO 14001 implementation and certification.
Elements of effective DFE program management and product stewardship
Authors: Veroutis Agis D. , Fava James A.
Published: February 2007

Design for the Environment (DFE) is a systems‐oriented approach for designing more ecologically and economically sustainable product systems. It couples the product development cycle used in business with the physical life‐cycle of a product.

DFE integrates environmental requirements into the earliest stages of design so total impacts caused by product systems can be reduced. With DFE practices, environmental, performance, cost, cultural, and legal requirements are balanced. Concepts such as concurrent design, total quality management, cross‐disciplinary teams, and multiattribute decision making are essential elements of DFE.1

In this article, the authors show how these DFE initiatives can provide the design and product development teams with the training, information, decision support tools, and procedures that ensure improved product development decisions and environmental performance.
Introducing design for the environment at boeing defense and space group through the application of abridged life‐cycle analysis
Authors: Weinberg Laurence , Eagan Patrick
Published: February 2007

The streamlined, matrix approach to environmental Life‐Cycle Analysis (LCA) developed originally at AT&T by Graedel and Allenby can be adapted to manufacturing processes to produce a useful tool for Design for the Environment (DFE). Pollution prevention in manufacturing has typically focused on the environmental impact of processes at a manufacturer's site. However, it is important to recognize that a process has a “life cycle,” albeit not precisely like the life cycle associated with a product. Modification of processes can also have upstream and downstream effects. In this article, the authors show how, by using a streamlined LCA matrix, it is possible to evaluate the environmental impact associated with a process over the process's life cycle. This approach also allows managers to allocate resources to improve processes that have greater environmental impact and to assess process improvements.
Strategic environmental product planning within Philips sound & vision
Authors: Cramer J. M. , Stevels A. L. N.
Published: February 2007

Until now no structured methodology existed for attuning environmental considerations to the business strategy of companies. The Environmental Competence Centre of Philips Sound & Vision in The Netherlands has developed and tested a methodology for this purpose. This methodology, called Selection of STRrategic Environmen Tal CHallenges (STRETCH), has proven to lead to promising results and should therefore be actively promoted.

In this article, the authors show how the application of STRETCH provides the possibility of meeting three main objectives: First, focusing on the incorporation of environmental aspects into the company's business strategy can elicit innovations that may enhance the competitive position of the company by cost reduction and/or higher market shares. Second, the environmental opportunities and threats to be expected in the future can be anticipated in an earlier phase. Through this proactive approach a company can avoid external criticism and take the lead in environmental priority setting. Third, by applying the STRETCH methodology even higher eco‐efficiencies are expected to be reached than through incremental, step‐by‐step environmental improvements.
The challenge of implementing ISO 14001 for small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises—surviving in the new global jungle
Authors: Johannson Lynn
Published: February 2007

Conceptually, the five key elements in ISO 14001—policy, planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action, and management review—were designed to be simple enough for any business owner or manager to understand. Environmental Management Systems, aligned to ISO 14000, were originally set up toprovide a harmonized approach for organizations regardless of size, sector, or geographical situation. This article details the many challenges SMEs must confront in implementing the new standards.
The data game: Measurement, uncertainty, and the challenge of quality
Authors: Frankel Carl
Published: February 2007

“Measurement, Uncertainty, and the Challenge of Quality,” by Carl Frankel, argues that corporations expect too much of science and measurement, in parallel with a culture that is similarly disposed. While science and measurement are essential to environmental progress, they are also limited in important and often overlooked ways. For instance, risk assessment provides only grossly approximate answers, and subjective quality—a central component of sustainable development—is rarely measured at all. New strategies for measuring the qualitative aspects of experience are urgently required.